It is recommended that cats should drink approximately 60ml/kg of water per day, which means a 4kg cat needs 240ml per day. Unfortunately cats aren’t natural drinkers, which means most cats don’t drink their required intake. There are several ways to ensure your cat stays hydrated including increasing the amount of wet cat food they eat or introducing a water fountain.
In this guide, we explore the different options available to you, what you should consider, and review the best cat water fountains available in the UK.
Our Best Cat Water Fountains
We’ve compiled the top rated cat water fountains from this guide for easy viewing. You can view a full breakdown of our cat water fountain reviews further down this guide.
Best Cat Water Fountain
Cat Mate Fresh Water Drinking Fountain For Cats
We love the Cat Mate fresh water drinking fountain – so much so that we own this one ourselves! Our cats love the different drinking heights and pools – most prefer the middle pool where the water rushes in and out. The fountain is extremely quiet, and the moving water is hardly noticeable. For the quality of product, we think it offers excellent value for money.
Our Rating: 5/5
Check Price#2 Cat Water Fountain
Catit Original Flower Fountain
If your cat is picky, you might want to give the Catit model a try as it has 3 different water flow settings to choose from. With a larger 3 litre capacity this is a better option if you have multiple cats. If your cat loves drinking from a tap, this may be the model for them. A high quality product which we think is great value.
Our Rating: 5/5
Check PriceBenefits of a Cat Water Fountain
Cats prefer to drink fresh, moving water which is more oxygenated and as a result tastes better. To help improve a cats water intake you can introduce wet cat food to their diet, or encourage them to drink more using a cat water fountain. Some of the key reasons why your cat should stay hydrated include;
- To prevent urinary stones from developing which will lead to a blocked urethra
- Water keeps constipation at bay and boosts your cat’s digestive system
- Constant water intake results in healthy kidneys, therefore, preventing urinary tract infections
- Water helps to flush out any toxins from your cat’s system ensuring it stays healthy at all times
- Regular water intake boosts your cat’s metabolism, and as a result, your cat will be able to burn fats faster ensuring it remains fit and does not become obese
Criteria used in our cat water fountain reviews
As cat owners we’ve been through through the process of buying multiple water fountains for cats! To help provide the most useful information in each of our reviews, we have focussed our reviews on the following criteria.
- Is the fountain adaptable to different sized cats?
- Is the fountain quiet?
- Does the fountain come with a filter to ensure constant clean water for your cat?
- Is the fountain easy to keep clean?
- Is the fountain energy efficient?
Best Cat Water Fountain Reviews
These are our favourite water fountains for cats that are available in the UK. We have included all major water fountain brands in our reviews including Pet Mate, Catit and Lazy Bones. Our cat water fountain reviews are ordered by overall rating from highest to lowest.
1. Cat Mate Fresh Water Drinking Fountain For Cats
Summary
The Cat Mate stands out from the rest due to its design. It comprises of 3 different holding areas which each have different elevations to fit all sized cats. The design ensures there is adequate circulation and aeration of the water at all times. This fountain has an isolated pump which makes it extremely quiet and it uses quality filters that purify the water and ensure it stays safe for consumption. The power cord is detachable making it very easy to wash.
Key Features
- 2 Litre Capacity
- Isolated pump for very quiet operation
- 21cm x 16cm x 24.1cm
- Polymer activated carbon filters
- Multi height drink levels
- 3 year guarantee
2. Catit Original Flower Fountain
Summary
The Catit Flower Fountain purifies and softens hard tap water ensuring your cat gets a continuous supply of clean water. In addition, it has a pre-filter for trapping any cat hairs, grass or debris from flowing through the pump. The pump itself is very quiet, and you can barely notice it, and on top of that, it is economical (costing 2p per day to run). It has a 3 litre capacity meaning it will last a number of days before needing to be refilled.
Key Features
- 3 water flow settings including gentle flow, bubbling top and calm stream flow
- 3 litre capacity
- Viewing window to check water level
- Filter included to purify and soften water
- Extra quiet pump
- Energy efficient – costs less than 2p per day to power
- Comes with multiple attachments
3. Udream Pet Water Fountain
Summary
The Udrean pet water fountain is an excellent fountain for your cats. It comes with an LED indicator system to warn you when the fountain gets low. With 3 different water flow settings you can speed up or slow down the flow depending on what your cat prefers. The filters used need to be replaced every 2-4 weeks to make sure the water remains as clean as possible for your cat.
Key Features
- LED Indicator light to remind you it needs topping up
- 2.4 litre capacity
- 3 water flow modes
- 2 filters to keep the water fresh
- Auto power off function if it runs out of water
4. PetSafe Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain
Summary
This pet fountain comes in a 5-litre capacity, and it is very easy to refill since the reservoir is detachable. The Drinkwell has two drinking areas; the large water bowl and a flowing stream. Your cat will have both options to choose from since some cats can be very picky and the waterfall experience works best for fussy cats. This drinking well is dishwasher safe, and the dishwasher helps to remove any hard water gunk accumulation.
Key Features
- 5 Litre Capacity
- Adjustable water stream
- Removable reservoir for easy top up
- Minimal splash
- Quiet water pump
- 2 year guarantee
Buying Guide And Tips For Using Cat Water Fountains
No two cats are the same and you will know best what your cat likes and doesn’t like. The reviews above should be helpful when making a decision but always base it on your cat’s personality and drinking habits.
When looking to buy a cat water fountain we feel the following are the key things to consider.
What it is made of
Most water fountains are generally made from either ceramic, metal or plastic.
Ceramic and metal are regarded as the better choices because these materials do not impart flavours or odours into the water. However, plastic models are often more affordable and BPA free.
Is it silent?
Given that your water fountain could be on for prolonged periods of time, you will want to consider how noisy it is. Look for a near silent cat water fountain to ensure it won’t impact your day to day household.
How to Keep A Water Fountain Clean
A water fountain is only effective if it is clean. Therefore, you need to make sure that you disassemble and clean a water fountain regularly. This means that you need to give special consideration to how easy or difficult a particular model is to clean out. It should come with some kind of filtration system, which normally relies on replaceable cartridges.
The following ideas can help to keep your water fountain clean:
- Make sure to regularly replace the filters used in the fountain – depending on the model, the filter should be replaced every 2-4 weeks
- Clean out any hair or gunk regularly from the filter
- Make sure to refresh the water – we do this daily when we feed our cats, but every couple of days is fine
- All of the fountains mentioned above are easy to dissemble to make it easier to clean
- Look for a dishwasher safe model to make it really easy…!
How Often Should You Clean It
How often you need to clean your cat water fountain depends on how many cats use the same fountain. If only 1 cat is using your fountain, cleaning it once a week will suffice.
However, if you have more cats, you should clean it more regularly – at least twice a week.
How often the water needs replacing
This will depend on the capacity of the fountain. Most will hold a minimum of 2 litres which could last a cat up to two weeks (and could automate a cats feeding schedule when combined with a large automatic cat feeder). The pumps and filters in a water fountain are designed to ensure the water is completely clean so this shouldn’t be an issue as long as you are regularly changing filters.
We prefer to refresh our water more regularly (often daily when we feed our cats) as we find this keeps our filters cleaner, and often means we can extend the life of each filter beyond the recommended 2-4 weeks.
Encouraging Your Cat To Use A Water Fountain
If you have recently bought a water fountain for the first time or for a new cat, your cat may not be familiar with the concept. Although patience is the main key, there are a number of things you could try to help entice your cat to the new fountain:
- Placement – Place the cat water fountain at a distance away from their litter trays and food bowls. This is important as cats tend to like water sources that are not tainted by waste products or food. You should also be careful not to place it close to fires or radiators as this can affect the temperature of the water and make it unpalatable.
- Provide Other Sources Of Water – As it can take some time for a cat to adjust to using a new fountain, you should make sure there are other sources of water available to keep your cat hydrated.
- Introduction – Before you start the fountain, let your cat get used to it with just still water. Curiosity will make him or her want to drink from it and just keep it like that for the first few days.
- First Time – Once you are sure your cat is more comfortable with their new water fountain, start by switching it on for a couple of hours, once or twice a week. This enables your cat to get comfortable with the noise and circulation of the fountain. In the beginning, it is also recommended that you reward your cat for drinking from the fountain with a treat, to reinforce that the fountain is a good thing.
Generally speaking, it only takes a few weeks for most cats to feel comfortable with a fountain, but remember that cats are all unique and if it takes longer for your cat to adjust – this is not a bad thing,
Are water fountains better for cats?
It really depends on your cat. If your cat is a good drinker and drinks enough water from a bowl, then buying a cat water fountain is unlikely to make any difference to your cat. However if your cat doesn’t drink much water (or only likes drinking from a tap) then a cat water fountain could make a huge difference to their long term health and reduce the amount of water you waste.
