As seen with the rise of automatic litter boxes, automatic feeders, pet tracking, and now the cat water fountain, technology has made it so that we can closely monitor our pets and ensure they’re being taken care of without having to do a lot of the manual labor.
A cat water fountain encourages cats to drink more water, which helps with their overall health. I’ve noticed an increase in my cats’ water consumption since switching to a fountain. As a pet helicopter mom, I’ve become a fountain believer.
While automatic water fountains are better for your cats’ overall water consumption, they do require a bit more work and money. Rather than refilling a bowl, these take a little more elbow grease—but it’s worth it for your cat’s health. Along with routine refilling and cleaning, you’ll need to disassemble the fountain to clean all parts, including using a brush for the bowl and tubes. You may also have to disassemble the motor to deep-clean because of mineral buildup. These also have different types of filtration cartridges in specific shapes for the brand’s fountains, which require you to buy and change out filters, usually monthly or more often.
Many of these fountains also have a connected app, which reminds you when to clean, replace the filter, and refill water. Many also track how many times your pet drinks throughout the day, week, and month to monitor your pet’s habits and track any changes. A cat drinking way more or way less water than usual can be a good indicator that something is wrong with their health.
I (and my cats) tested various models (and some of the technologically advanced) automatic water fountains for pets available right now to see which are worth the money.
Check out our related guides like the Best Automatic Feeders, Best Automatic Litter Boxes, Our Favorite Fancy Cat Furniture, and Our Favorite Cat Toys, Litter Boxes, and Other Feline Supplies. More of a dog person? We got you covered; see our Best Accessories and Tech Essentials for Your Dog guide.
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Cats sometimes struggle to consume enough water, which can lead to potentially lethal UTIs and blockages in male cats especially. This is one of the reasons vets are moving more toward encouraging owners to give their cat at least a partially wet food diet, as this helps them consume more moisture, especially since cats don’t naturally consume as much water as dogs. Unlike dogs, cats are generally quite particular in their likes and dislikes, and cats can see stagnant water as potentially harmful. (If the cat was in the wild, stagnant water has more potential for harmful bacteria). Cats are more drawn to moving water in nature, and these fountains help encourage them to drink more by emulating what they’re naturally drawn to.
Let’s be honest, a lot of these fountains are pretty much the same. I looked especially for the overall design—I am a fiend for stainless steel because of the potential of porous plastic harboring harmful bacteria. I also favor a wide reservoir without high sides to help reduce the chance for whisker fatigue. I prefer fountains that have a small basin reservoir of water available at all times, in case of low water levels or power failure. I took into account ease of setting up, refilling, and cleaning, as well as overall design. And of course, there were some that my cats took to straight away, and some they didn’t seem to favor as much.
I used each of these for a week as my cats’ main source of water. As mentioned, I noted the ease of setting up, evaluated parts and filters, and generally compared the various types of water fountains—spigot, bubbling, or waterfall. Some flows were continuous and some were intermittent (my cats didn’t prefer intermittent). Cats may also be intrigued and want to play with the machine rather than drink, so be sure to give them time and keep another water source around until they are fully adjusted to the new gadget.
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