I have quit using mine also.  I now put a large pan in the bath tub and
one in the shower stall.  Easier and less water sp;ashing all over.

They don't need 'em. If the cats are hung up on fountain drinks, let 'em
drink outa the faucet. Really, all you need to do is make sure they get
fresh water daily.

My cat loves his fountain - he used both the Drinkwell and Catit but seems to
get more enjoyment out of the Catit. He drinks from both the globe and the
bowl. If you experiment with adjusting the globe slightly, you'll find a
position where it just emits a gentle hum. There are mats you can buy for the
Catit which should catch the water. I do find water on the mat sometimes, I
think it's when Max laps the very top of the globe. Only problem I have found
is that pump gets blocked frequently despite my using filters, so I take it
apart every time I clean the fountain.

I have the Petmate fountain and one cat uses it all the time, one
ignores it, and one likes playing with it but doesn't seem to realize
that you can drink from it. The filters are a few bucks each and last
for a month or more. It seems like a good deal.

They don't need the fountains, but our cats like the Drinkwell so we
have one. They sell the filters at Petsmart so I never had a problem
getting them. Of course, you don't really have to use filters. I fill
up the Drinkwell from our Brita pitcher so the water is already
filtered, so if the filters were hard for us to find, we just wouldn't
use them.

I would not say the fountains are useless because for some cats they
encourage them to drink more water. Cats are not efficient drinkers--
in the wild they would meet a lot of their water needs from the water
content of prey they eat. If a cat is being fed dry food, they may not
be drinking enough water to prevent urinary tract problems.

The other problem we have with just leaving around bowls of water is
that one of the cats tends to dunk her toys in them and leave them
there. She doesn't do that with a fountain.

I guess the point is that if you think your cats are getting enough
water from a water dish and the toilet, you don't need to have a
fountain. Of course our cats don't need all the cat toys they have
either but we indulge them.
-yngver