I got this because my cat refuses to drink out of a normal bowl. He would only drink out of the tub so we had to leave it constantly dripping which increased our water bill a lot. After my cat passed I gave this to my mom whose dogs are diabetic and drink a lot of water! This works perfect for them and with their increased need for constant crash water! It was not messy at all and easy to set and fill! If we ever get another pet we will get another one.