How to make a drinking fountain

This is what we have when the water fountain is in full force because the pump only has one setting. It sometimes startles the amigos and I have yet to see either Bujang or Tanaka drinking from it. I thought it would be useful for everyone who needs a glass or porcelain fountain for the kitties or doggies.

 This is what it looks like in reality. You have one big receptacle to hold the water. This one holds 8 cups of water, enough for 4 cats. Our white receptacle (from etsy) is porcelain and human grade.

 This glass bowl (from etsy) is drilled in the middle to allow for the fountain

The bottom of this bowl is scalloped to allow for the wire of the pump. This bowl houses the pump, filter and activated carbon like below

 The tube is made of plastic and can be gotten for free at tropical fish pet stores.

This one cost me $10.50 but has only one speed. If you live in Singapore, you need to get a pump that has the correct voltage. The pump from etsy cannot be used because of this.You can get activated carbon for about $1.50.

The Assembly

 Clean the pump first :) before placing it in the centre

 Pump and sponge filter

If your pump has only one speed, the tubing is way too long. I need to find one that has different speeds though.

 Our first try was like this but the water spurts out in a long arc and everyone got very wet!

This was more like it. 

The man at the tropical fish shop reminded me to always ensure that the pump is under water. If not it gets spoiled easily. I was also given a copper tubing but that is still in the workshop for cutting. I am also experimenting with an acrylic tube.

This is our 2nd fountain. I bought the larger receptacle from BHG.It cost me $12.50 and made in Japan. The smaller bowl needs one hole drilled at the bottom and another cut at the side as this is not scalloped for the wire of the pump. This one has a fountain is not as startling. The pump is similar to the one above and even the tubing is the same. Its a great mystery to me.

This bowl is much better and I do not know why the fountain is not as vigorous as the other one as we had used the same size pump and plastic tubing.

I do not know what the fuss is. Surely they can drink from a plain water bowl like I do. Sheesh!

PS. I had bought both these fountains from etsy and some of the proceeds from the sale is sued for persian cat rescue. But I thought it good to share how they had assembled the fountain as if I assemble all these elements myself, it would be a fraction of the price. However, there is some skill involved in drilling on glass and porcelain and I have yet to learn it from the workshop teachers. Beth had also provided me with a copper tube. I am very grateful to Beth (the seller) as I was pretty desperate for a water fountain and our Cat-It one is plastic. Beth had also given me a good discount and  it arrived 2 weeks from USA, right to our door :)

Finally - A Walk

san, I do not mind a little rain. CAn we go for a walk this evening? Like NOW?

We have not been able to walk downstairs for many days because of rain in the evenings. But yesterday we braved a slight drizzle and made our way. 

Ever cautious, Bujang made sure that everything was ok before we went onto the grass. 

This was what he saw. He stared out for a few minutes and listened to the evening noises of children running home from school and the workers keeping planks and tins. He was not perturbed by the noise, much to my surprise. 

Bujang ate some grass and then a woman came to talk to us. She asked me if I was Malay and when I said 'yes', she asked me why was it that I was able to walk a dog. She was surprised when I told her I was walking my cat. 'So big?!' she exclaimed looking at Bujang who was calmly chomping away. 

I am a cat! PUHLEEZE!

Wednesday Thoughts on drinking water

 I may be 17 years old but I show no fear of new things. san bought us a new water fountain as she knows I like drinking from it but out fountains were made from plastic. So she went to etsy and bought us 2 from a far-away place. She had to change the pump to suit us because of the voltage.

 This is one of the two- its S. But san had since changed the bowl to something with a wider lip. 

I took it in my stride and now drink from here as well as the one in the bedroom.

 This is the one in the bedroom. Akira drinks from here every morning as well.

I must say she is very brave to do so unlike Bujang and even Tanaka.

PS. san says it is quite easy to make these fountains. We need:

1. two porcelain/glass receptacles of different sizes.

2. A working pump which she can get from shops that sell tropical fish.

3. A sponge filter for debris

4. Activated carbon to purify water which she can get from the same shops that sell tropical fish.

5. A drill that she could use to drill holes into the smaller bowls for the 'fountain' bit.

The only difficulty is that the inner bowl that houses the pump might be a little difficult to drill through to allow the tubing to go through for the fountain. She is presently asking workshop teachers to teach her to do this (just in case ours get broken in future)

Rest and Relax Tuesday

 I must say sometimes we do quite well at the rest and relax thing...

No. I do not like being in the 'little gurl's room'. But looking outside from here is quite nice...

We older boys know how to do the R&R

I know also...as long as the boys don't disturb my peace...

Monday

Its Monday! Please go away

and leave me to do the only reasonable thing - Nap.

Her back leg and her abdomen are better and some fuzz is there already. 

New things for old

Bujang likes sleeping with grandma but the bed is too small for the both of them.  So after much deliberation I thought the best thing is just to get him his own bed so both if them would have the space. 

But for Bujang everything is a soap opera and he was extremely cautious about about it. I hope in a week he would decide the bed is not going to bite him:)

I also got the amigos 2 new fountains, made of porcelain and glass. I had to change the pump and as the pump only has one setting for the volume of water that rushes in and out, the fountain is a little startling. 

I thought the kitties would not take to it but Ms Akira was unfazed. After the initial shock of not seeing our usual plastic cat-it, she drank quite happily from it. 

So did Tanaka and Megat came close but I think today he might make it as he likes drinking from a water fountain. 

 

Of course Bujang would have no part of the change. He would take about one or two weeks to finally decide that it would not hurt him :) I would just have to wait and see. 

Just Because

I fink I hav been a furry good boy all these manymanymany days. I helped my sisfur Akira to get better and san said she was furry proud offur my contributions to the family - teamwork she said. It was at first furry boring. I thought "isn't it the little gurl's room? Why am I in it huh? Huh?" But then san came to play and she gave me treats so now its ok....although not too long ok cos I get fever if I stay alone too long in the 'gurl's' room.

Just Because

She is feeling so much better and seem to blossom very well. She is still over-grooming but we have seen some fuzz over her hind legs although her abdomen is as clean and unfuzzy-like as ever. She is more able to stand up to the boys (at a safe distance and always under supervision). I was also quite pleased that this morning, when Tanaka was trying to put his paw into her cage, she made a clever move of jumping down onto the bottom of her cage, away from him and then she yawned widely. Before this, she would have screamed at him loudly, which in turn would make Tanaka even more excited. So this morning, both of them we relaxed.

The best thing is that she has started to play and would climb over the boxes with great confidence and last night, she made a loud request to go out for a night walk along the corridor, after a whole month of just putting on her harness and then having to take it off again in a few seconds.

Although this is the second month she is on Revolution and a fish diet, I think the arrangement of letting her out in the afternoons while Tanaka and Megat are sequestered has been very helpful for her recovery.

Tuesday notes and updates

Napping is pretty hard work...

and a thirsty one too. 

Ms Akira is doing quite well with the new arrangement of being outside and she has indicated (by warning growls) that she would like longer times outside. The problem is she would only go outside when I am home although she is at perfect liberty to go out as the baby gates would be open in the afternoon. 

In this case, she would have shorter times outside as I am home late sometimes. When this happens the boys have to stay in the room a longer time. I need to see if there is another way to do this.

Tanaka has been doing quite well inside the room but yesterday he had a slight fever I think from being inside for about 7 hours. On the positive side Tanaka has been much more relaxed in front of her and once had stretched himself and actually yawned and took a nap in front of the baby gates. This is a far cry from his behavior of being on alert every time he sees her inside the room.

There has been only one screaming match between Ms Akira and Megat when both were outside at the same time. But that was my fault for not paying close attention to the both of them. Megat was extremely curious and stealthy and Ms Akira extremely nervous under the covers.

I am also putting Revolution on all the kitties. I had started from last month. This is because eventhough the vets told me Ms Akira has no mites, I was told by a few pawrents that it was only after many months of vigilance (and close examination by their vets)  that they finally found that their  cats did in fact have mites. 

Ms Akira is also taking some coconut oil for her fur as well and I am giving Megat the oil for constipation. I always wonder why all the cats (and dogs) that I had read about that had to take coconut oil loved it. How did THAT happen? None of the amigos would take it voluntarily. I have to give Megat (for constipation) and Tanaka (for his shedding) through a syringe. They get 0.5 a day and I had to just rub some coconut oil at Ms Akira's mouth. She does not yell but this morning, she decided to hide out! Bujang is a little hit and run :)

Easy Peasy Sunday

WThings are all good for me. I asked san to allow me into the living room in the morning and she said yes. I am very pleased.  

Hmmm... I fink she is only talking about herself. If she is out , that means I am going inside. It's time I escape to someplace...

Sunday is for stretching my muscles 

and just hanging out quietly...

Yes, quietly is the word for Sunday

What is your word?

Saturday hello

Hmmm I think today will be quiet. I predict some light rain and a lot of naps. 

Where is the grass?

Yesterday, san broughted us out to wander about along the corridor but at different times. san told us that we both liked to see the same fings although I prefur this bicycle part and my bruffer Bujang likes

 the whole bicycle. HE also likes the yellow sun fing but I really do not like it ..well sometimes there is a lizard behind it and then its ok.

 We both like the little garden that san has fur us.

but I fink she should grow more cat grass fur me instead offur all this. I can't eat all offur this san! san told me that she is trying to plant more grass.

 san says it takes  4  days to have this much grass...
but I eat so much of it so fast

that she can't keep up! Excuses!