FIRST REVIEW: 11/29/2008 I bought the Platinum Pet Fountain for my three kittens, all of whom were rescues (i.e. feral). They were initially afraid to drink out of it, so I gathered them up and did the Mommy Cat Seal of Approval--I got down on all fours and pretended to sip from the fountain. Well, after that, all of them drank from it and what's more, all of them prefer drinking from the running water stream rather than the bowl. The fountain, as both negative and positive reviews have mentioned, is made of plastic and can be disassembled into five parts (reservoir, motor, fountain, base, lid). Negative reviewers were concerned that leaking problems occurred because of the parts being separate. I disagree. I had a leaking problem the first day. First, I tested my floors with a marble. They were perfectly level. Then, I took the fountain apart and put it back together again, making sure everything clicked into place with no gaps. Problem solved; I've had no leakage problems since then. If it's leaking, you've probably not assembled it correctly or have a sloped floor. Negative reviewers said the product was loud; one reviewer said she could hear it running "30 feet" away. It is NOT loud. I have hardwood floors, so there's a lot of room for loudness. I can hear my cats walking around my house from fifty feet away. I can NOT hear this fountain from ten feet away except as a faintly running waterfall sound, much like those little relaxation waterfalls you get as gifts. The only reason I can think of for it being too loud is if you turned the stream speed up all the way (it adjusts from a thin stream of water to a pouring stream of water depending on how much your pet drinks). I'm telling you, no matter how much your pet drinks, you only need to put the stream at half-capacity. I have three cats, and they drink a lot. Half-capacity is more than enough. Also, you CAN NOT hear the motor running in this thing at all. Whoever posts a review saying they can hear the motor is NOT talking about this fountain, they are talking about the original Drinkwell. The Platinum costs more specifically for the benefits of quietness and ease of use. As far as all the parts, it's fantastic for me because I can just take the parts and soak them in bleach water once a week. The directions, by the way, request that for the health of your pet and the health of the motor, you clean the fountain weekly. If you have hard water, expect to clean it more often and use vinegar. I have hard water and have not had a problem with the motor at all. I am also religious about cleaning the fountain once a week because I think my cats deserve clean water. There are negative reviews concerning hard water problems, and at least one reviewer also stated that she only cleaned her fountain once every three weeks. Could you imagine only giving your pet fresh water once a month? Horrid. You won't have hard water problems if you follow the directions provided with the fountain, which includes cleaning it at least once a week. My cats are extremely active little fluff balls, so food particles (and the occasional cat toy) get in the fountain. Thankfully, between the carbon filter and the plastic filter guard between the motor and the bowl, it hasn't been an issue. Also, the filter replacements are extremely affordable. A three-pack can be bought for under ten dollars, and they last a while. The directions recommend placing a towel or place mat under the fountain in case your cats play in it. The first week or so, the kittens liked to play with the stream of water--they'd whack at it with their paws. For that week, I had a towel under the fountain so it wouldn't ruin my floors. The kittens are becoming cats and have laid off on the water play. I've had it just sitting on my hardwood floor for months without any water leakage problems, and I'm glad because I thought it looked stupid with a giant towel underneath it. However, if your pets insist on playing in the fountain, I'd recommend buying one of those clear place mats to put underneath it. You're not going to have an ocean of water under the fountain, but it'll be an easier cleanup that way. The only downside, I think, is that when you fill the reservoir, you have to be quick about getting it into the fountain so it doesn't drip on the floor. A small price to pay for six days of not having to fill a water bowl. If you have any questions, please feel free to post them in the comments section. As far as I'm concerned, this fountain is worth at least double the price for which amazon is selling it. -------------------------- UPDATE! 03/13/2010 This fountain is still going strong! I now foster for the local shelter, so this fountain is regularly used by a minimum of five pets, and usually eight to ten. We have not had a problem with this fountain since we got it. We did go to Walmart some time ago and get a plastic food mat with raised edges to put under it because we had some kittens that enjoyed playing in it at one point. This purchase was really well worth it. -------------------------- UPDATE! 05/22/2016 Still have this fountain and still working well, but the motor is a bit louder now and the reservoir broke after many, many drops on a tile floor and had to be replaced. My only complaint is the reservoir design. It's not particularly ergonomic and you can't stand it up in the sink to fill it, which didn't matter until we decided to have some kids, and now I totally understand the need to have one hand free at all times. Can't stress enough that you don't need (and should not) use bleach to clean this fountain (I have learned the error of my ways since the original review). It's bad for the pets and switching to vinegar and soap/water has had no ill effects on performance.
