Are Pet Fountains Worth It?

Like humans, cats and dogs need a substantial amount of water to stay hydrated and healthy. Your pet’s body is roughly 80% water, compared to humans at only 60%. Because of this, your pets have higher risks of getting kidney and urinary tract infections.

So, how can you ensure your beloved pet drinks enough water or has a round-the-clock supply of fresh water? One easy and practical solution is an automatic pet water fountain.

Many veterinarians recommend pet fountains since dogs and cats are instinctively drawn to flowing water rather than stagnant water.

What are pet fountains and how do they work?

Pet fountains are simply drinking fountains for your pets, such as cats and dogs. The two essential components of a water fountain are the basin that holds the water and the pump that pulls in and pushes out water for continuous flow. Since the process defies the law of gravity, the pump usually requires electricity to pump water.

Some pet water fountains have filtration systems that trap debris and impurities to prevent them from entering the pump. Pet fountain filters are not necessary to run a pet drinking fountain. However, they are recommended to ensure your pets drink clean, filtered water and protect the pump from accumulating dirt that could cause malfunction.

How much water does your pet need?

As a rule of thumb, determining the amount of water your pet needs daily depends on how much they weigh.

• Dogs

Your dog needs 1 ounce of water per pound of their body weight. For instance, if your pet weighs 10 pounds, they should be able to drink approximately 10 ounces of fluids each day.

• Cats

Your cat needs about 3.5 to 4.5 ounces of fluids daily per 5 pounds of their body weight. For example, if you have a 10-pound cat, they should drink about 7 to 9 ounces of water per day.

Advantages of a Pet Water Fountain

A pet water fountain offers many benefits to your furry friends and, by extension, to you as a pet owner who doesn’t have to worry about your pets getting parched. Below are the reasons why you need to consider adding a water fountain for pets to your home:

It is found that a pet’s drinking dish may be a breeding ground for bacteria, which are harmful not only to your pets but also to your family. A pet drinking fountain inside your home means round-the-clock supply of fresh, filtered, and clean water for your cat or dog. 

Good-quality pet fountains have a filtration system that filters out debris and dirt. They also remove bad tastes and odors using charcoal or anti-bacterial filters. They need regular cleaning at least once a week, which can also wash out the bacteria in the process. Most pet fountains are dishwasher-safe (except pumps), so it’s easy to clean and hassle-free.

Cats usually suffer from chronic dehydration. They lose more body fluids than they take in over a long time. Common causes of cat dehydration are kidney diseases, diarrhea, diabetes, or simply not drinking enough fluids.

However, as most pet owners use dry kibble diets for their dogs, your furry companion can also be chronically dehydrated. This could cause health problems, including, but not limited to, urinary tract infections and kidney diseases.

Water improves digestion and aids in flushing out toxins that may build up in your pet’s body. A pet water dispenser accessible to your pets helps prevent infection and keeps them hydrated.

• Encourages More Water Intake

Pets prefer to drink running water. Water movement in pet fountains attracts cats and dogs alike, increasing their chances of drinking more water daily.

Cats are picky drinkers. They like drinking from faucets or somewhere with dripping water. Their cat instincts tell them that stagnant water is not safe. A cat drinking fountain assures your cat that it’s the “safer” water they can drink.

Moreover, cats and dogs have a fantastic sense of smell, with dogs ranging around 10,000-100,000 times sharper than humans. This makes them more sensitive to the scents of the chemicals present in tap water. Good thing, pet fountains have filters that eliminate impurities from tap water, providing sweet-tasting water for your pets.

• Offers Cooler Water

Since pet fountain water is continuously circulating, the water is somewhat a couple of degrees cooler than the air temperature inside your home. The difference may be slim, but it’s appealing enough to your four-legged companion, especially during summer. The movement keeps the water aerated and cool, encouraging your dog or cat to drink to their hearts’ content.

• Less Refill for You

Pet water fountains can hold a larger volume than your pet’s standard water basin. This means you don’t have to refill the pet fountain more often. Your pets will be less likely to go thirsty even if you’re away from home for a long time since the pet fountain is there.

As mentioned earlier, the required amount of water daily is proportional to the size of your cat or dog. Hence, a pet fountain with ½ gallon capacity is good enough for your small pets, while bigger pets may require 1 gallon of water (or more).

PetsTEK’s Picks for the Best Drinking Fountains for Pets

The Drinkwell® Original Pet Fountain provides 50 ounces of clean and filtered water. This fountain comes with a three-layer carbon filter that removes bad tastes and odors, offering your pets fresh and clean drinking water. It also has a pre-filter that traps large particles, such as pet hairs, debris, and kibble.

The flow control knob allows you to adjust the water flow between heavy and light streams. This helps if your pet is a “big” drinker or you have more than one pet drinking with the water fountain. This Drinkwell® Pet Fountain uses a 5-inch free-falling stream of water, keeping it cool and aerated with oxygen while it circulates.

Features

• 50-ounce water capacity
• Adjustable flow control
• Free-falling water stream to encourage pets to drink more
• Receiving ramp that reduces splashing of falling water
• Replaceable activated carbon filter that removes bad tastes and odors
• Disassembles for easy cleaning
• Dishwasher-safe parts, except the pump 
• All parts are made of BPA-free plastic
• Best for small dogs and cats

Maintenance

• Clean the fountain once a week.
• The pump should be hand washed every 2 weeks.
• Replace the carbon filter every 2-4 weeks.
• Change the pre-filter only when damaged.

The Drinkwell® ½-Gallon Pet Fountain is perfect for small cats or dogs. This fountain allows you to customize the flow of the water stream for a quieter operation, making your pets feel comfortable while drinking. The free-falling stream gives your cat more sipping options other than drinking directly into the bowl. The fountain encourages your cat to drink more as they are more drawn to running water.

The fountain comes with a wide bowl, preventing cat whiskers from brushing the sides of the bowl while your cat is drinking water. This is great, especially if your cats have sensitive whiskers. It also has a carbon and foam filter that works as a dual filtration system to remove pet hairs and undesirable odors and tastes, providing fresh, tasty water to your pets.

You’ll never have to worry about your pets going thirsty as the open-bowl design offers access to water even if the power is out. This pet fountain is easy to clean since the parts are dishwasher-safe, except for the pump, which requires hand washing separately.

Features

• 1/2-gallon capacity
• Customizable free-falling water stream for timid pets or quieter operation
• Open bowl design that gives access to water even if the power is out
• Wide bowl to keep your cat’s sensitive whiskers from touching the sides
• Dual filtration to remove pet hair, debris, bad tastes, and odors
• Neutral color that blends in with home décor
• Top-rack dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup, except for the pump
• Parts are BPA-free plastic
• Perfect for cats and small dogs

Maintenance

• Clean the pump separately from other fountain parts.
• Replace the carbon filter every 2-4 weeks, while the foam filter every 1-2 months.

The Drinkwell® 1-Gallon Pet Fountain is almost similar to the ½-Gallon Pet Fountain, except that it offers a bigger water capacity than the latter. This makes this fountain great for cats and small- to medium-sized dogs. This also means that your pets won’t run out of fresh drinking water even if you’re away from home, ensuring they are well-hydrated.

It’s also heavier than the ½ Gallon Fountain, making it difficult for your pet to trip over or knock around. The dark gray color complements your house interior for an aesthetically pleasing look.

If the water runs low, the fountain alerts you by making a sound, so you won’t miss refilling it. This way, your pets will have fresh, filtered water whenever they need it. With the Drinkwell® 1 Gallon Pet Fountain, you won’t only get well-hydrated pets but also a worry-free day, giving you that peace of mind you deserve.

Features

• 1-gallon water capacity
• Customizable free-falling water stream for timid pets or quieter operation
• Open bowl design that gives access to water even if the power is out
• Wide bowl to keep your cat’s sensitive whiskers from touching the sides
• Dual filtration to remove pet hair, debris, bad tastes, and odors
• Neutral color that blends in with home décor
• Top-rack dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup, except for the pump
• Parts are BPA-free plastic
• Ideal for cats and small- to medium-sized dogs

Maintenance

• Clean the pump separately from other fountain parts.
• Replace the carbon filter every 2-4 weeks, while the foam filter every 1-2 months.

The Drinkwell® Mini Pet Fountain is designed with your small furry companions in mind. This pet water fountain holds 40 ounces of fresh, filtered water, which makes it great for cats and small dogs. Made with a compact design, this fountain fits anywhere inside your house as long as your pets can freely access it.

The spout on one side gives your cat or dog more space to dip their heads when drinking. The free-falling water stream attracts your pets to drink more, while the receiving ramp almost eliminates the splashing of water to avoid making a mess on your floor. The pump is also submersible to allow near-quiet operation, so you won’t be bothered while sleeping at night.

This Drinkwell® Pet Fountain comes with a carbon filter and pre-filter to ensure that your pet only gets to drink fresh and clean water always. It disassembles easily for cleaning and is dishwasher-safe, except for the fountain pump.

Features

• 40-oz water capacity
• Adjustable flow of falling water stream 
• Compact size that fits in small spaces
• Carbon filter that removes bad tastes and odors
• BPA-free plastic that is safe for pets
• Dishwasher-safe, top rack only
• Hand wash the fountain pump separately
• Best pet fountain for cats and small dogs

Maintenance

• Clean the fountain once a week and the pump every 2 weeks.
• Replace the carbon filter every 2-4 weeks.
• Change the pre-filter only when damaged.

The Drinkwell® Everflow Indoor/Outdoor Fountain introduces a new experience for you and your pets. While the other pet water fountains are only for indoor use, you can use the Everflow fountain indoors and outdoors.

Pets naturally love to play in the backyard, but more activities mean more water intake to keep them hydrated. With this fountain, you won’t have to worry about that since you can bring the pet fountain outside for your pets. It uses a garden hose hookup that automatically refills and allows you to set the desired water level of the fountain. It’s a big pet fountain that can hold up to 1.5 gallons of clean drinking water, which makes it great for larger dogs, cats, and multi-pet households.

This pet fountain features a split water flow design that improves aeration and helps move the debris toward the filters. It has a dual filtration system that removes water impurities, including bad-smelling qualities, pet hairs, and debris, enticing your cats or dogs to drink more water. The constant movement of water prevents bacteria buildup, eliminating bacterial contamination of water.

Features

• 1.5-gallon capacity
• For both indoors and outdoors
• Anti-bite cord cover
• Made with UV-resistant materials for outdoor use
• Hose hookup that automatically refills water
• Carbon and foam filters that remove bad tastes, odors, dirt, and debris
• Dishwasher-safe (excluding the fountain pump)
• BPA-free plastic fountain
• For dogs, cats, and multi-pet households

Maintenance

• Clean the fountain once a week and the pump every 2 weeks.
• Replace the carbon filter every 2-4 weeks when used indoors and 1-2 weeks when used outdoors.
• Rinse the foam filter every 4-8 weeks, depending on the location usage of the fountain and the number of pets using it.

The Drinkwell® Multi-Tier Pet Fountain provides your pets with many drinking options to encourage more water intake. The fountain comes with two tiers with an upper and lower bowl. The two-tier design makes it great for pets of all sizes since they can drink in the upper or lower bowl where they are comfortable.

The elevated bowl is made especially for your senior pets, so bending over is not too much for them if they want to drink. This pet water fountain has a 100-ounce capacity, holding enough water for your multiple pets to share.

The fountain also has an activated carbon filter made from coconut shells, eliminating toxins, bad taste, and foul odor. This ensures that your pets only get to drink fresh, sweet water around the clock. It’s top-rack dishwasher-safe, so it’s not much of a hassle cleaning it, though the pump should be rinsed separately.

Features

• 100-oz water capacity
• Provides three drinking options: from the free-falling stream, the upper bowl, or the lower bowl
• Running water that encourages pets to drink more
• Open-bowl design, providing pets with continuous access to water even if the power is out
• Replaceable carbon filter that removes bad tastes and odors
• Top-rack dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup, handwash pump separately
• BPA-free plastic pet fountain
• Perfect for cats and dogs of all sizes
• Great option for senior pets or pets with arthritis

Maintenance

• Clean the fountain once a week and the pump every 2 weeks.
• Replace the carbon filter every 2-4 weeks.

The Drinkwell® Platinum® Pet Fountain features a built-in reservoir that automatically refills the fountain while your pets drink, maintaining the fountain’s water level. It allows you to see the remaining water in the reservoir, alerting you if it needs a refill. This pet water fountain can hold 1.3 gallons of water with adjustable flow control for timid and sensitive pets.

The Platinum® Pet Fountain ensures that the pet fountain gets replenished with running water, thereby giving your pets a continuous source of clean drinking water. This fountain runs fairly quiet even when adjusted on the maximum flow setting, avoiding any noise that can disturb everybody’s sleep at night. Its dual filtration system removes toxins, particles, bad tastes, and odors, providing your pets with fresh, tasty running water.

Many pet owners love this fountain due to its durability. It can even last for a decade if appropriately maintained. It offers a good value for money, which doesn’t even cost much. It’s super easy to clean, affordable, and ensures your pets stay hydrated and healthy.

Features

• 1.3-gallon water capacity
• Removable water reservoir that helps maintain the water level of the fountain bowl and makes refills easy
• Free-falling water stream with adjustable flow
• Plastic pre-filter that traps pet hair and debris
• Carbon filter that removes bad tastes and odors
• Rubber feet on the fountain, preventing it from slipping on the floor
• BPA-free plastic material that is durable and lightweight
• Dishwasher-safe, top rack only (handwash pump separately)
• Great water fountain for cats and small, medium, and large-sized dogs

Maintenance

• Clean the fountain once a week and the pump every 2 weeks.
• Replace the carbon filter every 2-4 weeks.
• Change the pre-filter only when damaged.

Final Tip

Some pets take longer to adjust before getting comfortable with the water fountain. Let them take their time as they may be cautious at first about the unusual object. They’ll eventually learn to drink from the pet fountain since they love cool, running water.