[donnat]

I know my two cats appreciate that I rinse and refill their water bowl every day but I frequently travel (for up to a week) and have to leave them with a static source of water during that time.

We have an outdoor cat kennel/cage thingamajig that our spoiled felines can safely access from our house. We have the cat litter out there and can easily rig something to deliver drinking water and deal with overflow, etc.

I'd like to find something that operates on a timer that would blast (rinse?) their water bowl with sufficient force to replace the existing water with fresh water every day. I've thought about rigging a sprinkler drip line to a shallow water bowl and having the sprinkler system take care of filling the bowl every day but can't figure out, exactly, how to do this.

Any clever cat owners out there who would care to offer some advice or point me at someone one the web who can figure this out for me?

Thanks in advance!

Donna

PS: Not interested in self contained watering systems that are filled once and then recycle the water through filters. I need something that completely replaces the water each day or two.

 

[doodlebug]

Put a timer on the faucet, rig the hose (without a nozzle) to hang a couple feet over the top of the bowl and set the timer to run for a few minutes so the bowl will overflow and flush out. Only concern would be that a cat would be at the bowl when the deluge starts.

You could also rig the hose so it sets in the bowl. Or get some couplers and narrow tubing to run into the bowl. You could try going into a hardware store and telling them what you want to do, they could probably show you the stuff you need. Try a small independent store rather than big box.

 

[Jacq]

I'm thinking the same kind of system a toilet uses might work? I'm not very handy so the fact all the parts (the...ball-gag? Valvey thing, etc). The timer could be attached to a weight or winch. A U-Bend and gravity do the rest, and with a bit of experimentation you could right the reservoir to drain at exactly the speed needed to have enough water to clean and refill.

Alternatively, a set up with a hose on drip directly above the bowl would work, with a sprayer attachment. On the timer, the pray handle would squeeze and blast the bowl (and surrounding kitties) and clean it. I think the cats would quickly learn to avoid the area when they hear the mechanics go off. The drip would fill the bowl, and the spray would clean it.

edit
OR, an inclined plain with a shallow resevoir. Have an inflow at the top and an outflow/drain at the bottom for a continuous small stream. Huge waste of water, but it would flush continously so you shouldn't see too much gunk build up.

 

[Jacq]

I made some visualizations in MS paint.

 

[cinderflower]

now you're just making this too complicated. all you have to do is buy one of those motion-detection toilets that automatically flushes when the person gets up like they have in some airports. then you don't even have to worry about kitty getting caught in a tidal wave.

(but i like that last picture )

 

[donnat]

Okay, you guys are killing me. Love the drawings - especially the gnomes and thirsty kitties and the p-trap drain. Clearly, you're not a plumber (or an artist) but ...ahem, the reference to the ball gag made me wonder where your expertise really lies.

I like the faucet/timer option since it doesn't rely on the sprinkler system and is likely to deliver a more forceful spray (which, in turn, means it could rinse and fill the bowl more quickly). But I also like the idea of a waterfall type of thingy that flows very slowly but provides a meager but continuous source of clean, fresh water. We could direct the overflow to a nearby vegetable garden so nothing goes to waste.

Please keep the ideas coming!

Donna
Laundry Chute Cat

 

[cinderflower]

i know. when i saw "ball-gag" i thought, "hmmmm," i just forgot to say anything.

 

[Jacq]

Hey! I'd like to see you do better with a trackpad :sulk:

I don't know what that toilet piece is called. It's a ball and it gags up the toilet. Balloon gag? Ball-plug? (I bet Bluemilk knows what it is - it's in the handiman dictionary right after "whirly thing")

 

[donnat]

Hey! I'd like to see you do better with a trackpad

Hee hee... seriously, the drawings are pretty impressive! And you drew them with a trackpad? Heck, maybe you are an artist!

By the way, I think you meant to say "ball float".

Donna