| Inspired by this web site, I am taking on a weird project. Perhaps bold, perhaps stupid, certainly an unusual use for time. |
| The plan is to build a little water fountain for the cat. You know those water dishes that recirculate the water so the cat.. um, well, I'm not sure why they do it, I guess cats like moving water. I suppose I'll have to test this theory as step #1 in my project. |
| Assuming Roo does actually like the idea, I'm going to make one. There's no way I'm going to a pet store and drop $15 or something on some injection molded Kooky Kitty Hydro Fun Bowl; I can do better in way more time and at significantly greater expense. Hey, it's something to do, and it's vaguely artistic, which is always satisfying. Most importantly, it's an excuse to buy some tools. |
| I'm not going to say just yet what my ideas for it are (a shoe), because they're not fully baked yet, ahem. Suffice it to say, the plans are grand, most likely far grander than my skills, so please, don't judge the idea by the execution. |
Preliminary sketches:
|
Kitty Water Fountain
High Concept
January 29, 2004
Some Shoppin'
January 30, 2004
| So I went to Freddie's today to do a little shopping. Not only for this project, we also needed a dish scrubber brush. I had planned to take some pictures of myself looking for project materials, but I forgot my camera. At some point it occured to me that I have a brandy new camera equipped cell phone!! How about that? |
| I bought a Dremel, something I've been wanting for a long time, but couldn't get until Liz started working. Not because of the money, because she's not around to stop me. I shouldn't be left alone with access to funds. Ask anyone. It's well known. To soften the blow, I bought her a present and cleaned up the kitchen. Awwwwww, yeah. |
Anyway, now I have a Dremel. I will use it in this very project. Other than that, I didn't get anything at the store. I looked at some of the mass produced kitty fountains and their small selection of fish tank accessories. They had several air pumps, but no water pumps.
|
They also have these gravity-fed pet waterers, I think they work by just having a little floating valve that drops when the water level in the bowl gets low, which lets more water out of the resevoir until the valve is floated back up into place. It's a simple idea, and involves no demon electricity, but it seems boring. |
I thought about buying some tubing, but figured that would be getting ahead of myself. Also, I'm sure I can get vinyl tubing a lot cheaper than this! $1.49!
I'm sure they mean airline as in "a line to carry air" and not as in "Continental Airlines." That just wouldn't make sense.
|
| Some issues I still have to consider: 1. Water and electricity don't mix, and it's especially bad to mix water, electicity, and someone who doesn't really know very much about electricity. If I electrocute the cat, I'll feel really bad. 2. I have to decide what this thing is going to be made of. At first I was thinking wood, but I'd have to find a way to make it waterproof and non-toxic, some kind of wax sealant I suppose. |
If it wasn't for the U-Scan self checkout aisle, I could have learned the answer. Damn it.
|
| Tomorrow I'm going to test whether the cat even likes moving water. |
Premise Tested, Premise Approved
February 1, 2004
| This would have been a short project if Roo wasn't interested in running water. Actually, I probably would have done it anyway, but it'll be more fun thanks to the results of ... FIELD TEST 1. |
Roo appeared a bit skeptical at first, even though we had deprived him of water for 24 hours in preparation for this test. Just kidding! We did, however, have anecdotal evidence that he likes fresh water, if not specifically moving. Often when I pour myself a glass of water, he kind of freaks out and starts meowing and rubbing against my ankles. Sometimes if we leave fresh glasses of water around, he'll stick his head in them and drink until he can't reach any farther down. In any case, he watched the water pour for a minute, while Liz snapped photos.
|
Hooray! He's drinking the water! And right from the pouring part too! So the pictures on those boxes seem fairly accurate. Roo -- and, given this scientific sample, we can only assume all cats -- likes pouring, or at least flowing water. At the very least, he doesn't NOT like it, and that's the key. If he had run away or flatly refused to drink, we'd have a problem.
|
Once we had our results, Roo went right back to drinking out of his regular, placid bowl. Maybe he was just really thirsty. In any case, the day was a resounding success. I still have the small matter of how the hell to make this thing, and what out of, but I'm satisfied for now.
|
| Tomorrow is the Super Bowl, so I might take a break from this project. God knows I've earned it. The next step will be to roam the aisles at Home Depot or something, looking for inspiration. |
That's Nacho Cheese
February 2, 2004
| As predicted, today was an off day in terms of the water fountain project. Frankly, I've lost some of my original confidence in the outcome of this endeavor, not too mention my willingness to spend heaps of money on it, but I will press on. I must! |
Not wanting the whole day to go to waste, project-wise, we decided to construct some nachos. Liz sprinkled cheese on some yellow corn tortilla chips while I kept an eye on the game. The first quarter was pretty uneventful, a real "defensive battle," so she didn't miss anything much. She doesn't understand football so well anyway, nor does she care to. Nor should she.
|
| At the store Liz had been disturbed to discover that pre-sliced black olives cost almost 4 TIMES as much as the unsliced -- yet de-pitted -- variety. Ever the frugal gourmet, she got the whole ones. This kind of attitude works well for us, considering only one of us has a job and the other one spends his time making water fountains for cats. Or at least making web sites about making water fountains for cats. |
At any rate, I volunteered to slice the olives myself. I used one of the new knives, which are fantastic due to the revolutionary feature of being sharp. I was careful not to slice my fingers, I'd hate to get blood on those fresh sweatpants. Note severe, and I'm afraid permanent, bed head.
It should be noted that I do occasionally wear actual pants. This is a common question, so I thought I'd clear it up once and for all. Yes, sometimes. |
The finished product. Pronounced yummy by all, and "not cheesy enough" by one. A triumph!
|
As for the cat, he still awaits his high tech, high style water dish. He spent most of the day in a cardboard box, which he defended vigorously when I poked at him.
|
Building Things is Hard
February 3, 2004
Today it was off to Lowe's for some supplies, but first I wanted a burrito.
So it was off to Taco Del Mar, a regional chain what makes a damn fine burrito. Hats off to them. I got a Super Veggie Burrito with black beans in a whole wheat tortilla. It was yummy, and as a bonus it was Double Punch Monday, so I got two punches on my burrito card. Happy day. I sat in the back of the Badunk and ate it while reading the paper. |
Lowe's is a kind of Home Depot, except instead of an orange motif, they've gone with a nice blue. Also, they may or may not donate huge sums of money to the Republican Party, while Home Depot definitely does. If you are aware of Lowe's's political leanings, please don't tell me, I need someplace to buy wood and stuff.
The guy in the foreground had a whole lot of Sphagnum Moss. It seemed like everyone coming out of the store had stuff in heavy plastic bags like that. Maybe there was a sale on big bagged stuff. |
Lowe's has everything, including one of the most impressive selections of lamps and lights I've ever seen. I can't imagine actually being able to pick anything from this hodgepodge, but it sure was bright.
I wandered around for about an hour and a half, not knowing what I was looking for and fiercely resisting the urge to buy power tools. After a while I was fiercely resisting the urge to go to the bathroom too. |
After wandering around feeling like a tiny person among giant stacks of wood and concrete mix, I ended up in the outdoor garden center. For a while I was diverted by the bird feeders. I snapped a photo of this one, intending to replicate it, or something like it, for my next project. In fact, as we'll see, I bought more supplies for that project than I did for this one, so it might end up being a concurrent, which is not to say replacement, project. Sure does seem easier, though.
|
Eventually I did find the garden fountains and related supplies. I purchased this little pump, which is capable of pumping 75 GPH (that's gallons per hour). I considered the 30 GPH model, which was $4 cheaper, but I splurged a little. They had pumps that went as high as 400 GPH. Wow!
You can see the wood I bought for the bird feeder underneath the pump. I also got some vinyl tubing. I forgot to get the clear plexiglass for the bird feeder as my intestinal needs dictated that I leave the store. Plus, it's not about the bird feeder, it's about the cat fountain. |
|
When I got outside, I realized that my bowels had been trying to tell me something other than their usual message; namely, that I'd left the headlights on. I sensed doom as I tried the ignition, knowing that our battery charge situation is tenuous under the best conditions. Sure enough, it didn't start. Unfortunately, their message delivered, my insides still had other news to tell. Time was of the essence.
So I got a guy to help me push start it. I didn't get a picture of him. |
More Test Results
February 4, 2004
| After locking myself out of the house this afternoon, I finally got around to testing the pump. I had no reason to think it wouldn't work, but my mom seems to think it'll blast poor little Roo with something like a water jet, and we don't want that. Personally, I don't think 75 gallons an hour is all that much. It sounds like a lot, but it ain't. |
So I got it all hooked up and dropped it in a jug of water. The little voice in my head was going, "electric pump emersed in water BAD!!" so I read the instructions again, dried my hands (important safety tip), and plugged the little bastard in.
|
It worked! Waddaya know. And the flow was just fine. It even has an adjustment switch, so I unplugged it (important safety tip), slid the adjustment all the way to low, and tried it again. It still worked, and the flow was much reduced. Perfect for a kitty. Unfortunately, Roo was outside stalking birds at the time, so I couldn't get a reaction shot from him. I assume he would have been impressed.
|
| The quest for suitable materials continues. I gotta think of something. I can't help but think that there's an obvious and simple solution out there. Somewhere. Waiting for me. |
| Here's a little movie of the water pump in action. (about 5 MB, avi format, not at all interesting) |
Caught in the Act
February 5, 2004
Conclusive evidence that this project will be a resounding success, when and if ever it is built.
Seriously, tomorrow I'm going to a craft store to hunt around for something. Really. I get the distinct feeling that I'm talking to myself. |