Bought this thinking how great it would be to have without soil...latch it onto the fountain & viola...but too few sprouts make it not worth the extra time & effort. Use a small dish, good potting soil & viable seeds; sow seeds, lightly covered with soil, keep misted with H2O & you will have much better results in a day or two, just make sure you have the starter seed dish out of the way of the cat..at least till it's 4" or so. No need for the fountain either. I found it to be too loud & can't control the flow well. Cats will drink out of a toilet, if you let them..they love trickling water. My cat is 15 & is on special diet due to renal failure. Be sure to supply fresh water often and make sure you groom your cat regularly or you'll be cleaning up more cat yack than you want to.