My cats loved the fountain, but I didn't. It absolutely must be thoroughly cleaned once a week because mine grew mould at incredible rates. I wouldn't mind having to clean it, however, if the motor wasn't so incredibly difficult to remove (and it must be removed in order to completely remove all hints of mould to keep it from growing so fast). Then, 5 months after purchasing it, I had to throw it out today because the area where the motor screws into the machine has developed a crack (most certainly because the motor is not easy to get in and out and obviously caused too much stress on the threads) and now it leaks and is unusable. In addition, it was loud enough to disturb us from another room. I will be looking at other brands for a replacement.