Automatic Water Fountains for Cats

In order to maintain your cat's health, your cat needs to drink as much water in milliliters per day as the amount of calories it eats, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Dehydration can lead to serious health issues for your cat, including urinary tract infections. To prevent these issues, provide your cat with an automatic pet fountain to make sure it has fresh, flowing water to drink.

  1. Materials

    • Most automatic cat fountains are made of plastic that you can wash either by hand or in the dishwasher. Some fountains also come in either ceramic or stainless steel. Certain cats have allergies to plastic or dyes, which can cause outbreaks of feline acne, a form of feline dermatitis, on the cat's chin, according to PetEducation.com. To prevent this condition, choose ceramic or stainless steel fountains instead. Purchase a fountain that you can take apart completely to clean all of the parts, especially the pump, which can become clogged with fur and debris.

    Style

    • Many cats enjoy drinking from a faucet, and these cats may prefer a style of cat fountain that simulates water falling from a faucet. These automatic cat fountains have a spigot that water is pumped through into a basin at the bottom and then recirculated throughout the fountain. These fountains, due to their design, also make more noise from the water splashing into the basin. To avoid this, purchase one with a design like the Fresh Flow fountain from Petmate (petmate.com), in which water slides down a ramp into the basin instead of falling directly into it.

    Size

    • Depending on the number of cats you have, purchase a fountain that can accommodate their needs. You need to refill any cat fountains with water as your cat drinks from it during the day to prevent the pump from breaking. To reduce the amount of times you need to refill the fountain, choose one with a reservoir you can add to the fountain, such as the Drinkwell original pet fountain from Veterinary Ventures (vetventures.com). You can purchase two different sizes of the reservoir, which automatically refills the fountain without the need to replenish the water as often. Only one cat can drink from a smaller fountain at a time, so you may want to purchase more than one fountain, or a fountain like the Drinkwell 360 with multiple spigots for your cats to drink from at once.

    Considerations

    • Unlike a stagnant water dish, cat fountains offer your cat constantly running water that recirculates constantly to keep it fresher and free of bacteria. Most fountains come with charcoal filters to keep the water cleaner during use for your cat. Choose one where you can purchase these filters in your local pet store. You still need to maintain and clean these fountains regularly to prevent the buildup of hair and debris in the pump, which can harm the motor. You can use an aquarium cleaning brush to clean small parts and the pump, and scrub hard-to-reach places in the fountain. To prevent sediment build-up in the pump from hard water, you may want to use filtered or bottled water in the fountain.