The 7 Greatest Cat Water Fountains, Examined With Actual Cats

Water fountains for cats are designed to offer recent filtered water in a steady stream, which is commonly extra interesting to cats. We examined a wide range of cat water fountains to seek out the best to scrub and keep. “They will get actually soiled and slimy,” warns Samantha Bell, a cat professional for Greatest Pals Animal Society. Bell recommends utilizing water fountains with glass, stainless-steel, or ceramic bowls since plastic can harbor micro organism, and setting reminders in your cellphone to scrub the fountain and change the filters.

We dive into the professionals and cons of every of our prime examined fountains, all of which require common upkeep for optimum outcomes, however are pretty easy. Introducing a water fountain to your cat will doubtless encourage them to hydrate all through the day and contribute to their general wellbeing. In the event you discover modifications in your cats consuming and/or urination it’s best to seek the advice of together with your veterinarian to rule out any underlying points.

Our favourite digital water fountain obtained a whopping 4.9 general rating in our testing classes. Though it seems to be easy, this fountain is full of options and a purposeful design that will make it onerous to ever return to a conventional water bowl or swap to a special fountain. We examined this fountain on a five-year-old cat that was obsessive about consuming from a working faucet—a behavior that begins off innocently sufficient however might be onerous to interrupt—and are happy to say Gnocchi took to it instantly.

Water is filtered via two filters, one close to the pump and one close to the spout. A cool factor about this fountain is the pump—it’s nonetheless motorized however it’s wi-fi with solely two components, making it tremendous straightforward to tug out and clear when wanted. When cleansing the unit, you simply merely elevate the primary reservoir off of the dock, snap aside the stainless-steel dish from the reservoir, and hand wash (don’t put it within the dishwasher).

General, this fountain’s glossy trendy design sports activities an elevated Scandinavian contact that includes a minimalistic physique (we love that the black is a matte black), and an identical Wi-Fi dock base with a wooden grain accent that provides an additional bump of favor. Cleansing and altering the 2 filters are really easy it will probably seem to be you’re forgetting one thing, however that’s a part of the clever design. This fountain is corded, utilizing a USB twine with an adapter that plugs into the wall. The twine is lengthy, giving extra versatile placement choices, although the skinny twine could also be tempting for twine chompers. Cats vulnerable to pushing round their water gained’t get very far with this fountain. When crammed, the 84-ounce reservoir has a very good weight, and even when the water degree is low, the unit isn’t prone to budge due to the 4 rubbery anti-skid toes on the underside of the dock.

The app is simple to attach and navigate, and provides worth to the product, going farther than simply water degree and filter alerts, to monitoring and sharing real-time updates and insights of how your cat is consuming from the fountain. These insights permit you to observe, monitor, and examine your cat’s water consumption over time to identify will increase and drops which may be early indicators or illness or different well being points.

Accessible in white and matte black

This compact, purposeful, and minimalist cat water fountain offers a superb bang-for-your-buck at a worth level that’s accessible sufficient to make it definitely worth the first-time consumer’s gamble. The fountain has a remarkably near-silent noise degree round 25 decibels, roughly the identical degree of noise you’d hear from a whisper being spoken a 5 toes away. All the pieces that you must get began comes within the field, together with a filter and setup directions. We preferred that the fountain got here principally setup and required very minimal meeting (simply remember to keep in mind to soak the high-density filter pad earlier than sliding it into place). There may be additionally an extra carbon filter ring that matches across the motor.

The plastic base holds 67 ounces (two liters) of water. The water degree might be checked with a look due to the translucence of the reservoir and the clearly marked minimal and most water ranges. Refilling or changing water and cleansing the primary reservoir is so simple as taking off the highest water dish, disconnecting the facility twine, and eradicating the reservoir. The peak and measurement of the stream resembles a faucet, so this could doubtless be an particularly good choose for folk with a cat that loves consuming from the tap. There’s additionally an ambient blue mild that may assist entice your cat to the fountain, significantly at evening when the lights are out. The fountain comes with a USB cable that may should be linked to an influence supply or adapter plug. It’s price noting this fountain will not be best for properties with frequent energy outages. There’s no backup energy to maintain water pumping to the highest and due to the drain placement contained in the water dish any leftover water will fall again into the reservoir. Though we favor stainless-steel dish choices as a result of they cut back bacterial development, the principally plastic parts of this fountain usually are not a shock for a budget-friendly product.

Accessible in black and silver or pink and gold

How We Picked

Testing: We examined a curated choice of cat water fountains in our New York Lab and at residence with our real-world tester cats. Our methodology guided all testers via a number of scores whereas additionally gathering their subjective impressions alongside the best way.

Starting with setup, our testers timed how lengthy it took to assemble and begin a cat water fountain. If the instructions have been complicated or the items have been onerous to suit collectively, our testers tell us. Testers additionally evaluated the design of every fountain, letting us know which of them they’d need in their very own properties or noting when a fountain felt shoddily constructed.

We then evaluated a fountain’s effectiveness, utilizing a number of checks, resembling sprinkling cat meals crumbs right into a fountain and evaluating how effectively it did at filtering them out. We additionally appeared for a fountain’s stability, so we might decide whether or not or not they’d be prone to splash throughout your ground or get jostled round in a multi-cat family.

Lastly, our testers appeared up the worth of the fountain they have been testing and gave us their impressions of the product’s general worth.

After testing in a lab setting, over 20 water fountains have been mailed out to at-home testers for additional analysis, which joined a library of insights offered by previous checks and critiques. The scores and impressions offered all through this roundup are a synthesis of our lab-tested rankings and at-home expertise with the fountains.

Knowledgeable Suggestions for Getting Your Cat to Drink Extra Water

We requested our professional, Samantha Bell, for her finest tips about find out how to get your cat to drink extra water. She reminds us that “once we need cats to do one thing, it’s vital to take away any obstacles which may forestall them from doing it,” so making it as no-hassle and as straightforward as potential to your cat to get recent, good-smelling water is the important thing.

Listed here are a few of Bell’s strategies in her personal phrases:

• My favourite methodology for growing hydration in cats is so as to add pet fountains to their setting. Cats favor to drink working water as a result of they will see that the water isn’t stagnant. Stagnant water gathers micro organism that might make them very sick. Cats’ instincts warn them that stagnant water might be harmful. They’re interested in recent water, and whenever you’re setting out a bowl of water to your cat, there’s an opportunity that they might assume it’s stagnant and harmful. It might be a barrier to them consuming sufficient water. The sight and sounds of a fountain enchantment to them. Additionally, many fountains use filters, which helps preserve their water smelling and tasting even more energizing.
• Feed them extra moist meals. My cats get three cans of moist meals per day, however it’s best to at all times seek the advice of your vet when altering your cat’s food regimen.
• At all times preserve their water bowls clear, full, and recent. Cats see these indicators as indicators that the water is secure to drink. In the event you’re washing the bowl with cleaning soap, be sure that the cleaning soap is absolutely rinsed out, so it doesn’t depart any lingering scent or style.
• Attempt transferring the situation of the water bowl. Cats favor their meals and water to be in separate areas. And putting it of their frequent strolling path will take away the barrier of them having to hunt out water.
• Attempt switching up the water bowls. Attempt completely different shapes, completely different supplies, even differing kinds and temperatures of water (faucet, purified, spring, and so on) to seek out which mixture they like finest.

Extra We Suggest

Greatest Filtration: This water fountain obtained a near-perfect rating throughout testing, and preferred how the clear and modern design elevated the house (beforehand occupied by a conventional dish fed by an the other way up jug of water). It has a five-stage filtration system with separate filter layers that embody a high-density polyester filter for particles and grime, a filter with silver particles to inhibit bacterial development, a coconut shell fiber and charcoal filter to take away impurities and forestall biofilms from forming, a filter to scale back mineral scale buildup, and a remaining, second high-density polyester filter for style. Plus, it comes with a 32-pack of alternative filters so that you don’t should chase them down individually on the final minute.

The clear primary water reservoir makes it a cinch to clock when the water degree will get low. When it’s time to switch water and filters, you don’t even should unplug the gadget, simply take away the primary water reservoir from the bottom to scrub and refill. We love that the water dish holds as much as 100 milliliters of water, so when you lose energy the cat remains to be capable of entry a couple of day’s price of water. Operation is quiet at a most of 35 decibels (in regards to the sound degree of a quiet library). The worth is correct for the comfort and look of this product, although it was pretty annoying to have to clean all of the components earlier than utilizing. We’d additionally favor to have a model with a non-plastic primary dish.

Accessible in white

Quietest Operation: This cute and compact water fountain has an lovable cat-inspired look and cat-friendly ergonomic design with a large bowl and best peak for consuming consolation. Our tester famous that it was “just about silent” when working—so long as you don’t use the included optionally available spout attachment (which produces an annoying and loud trickle). We examined the model with a stainless-steel water bowl and plastic physique. (There’s one other, barely cheaper model that’s all plastic, however for the small worth enhance we might somewhat keep away from the plastic bowl.)

Our tester cat was instantly interested in this fountain, although he didn’t truly go in for a drink till after the spout attachment was eliminated. This triple-filter fountain holds 2.5 liters of water and the clear nostril lights up pink when the water degree will get low. Our tester discovered the fountain to be a very good addition to their cat’s normal water bowl. The producer recommends cleansing the unit 2-3 instances per week (greater than normal), and we discovered the method to be fast and easy. Extra notably, full filter modifications are really helpful each 3-4 weeks, however we discovered ourselves changing the filter after simply 10 days.

Accessible in white

Greatest Pump-Free: The PetSafe Outlast Pumpless Cat Water Fountain encompasses a trailblazing pump-free motor, the primary ever in the marketplace. Pumpless motors will doubtless last more than conventional motors with pumps since there is no such thing as a pump mechanism to put on down over time. As a substitute, this fountain makes use of PetSafe’s patented HydroSpin expertise to maintain the water transferring via the fountain. It comes with ion filters that take away impurities and soften water so it’s extra palatable to your cat (or canine). We discovered the setup to be tremendous intuitive (as in you won’t even want to take a look at the directions), and we received the fountain up and working in below 5 minutes, together with the time to quick-rinse the components earlier than use. There’s no app with this fountain which additionally cuts down on setup time.

An enormous plus with this fountain is that the pumpless design requires much less frequent cleanings than conventional water fountains. Whenever you do want to scrub it, the food-grade plastic components are straightforward to disassemble and might be popped into the dishwasher. LED lights provide you with a warning when the filters want altering or the water degree is low, and nighttime sensors will sluggish the stream of water. That is the one digital water fountain the place a bigger measurement could also be extra useful for the reason that pumpless design contributes to much less build-up, grime, and micro organism over time, permitting you to go longer between altering out the water. We examined the 90-ounce model of this fountain, however additionally it is obtainable in 60-ounce and 120-ounce variations.

Accessible in white

Greatest Stainless Metal: The Raindrop Fountain resembles a regular (albeit just a little rectangular) stainless-steel pet bowl, apart from the curved water slide design, which creates a sluice of water to draw your cat. It has a 60-ounce capability, or simply below two quarts, and operates very quietly. It is a easy, no-frills fountain at an inexpensive worth, particularly in comparison with cheaper-feeling plastic fashions. The design encompasses a flat stream of water that flows gently and quietly right into a primary water dish reservoir, and is substantial sufficient that it isn’t simply moved by combative cats.

The most important downside to this fountain is the various really helpful cleansing and alternative schedules for the completely different components. For instance, it’s really helpful to disassemble and clear the pump each two weeks, change the filter each 2-4 weeks, and disassemble and clear the unit as soon as every week—it’s quite a lot of dates to recollect and we want there was a extra streamlined calendar. That stated, the water fountain is simple to scrub (it’s dishwasher-safe, too), and the filters are straightforward to switch. We examined the 60-ounce model, however there’s additionally a 128-ounce mannequin for these utilizing it in a multi-cat family (although it’s fairly massive!).

Accessible in stainless-steel

Greatest Ceramic: This mix of this fountain’s dishwasher-safe ceramic materials, uncommon rectangular form, and the tester cat-approved small, top-level consuming space made this product stand out for us. It’s additionally received a super 70-ounce capability and homes an inner pump in two separate components. The design additionally homes an inner pump in two separate and has a super 70-ounce capability. The fountain’s dual-fountain design permits a number of cats to drink from both finish of the fountain, and we like that it comes with a correct energy adapter that plugs instantly right into a wall outlet somewhat than only a USB twine.

Nonetheless, it wasn’t with out faults. We discovered the inner water pump set-up difficult, which additionally made it a ache to disassemble and clear. And, regardless that the pump motor operated with a barely discernible hum, the spouts dropped water instantly into the bowl from a big peak, making it just a little noisier than related water fountains. However none of those are deal breakers, and we discovered the Drinkwell Pagoda fountain to be a high-quality and well-designed ceramic fountain.

Accessible in white or Himalayan blue

Different Water Fountains for Cats We Examined

Along with our winners and really helpful water fountains for cats, we additionally examined:

PetSafe Drinkwell 360 Pet Fountain: This fountain was beforehand certainly one of our extremely really helpful picks, however after testing further merchandise over time it has been usurped by newer merchandise. We love that it’s stainless-steel and has glorious 360-degree water entry. You’ll be able to even modify the dimensions of the 5 streams with an included choice of caps. Nonetheless, its huge measurement might be cumbersome and it has a reasonably tedious setup course of.

PETLIBRO Capsule Cat Water Fountain: The PETLIBRO Capsule Water Fountain has a 71-ounce (2.1-liter) capability however retains it in a surprisingly compact design. This fountain is product of BPA-free plastic and is simple to scrub (and even comes with its personal scrub brush), however we want it was dishwasher-safe. We additionally want the facility twine was a bit longer to offer extra placement flexibility. The compact design saves on house however limits water stream choices. Filtration and really quiet operation have been big pluses, however, ultimately, we discovered there have been too many compromises to make this a favourite.

Veken Pet Fountain: The Veken 2.8-liter Cat Water Fountain is compact and runs quietly. It holds as much as 94 ounces (just below 12 cups) of water and has a built-in five-level filtration system to maintain recent water working for a cat to devour. The cat water fountain within reason priced when in comparison with different water fountains, and it’s geared up with an LED indicator mild to inform you when the water ranges should be addressed. Outdoors of a light-weight trickle, the fountain is just about undetectable by ear. The one standout unfavorable in the course of the testing interval was the acute brightness of the LED mild, however it may be turned off with the push of a button.

Cat Mate Plastic Canine & Cat Fountain, 67.6-oz: We appreciated that this water fountain didn’t sacrifice fashion for operate like different fountains in the marketplace, and beloved how straightforward it was to place collectively and take aside for cleansing. We examined this tri-level plastic fountain in a home with two cats and a canine, and it was successful with the canine, ignored by one of many cats, and had a waning draw for the opposite. The lower-spectrum worth level makes this a super entry-level gamble for these wanting to check out a water fountain with their cat, however, finally, it didn’t make the minimize as a result of it’s all plastic and solely comes with one filter to start out you off. Plus, introducing your cat to a species-shared water fountain might not be engaging for some cats.

Why Belief The Spruce Pets?

Okay.Alex Beaven lives along with her cat, Mister Bo. For this text, Alex gained further insights from Samantha Bell, M. Ed., a cat professional, educator and content material specialist for Greatest Pals Animal Society, on how utilizing a water fountain to your cat can profit their well being and methods to get your cat to drink extra water. Different articles Alex has written for The Spruce Pets embody Greatest Cat Meals Toppers, Greatest Cat Harnesses, and Greatest Cat Treats.

This roundup was written by Andrew Whalen, a former editor for The Spruce Pets with hours of expertise testing pet merchandise in our labs. Whalen lives with two rescue cats, Church and Wally, who’ve wildly completely different water consuming habits. Their enter and emotional assist have been essential to the testing course of.