Cat Water Drinking Fountains
We get asked a lot about cat water drinking fountains to replace a standard cat water dish.
One of the drinking fountains’ first draws is that it constantly recirculates cat water. This adds oxygen to the water and makes it more attractive for the cats to drink.
Most cat owners know that their cat is naturally drawn to moving water. If the water is not moving, they will do everything they can to get it moving. Cats also prefer fresh water—recirculating water is one of the best ways to keep water fresh and not collect dust and debris.
Another positive in reviews of cat water fountains is that the fountains can help stop some of the destructive behaviors your kitty might have developed. For example, the moving water might help satisfy their intense need to drink from a running faucet or keep them from sticking their paws in water glasses or their water bowl and knocking it over.
There are some things to think about before deciding which cat water fountains to purchase.
- What kind of replacement equipment will you have to purchase?
- How much do replacement filters cost, and how often will you have to replace them?
- Look at the pump. If something happens, will you have to replace the whole water fountain, or can you replace just the pump?
You want something that will require minimum maintenance and expenses after the initial purchase.
Another consideration is placement. There is a good chance the water fountain will make noise. Are you going to be able to place it somewhere so that the noise will not bother anyone in the house? Also, keep in mind that it will need to be placed by an electrical outlet. This could rule out the original spot that you have in mind.
A cat water drinking fountain can be a perfect idea. However, make sure to do your research before you purchase. There are many fountains out there, and you want to make the right decision for you and your cat.
A cat water drinking fountain can be a perfect idea. However, make sure to do your research before you purchase. There are many fountains out there, and you want to make the right decision for you and your cat.
I prefer metal or ceramic ones because they don’t collect bacteria as quickly as plastic ones:
Ceramic Cat Fountains:
Metal Cat Fountains:
Plastic Cat Fountains (don’t recommend these for kitties with acne problems):
Floppycats.com reader Josephine said, “In my house, we use a Cat it water fountain (see it in the second video below). The filters are reasonably priced and easy to find. It has a large reserve and needs to be filled no more than once every day or two. There is the sound of running water but no sound from the pump. Best of all, my cats love it, and they are getting all the water they need.”
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Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
My cats drink plant water from my Asian Luck plant, I couldn’t get them to drink from the fountain I bought. Finally the Luck plant died and I took away the vase and put the fountain back in. I throw ice cubes in it and clean it often and I have seen them both drink from it now, so I am glad. Do any other cats out there drink dirty ole plant water from a vase (with the plant in it)?
We have two of the Keith’s Thirsty Cat fountains. Both of mine love them and drink both from the bubbler and the bowl. They are so pretty and I actually love the sound they make. One is by the sliding glass door where the bird watching goes on, which is thirsty work, and the other is my bedroom. By modifying the pump settings, you can make them as quiet or as noisy as you like.
In drought-ridden California a fountain is a much better idea than leaving the tap running, which was one of my past cat’s favorite thing!
Thank you so much for this great info, Jenny! Lurve those ThirstyCat Fountains! So pretty! We have one but it’s been stored under our cabinet for about a year now as Miss Pink SugarPickyPants grew bored with it pretty quickly and preferred to drink from an old Pyrex measuring cup. Sigh….
But a Very Nice Kitteh Fairy recently gifted us with a beautiful PawNosh bowl and by golly my sweet hubby got Miss Pink SugarPP to drink from it after one day! Yay! I have my Pyrex measuring cup back now and Miss Pink Sugarbelle now drinks from a beautiful Tangerine PawNosh Bowl. 🙂 <3
Big hugs!
Patti & Miss Pink Sugardoodles 🙂 <3
Patti, I didn’t know you had a PawNosh bowl – fantastic! How do you like it? Sorry to hear about the cat fountain.
Yes, we got one as a gift from a very dear & lurvely friend of mine. Just so thoughtful and wonderful. We got the Tangerine (Amber) color. The bowl is AWESOME! And…Miss Pink Sugarbelle adores it and paw dunks and drinks for it many times throughout the day. My hubby got her to drink from it on the second day that we had it. I had placed the new bowl with water in it on the table along with the standard ol’ Pyrex measuring cup that SHE adores. Hubby put Miss Pink Sugarherself on the dining room table and he removed the ol’ measuring cup and then proceeded to gently dunk her paw in the new bowl and she figure out what to do right away and began drinking from it. (Miss PS and her Daddy have this Special Bond.) 🙂 <3
It is hefty, durable, beautiful and incredibly functional and our baby girl really lurves it! YAY!!!!!! 🙂 <3
very cool! love it!
🙂 <3