Pet Fountain DIY

Going away for a few days? You can solve the problem of providing clean, fresh water to your home-bound furry friends by creating a simple but reliable pet fountain. These devices are easy to make and can extend the amount of time your pets can safely be left alone indoors by several days.

  1. Soda Bottles

    • The easiest makeshift pet fountain to construct uses a bowl and a discarded two-liter soda bottle. Cut the base off the bottle and put the capped end inside the bowl, an inch off the bottom, then secure it with wire or heavy-duty tape. The bowl will keep one inch of water in it for as long as water remains inside the soda-bottle reservoir, and the pressure of the water inside the bowl will keep everything from spilling out. Another option: Leave the base on the soda bottle, invert the filled bottle over the bowl, and prop or duct-tape the bottle to the wall or other support, putting a bowl of water beneath. Just be sure to secure the water dish, because if the pet moves it the water can come rushing out onto the floor while you are gone.

    Fish Bowl

    • Fish bowls make great pet fountains. Take a clean bowl and perhaps some decorative gravel and prepare it to hold clean, fresh water. Use a filtered pump to keep the water pure and fresh-smelling--the filter will remove impurities, and the cycling of the water will help avoid stagnation. Make sure that the lip of the fish bowl is wide enough so that if you are gone for an extended period, your pet does not lose access to the water or risk getting its head stuck in the mouth of the bowl.

    Permanent Fountain

    • You can rig a permanent fountain using the same basic concept as a toilet's holding tank: Connect your fountain to a permanent water source, and then set a floating bob to regulate the amount of water in the bowl. As the level decreases, it will trip a valve that will fill the bowl (and raise the float) to a pre-set level, then the valve will close again. You can purchase kits to build a float-controlled valve from many home-improvement stores.

    Tips

    • Even if you do provide your pet with a water fountain, make sure you have a trusted adult check on your pets periodically to make sure that the fountain works and your pets have not upset their water or food dishes. In some areas, local ordinance makes leaving an indoor pet unsupervised for extended periods a civil infraction or even a crime.