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As seen with the rise of automatic boxes, automatic feeders, animal tracksAnd now the cat water fountain, technology has made it so that we can closely monitor our animals and make sure they are taken care of without having to do a lot of manual work.
A cat water fountain encourages cats to drink more water, which helps with their overall health. I have noticed an increase in my cats water consumption since switching to a fountain. As a pet helicopter mom, I have become a fountain believer.
While automatic water fountains are better for your cats’ overall water consumption, they require a little more work and money. Rather than replacing a bowl, these take a bit of elbow grease, but it’s worth it for your cat’s health. Along with routine refilling and cleaning, you need to disassemble the fountain to clean all the parts, including with a brush for the bowl and pipes. You may also have to disassemble the engine for deep cleaning due to mineral build-up. These also have different types of filter cartridges in specific shapes for brand fountains, which require you to buy and change the filters, usually monthly or more often.
Many of these fountains also have a connected app, which reminds you when to clean, replace the filter and refresh the water. Many also track how often your pet drinks throughout the day, week and month to monitor your pet’s habits and track any changes. A cat that drinks more or less water than usual can be a good indicator that something is wrong with its health.
I (and my cats) tested different models (and some of the technologically advanced) automatic pet water fountains available now to see which ones are worth the money.
Check out our related guides like the The best automatic feeders, The best automatic boxes, Our favorite fantasy cat furnitureand Our favorite cat toys, litter boxes, and other feline supplies. More of a dog person? We’ve got you covered; see our The best accessories and essential techniques for your dog guide
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Cats sometimes struggle to consume enough water, which can lead to potential fatal UTIs and blocks in male cats in particular. This is one of the reasons why veterinarians are moving more to encourage owners to give their cat at least a partially wet food diet, because this helps them consume more moisture, especially since cats do not naturally consume as much and water as much 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 most attracted to moving water in nature, and these fountains help encourage them to drink more by emulating what they are naturally attracted to.
Let’s be honest, many of these fountains are almost the same. I was mainly looking for the overall design – I’m a fiend for stainless steel because of the potential of porous plastic. harmful bacteria. I also prefer a wide reservoir without high sides to help reduce the chance for mustache fatigue. Prefer fountains that have a basin of water available at all times, in case of low water levels or power failure. I took into consideration the ease of installation, reloading and cleaning, as well as the overall design. And, of course, there were some that my cats took to right away, and some that didn’t seem so favorable.
I used each of these for a week as my cats main water source. As they said, I noted the ease of installation, evaluated the parts and filters, and generally compared the different types of water fountains – spigot, bubbling, or waterfall. Some streams were continuous and some were intermittent (my cats did not prefer intermittent). Cats may also be intrigued and want to play with the machine rather than drink, so be sure to give them time and keep another water source around until they are fully adjusted to the new gadget.
