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10 best cat water fountains to keep furry friends hydrated, tried and tested by a pet parent

From three-tier streams to advanced smart features, our feline testers’ loved these cat water fountains

Pete Wise
Friday 19 May 2023 05:58 EDT
H2O promotes your cat’s good kidney health, replenishes their cells and wards off nasty infections
H2O promotes your cat’s good kidney health, replenishes their cells and wards off nasty infections (iStock/The Independent)
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One thing that many pet parents will likely all agree on, is cats are famously picky when it comes to their drinking water. Freshly recirculated H20 may be the drink of choice for your moggy – as it is for many cats – and this is where a cat water fountain comes in.

Creating a constant supply of clean, running water that will appeal to cats’ instincts and refresh their body, cat water fountains tend to work by circulating water through a filter and spout, and into a bowl (or some other vessel) by using a mains-powered pump.

It’s always important that your cat is drinking enough water given that a healthy amount of H2O will prevent dehydration, promote kidney health, replenish their cells and help to keep any nasty infections at bay.

Not all cat fountains are created equal and there are countless variations, so it’s important to get your priorities straight before buying.

Most cat fountains use replaceable filters – often ones that use carbon – to keep the water clean and safe for drinking. You should factor in the lifespan of compatible filters and how much they cost per unit before going ahead and buying a fountain. In the long term, filters and energy will likely cost much more than the fountain itself.

Another difference between cat drinking fountains is the material used in the parts from which the cat drinks. Many of the more affordable fountains use plastic, whereas fancier options use other materials such as ceramics, metal or glass. If your cat is prone to cat acne, which tends to present as blemishes on the chin, it’s probably best not to choose a fountain with plastic drinking components, as these can compound the problem for some cats.

Some of the newer cat drinking fountains on the market have high-tech features, such as connected smartphone apps that notify you when the fountain requires maintenance or cleaning.

Once you’ve chosen a fountain, you’ll need to find a suitable place for it in your home. Cats can feel vulnerable when drinking in an open space, so placing your fountain in a corner or beside a wall will often help make sure they feel comfortable. Some cat owners hedge their bets by setting up two or more water fountains in different rooms.

How we tested

We tested cat water fountains by setting them up in the homes of our cat-loving reviewer and his family, and observing how their cats used the fountains. Our review criteria included how soon and how often the cats used the fountains, how easy the fountains were to set up, and how the products performed from the owner’s perspective, which included assessing their ease of upkeep and noise levels.

The best cat water fountains for 2023 are:

  • Best overall – Catit pixi smart drinking fountain: £84, Argos.co.uk
  • Best ease of use – Catit pixi drinking fountain: £37, Petsathome.com
  • Best for easy cleaning – Cat Mate two-level shell pet fountain, titanium: £21.95, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best affordable fountain – Catit flower fountain original: £21.84, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best premium flower fountain features – Catit flower fountain stainless steel: £36, Petsathome.com

Catit pixi smart drinking fountain

Catit pixi smart drinking fountain .jpg
  • Best: Overall
  • Capacity: 2l
  • Bowl material: Metal
  • Filter type: Cotton mesh, active carbon, ion exchange resin
  • Filter lifespan: 30 days

This remarkable cat water fountain combines advanced smartphone-controlled features with a simple and effective design. We love everything from its triple-action filter to the notifications we received on our smartphone when the pixi smart’s pump was due for cleaning.

After a few attempts, we managed to get the fountain connected to our wifi and the Catit pixi smartphone app. Once this is set up, you can use your phone to tweak the settings, for instance, starting a UV-C water sterilisation cycle or activating energy-saving mode.

Another important benefit of this fountain was that it’s perhaps the quietest electric option we tested.

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PetSafe drinkwell sedona 3l pet drinking fountain

PetSafe drinkwell sedona 3l pet drinking fountain .jpg
  • Best: For use by multiple cats
  • Capacity: 3l
  • Bowl material: Ceramic and plastic
  • Filter type: Charcoal and foam
  • Filter lifespan: Two-four weeks (carbon filter); one-two months (foam filter)

If you have multiple thirsty kitties to water, the big, beautiful PetSafe drinkwell sedona could be the ideal solution.

There are a fair few steps required to assemble this fountain, but you’ll manage fine if you carefully follow the well-written instructions.

The sedona is a remarkably calming presence for cats and humans alike. Our cat-journalist Martha happily drank from the fountain within a few minutes of us setting it up. It operates quietly – unless the water level is running low – and we found that the fountain has much the same tranquil effect as a garden water feature.

Don’t tell your cat, but this fountain is big enough to be used by dogs, too.

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Catit pixi drinking fountain

Catit Pixi Cat Drinking Water Fountain Pink 2.5 Litre.jpg
  • Best: Ease of use
  • Capacity: 2.5l
  • Bowl material: Plastic
  • Filter type: Cotton mesh, active carbon, ion exchange resin
  • Filter lifespan: 30 days

Not to be confused with the smart fountain from the same range, the Catit pixi is a traditional cat drinking fountain of the highest calibre.

We found this fountain to be especially easy to use day-to-day. The LED light at the front blinks to let you know when the water’s running low and turns solidly red when there’s none left, giving you ample warning when it’s time for a top-up. And given the pixi’s 2.5l capacity, those refills won’t have to happen all that often, but within a suitably hygienic timeframe, of course.

This fountain also has some clever “furgonomic” features to suit a cat’s biology, including an angled jet that’s easy for a cat to drink from and a wide-brimmed dish that avoids excessive whisker contact.

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PetSafe streamside ceramic pet fountain

PetSafe streamside ceramic pet fountain  .jpg
  • Best: Mid-range cat fountain
  • Capacity: 1.8l
  • Bowl material: Ceramic
  • Filter type: Carbon or foam
  • Filter lifespan: Two-four weeks (carbon filter); one-two months (foam filter)

With a gently trickling flow of water that creates calming ripples through a wide, roughly triangular bowl, this fountain seems especially calming and approachable. This may explain why one of the cats who helped us with this article, Martha, checked out this fountain as soon as we turned it on.

The ceramic material of the bowl and fountain components feel tough, can be cleaned easily and should be suitable for acne-prone cats.

In terms of setup, the streamside proved relatively intuitive. It’s recommended that the carbon filters are replaced once every two to four weeks, so do bear in mind that you’ll need to order some spares soon after you buy the fountain itself.

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Cat Mate two-level shell pet fountain, titanium

Cat Mate two-level shell pet fountain, titanium .jpg
  • Best: For easy cleaning
  • Capacity: 3l
  • Bowl material: Plastic
  • Filter type: Three-in-one
  • Filter lifespan: One month

This fountain was already a hit with one of our reviewer-cats before we started testing for this article – and it still compares favourably with some of the flashier products we tested.

Between its water trough and its shell-shaped spout, this fountain provides two places for the cat to drink from at their leisure.

From a human-friendliness perspective, we were particularly impressed with how easy this fountain was to clean. There are few intricate nooks or crannies to reach, and the bowl can even be cleaned in a dishwasher. While the titanium fountain we tested isn’t unavailable now, there are still a couple of other colours to choose.

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Catit flower fountain original

Catit flower fountain original  .jpg
  • Best: Affordable fountain
  • Capacity: 3l
  • Bowl material: Plastic
  • Filter type: Cotton mesh, active carbon and ion exchange resin
  • Filter lifespan: 30 days

Catit’s original flower fountain is among the best-selling cat fountains on the market, and we can see why.

One of our reviewer-cats has been using this type of fountain for over a year, and it has kept her well hydrated throughout.

With a generous 3l capacity, the fountain is seldom at risk of running out of water, and the transparent gauge at the front means this should never be in doubt.

There are many good things to say about this fountain, but perhaps best of all is its design. It’ll never not be cute to watch your cat drinking from a big, daisy-shaped spring.

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Catit flower fountain stainless steel

Catit flower fountain stainless steel   .jpg
  • Best: Premium flower-fountain features
  • Capacity: 3l
  • Bowl material: Stainless steel
  • Filter type: Cotton mesh, active carbon and ion exchange resin
  • Filter lifespan: 30 days

If you’re tempted by Catit’s classic flower fountain but are looking for slightly higher-end features, you should consider purchasing this variant with a stainless steel top.

This fountain features a cute flower-shaped spout, a three-in-one filter and a generously sized reservoir, plus it’s kitted out with an LED nightlight that adds a little magic to the experience.

The stainless steel top of this fountain could be a particularly good fit for cats who are prone to cat acne because the material is thought to be less likely to promote outbreaks than others, such as plastic.

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Cheerble kittyspring combo

Cheerble pet waterer KittySpring combo .jpg
  • Best: For reducing long-term costs and energy consumption
  • Capacity: 0.42l
  • Bowl material: Glass
  • Filter type: N/A
  • Filter lifespan: N/A

The kittyspring combo is an altogether different type of water source for your cat, with gravity-fed water release and a design that looks straight out of retro sci-fi.

Rather than releasing water in a fountain, this model releases it into a dish, which recharges from a feeder bottle whenever the water level decreases.

This waterer is remarkably easy to set up and maintain – you’ll just need to clean the components and refill the water bottle every day or two. And because there’s no electric pump or replaceable filtration system, ongoing usage costs are negligible.

Another feature we love is the wide, shallow drinking bowl, which is designed to reduce contact with the whiskers, which cats can find stressful.

That said, do bear in mind that waterers like this one don’t have all the same benefits as a fountain. In particular, the water is not continuously flowing.

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PetSafe drinkwell butterfly pet fountain

PetSafe drinkwell butterfly pet fountain  .jpg
  • Best: Novelty design
  • Capacity: 1.5l
  • Bowl material: Plastic
  • Filter type: Carbon and foam
  • Filter lifespan: Two-four weeks (carbon filter); one-two months (foam filter)

We’ve yet to meet the cat who isn’t intrigued by butterflies. True to form, our reviewer-cat, Bertie, soon took to using this cute, lepidopteran drinking fountain from PetSafe.

The butterfly-topper works a charm, separating the flow from the pump into four trickling streams that provide plenty of interest for cats.

Cute design aside, this is a highly practical fountain that’s particularly well-suited for fitting into tight spaces. And if you’d like it to operate more quietly at certain times – perhaps overnight – you can reduce the noise by removing the butterfly topper.

It’s worth noting that this fountain uses two types of filter: one that uses carbon and one that’s made of foam – and both need to be replaced regularly.

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Cat Mate water fountain

Cat Mate water fountain .jpg
  • Best: Multi-tier water fountain
  • Capacity : 2l
  • Bowl material: Plastic
  • Filter type: Three-in-one
  • Filter lifespan: One month

We liked this fountain for its triple-tiered design, which provides a choice of levels from which the cat can drink. Not only does this give individual cats some welcome variety, but it could also help cater for two or three cats.

The other standout factor with this fountain is its remarkable value for money. At the time of our testing, you can pick up a Cat Mate fountain for roughly half the price of some of its most similar competitors. And adding to the overall economy of the Cat Mate water fountain is the reasonable pricing and longevity of its replaceable filters – you can get a year’s supply for under £30.

One downside to Cat Mate’s fountain is that it’s relatively noisy. With this in mind, it should be positioned well away from bedrooms and may be best suited for use in larger homes.

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The verdict: Cat water fountains

After much chin-scratching, head-stroking and tongue-lapping, we’ve decided to name the Catit pixi smart our best buy. This drinking fountain provides an unmatched combination of technological innovation with a practical, cat-sensitive design. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that it’s shaped like a cute kitty’s face.

To keep your moggy itch-free, read our guide to vet-recommended flea treatments and preventatives for your cat

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