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Others We Tested
Petkit Eversweet Max for $80: This tech-y automatic fountain can be either cordless or battery-powered (lasting up to 83 days), and the drinking bowl is made of stainless steel, but the reservoir is plastic. Because of the shape of the basin with the chunky battery and reservoir bowl, it’s a little awkward to clean. The app logs every time a pet drinks and compares it over time to determine whether your cat’s drinking habits have changed. The app also keeps track of when the filter needs replacing, and when you last added water. However, it doesn’t monitor or show you how much water is left in the basin; you have to manually check. The design also made it a bit difficult to clean and easily refill.
Rola Smart Pet Water Fountain for $40: This automatic fountain is cordless and runs on a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 60 days (although it can stay plugged in too). It has a wireless pump that uses magnetic induction—this pump was one of the easiest and most hassle-free to clean of all I tested. The fountain has a stainless steel top that holds a decent amount of water even when not running. Although the tank is plastic, and I’m wary of plastic now because of its propensity to harbor bacteria (plus it doesn’t keep water as cold). The app gives reminders of when the water’s low, the fountain needs cleaning, or the filter needs replacing, plus it automatically stops dispensing water and sends you a reminder to refill via app. It also logs the number of times your pet drank and for how long, monitoring hydration patterns over time and comparing the stats to average time used. A complaint I had is that this fountain wouldn’t stay on Continuous stream mode, even when plugged in, instead automatically switching to the Sensing stream.
Homerunpet Wireless Pet Fountain for $60: This cordless fountain can be used as a traditional fountain plugged in on its base, or can be detached and moved around the house with 30 days of battery life. I don’t love that this fountain is all plastic, but it’s easy to see water levels from the outside, the top and filter layers are super easy to remove, clean, and replace, and the wireless (basically silent) pump makes it a whole lot easier to clean. Plastic doesn’t keep the water as cold or clean as stainless steel, so you’ll have to clean it a lot more often. The fountain only begins bubbling when a cat (or human) approaches to save battery power, and there’s no option to control the flow (and no connected app). I like the wireless pump, but I’m really over plastic at this point.
Wonder Creature Cat Fountain for $21: My two cats have cycled through several water fountains over the past few years, but this no-nonsense version has been a stalwart. The inside is lit by a blue LED (bright enough to glow in the dark), and a clear viewing window on the side makes it easy to monitor the water level from afar. I also like the dishwasher-safe metal bowl and the fact you can remove parts of the yellow and white “flower” to create a fountain configuration your cat likes (waterfall, low bubble-up, tall bubble-up). The only major downsides are the fact it requires very frequent cleaning and filter changes due to the plastic body, and that there is no reservoir to hold water in case of power outage or pump malfunction. When I go on vacation I have to swap it out for an old-school gravity dispenser. —Kat Merck
Happy & Polly Gothic Cat Drinking Fountain for $55: If you prefer gothic decor to neutral blandness, this ghostly ceramic cat fountain from Happy & Polly may tempt you to bite. The water bubbles up out of the top of the ghost and pools on the ceramic top. It’s fairly quiet at around 35 decibels, but it gets loud when the water is running low, and I worry about the motor burning out, as the 1.5-liter capacity can run dry fast. While the ceramic finish is easy to clean, it is fiddly to take apart. You will want to clean it once a week to prevent it from becoming slimy, and you must change the filter once a month. —Simon Hill
Petkit Eversweet Solo 2 for $50: I love three key features of this fountain: The bowl sits on top of a wireless charging base, so you don’t have to fiddle with cables, it is super easy to clean, and it’s very quiet at around 25 decibels. A flashing light warns you when the water is running low, and you can check when the filter needs to be changed in the app. There’s an optional smart mode that pumps intermittently and a night mode to turn the light off. Pleasingly, all three of our cats drink from this fountain, though that does mean I have to refill it often, as it only holds 2 liters. Sadly, the filters are very expensive at $20 for five. —Simon Hill
Not Recommended
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Cat Mate 3-Level Pet Fountain for $28: This tall automatic Cat Mate fountain sets itself apart with three tiers for cats who like to drink at every level. Cleaning the motor requires disassembly using tools and extended soaking. Because of the long distance the water has to travel, evaporation caused the water to need to be refilled about every other day. Plastic also harbors bacteria, and previous plastic models I’ve owned have had mold issues. The basin is quite large and sits flat. Because of this, some debris would sit in the bottom and front of the large basin rather than moving back to the filter system behind. The plastic material and lack of ergonomic gravity design caused this fountain to be dirtier than others.
Whisker City Free Fall Cat Fountain for $40: This huge fountain is better suited for dogs—with a large 150-fluid-ounce bowl and a waterfall design. Although the basin has a small splash pad to help offset the waterfall noise, this was one of the loudest fountains I tested. The evaporation from the waterfall-like system also caused me to refill it every other day. Because of the structure of the fountain, my cats had to bend their head at an awkward angle. They tended to avoid drinking from the basin because of that, and their heads got slightly wet from the splatter of the waterfall. The basin is also not angled so crumbs and debris sit at the bottom of the bowl.
PetSnowy SNOW+ Automatic Pet Water Fountain for $55: The SNOW+ automatic fountain from PetSnowy is very simple—it’s a curved square design where water is pumped through a hole in the top and the residual water is cycled through a circular filter system. This fountain is connected to an app that doesn’t do much but act as a reminder to clean it, and it has a countdown to when the filter needs replacing. Unlike others on this list, this fountain doesn’t really have a top reservoir to store water in case of power failure—when turned off, very little water remains in the top area. Refilling it is a little tricky without taking off the top, and water often spilled.
Petkit EverSweet Solo SE for $27: This very simple, straightforward fountain has a square-shaped body, is translucent to easily see water levels from the outside, and has a nearly silent 25-decibel cordless pump to circulate water from the basin to the top level, where 60 milliliters of water is always available for drinking, even in case of power failure. The basin sits on a base and all parts easily detach, making it easier to clean. This fountain doesn’t have multiple modes or an associated app—you’ll have to manually check water levels. I noticed this fountain wasn’t as cold as some of the others, and because of the design of the top, debris often pooled in the dipped areas, which made me clean it often.
Cats sometimes struggle to consume enough water, which can lead to potentially lethal UTIs and blockages in male cats especially. This is one of the reasons vets are moving more toward encouraging owners to give their cat at least a partially wet food diet, as this helps them consume more moisture, especially since cats don’t naturally consume as much water as dogs. Unlike dogs, cats are generally quite particular in their likes and dislikes, and cats can see stagnant water as potentially harmful. (If the cat was in the wild, stagnant water has more potential for harmful bacteria). Cats are more drawn to moving water in nature, and these fountains help encourage them to drink more by emulating what they’re naturally drawn to.
Let’s be honest, a lot of these fountains are pretty much the same. I looked especially for the overall design—I am a fiend for stainless steel because of the potential of porous plastic harboring harmful bacteria. I also favor a wide reservoir without high sides to help reduce the chance for whisker fatigue. I prefer fountains that have a small basin reservoir of water available at all times, in case of low water levels or power failure. I took into account ease of setting up, refilling, and cleaning, as well as overall design. And of course, there were some that my cats took to straight away, and some they didn’t seem to favor as much.
After prolonged testing, I now look for these three things and encourage you too as well: a cordless pump for easier (and safer) cleaning, constructed from stainless steel so it’s more hygienic, and a window to monitor water levels (especially if it’s not connected to an app).
While automatic water fountains are better for your cats’ overall water consumption, they do require a bit more work and money. Rather than refilling a bowl, these take a little more elbow grease—but it’s worth it for your cat’s health. Along with routine refilling and cleaning, you’ll need to disassemble the fountain to clean all parts, including using a brush for the bowl and tubes. You may also have to disassemble the motor to deep-clean because of mineral buildup. These also have different types of filtration cartridges in specific shapes for the brand’s fountains, which require you to buy and change out filters, usually monthly but sometimes more often.
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