Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This was an actual life saver. Our cat was admitted to the Emergency Wing for having a bladder block. He was treated a few days, nearly released, then blocked again. He then needed surgery and was released home last week wearing a double EC/Cone of shame with many stitches and meds. He has to be crated at night to keep him safe from jumping, running, etc that would tear his stitches out. Drinking and eating well is very important and we've barely been able to get him to drink at all and he's been lethargic and dehydrated. I received this today, assembled and cleaned it carefully, and placed it in a new spot never imagining he'd drink (he's normally fussy even when healthy). To our surprise, he immediately went to the fountain and drank... more than he's drank in the past week. I cannot get over how silent this fountain is. Whomever reviewed it as "noisy" must have assembled it wrong. I set the pump on the second lowest setting and made sure to align the pump, casing, and top as well as press gently to "seal" it all securely. The bowl is right next to our living room and neither splashes water/no trickling sound nor makes any pump sounds. I have to mute the tv and put my ear right up to it to "hear" the pump. For a skittish cat that, a cat that's ill, or a cat that merely doesn't drink enough, this has already been a lifesaver on day one! I can't think of a batter design that allows "Basin or Trickle" drinking options, such a quiet motor, and such a pretty design! My nervous Nelly finally drinks more than enough water because of this product! *Side note: I opted to use bottled water to reduce stress on the pump and filters because we have very hard water. I don't know if it's necessary, but I'm hoping it will help keep filters and pump clean a bit longer. * Update after several months of use June 08, 2016 - Now that we've used this fountain awhile...it's even more of an investment that we love and appreciate. At one point, we DID have some "motor sound" and found that merely taking apart the motor and cleaning the fountain and making sure to put everything back together properly took care of the sound. That's the only problem I can report and it's just a matter of staying on top of emptying the fountain and doing a quick 30 second cleaning of the motor as instructed. I did purchase a back up motor (which Amazon sells for a very low price) just for an emergency...but I doubt I'll need it. It's running well, the filters last a long time, and my cat loves it. It's been nothing but a great investment as time goes on.