Fountains really are very good for them, especially male cats, who are more prone to blockages.
For while they WILL drink still water, their instincts tell them not to. Mine all started drinking more water once I got fountains.
Fountains are also lots of fun to play in! And yes, my cats, both males drink (drank in 1 case) a lot more water from fountains. We put a second one in the bathroom to keep our 20 lb cat out of the toilet.
We used to be, with a cat that left the seat soaking, but that was years ago and we'd gotten out of the habit. Reilly just started his toilet habit this winter, & the fountain worked. Unfortunately his liver tumors developed an abscess & he passed 7 weeks ago. The other cat misses him terribly.
I'm so sorry you lost your baby.
I got into that habit about 30 years ago, when I learned how far toilets fling their contents when flushed with the lid up. That it's less hassle with the cats is a bonus.
It's been especially hard on the surviving cat. He stopped eating, lost 1/3 of his body wt in ~4 wks. They'd been together all their lives & he's broken hearted. Almost had to put in a feeding tube. He's finally putting weight back on tho. We'll get another cat when he's healthy again.
