Should I Get My Cat a Water Fountain in Cincinnati, OH?

Our cats are the awesome independent fur babies in our lives. They love when we are home to give them belly rubs and soft cheek exchanges. They don’t mind when we are gone a bit longer as long as they don’t run out of fresh water. While water fountains have been around since the 1900s, only in the past fifteen years have we begun to see them more frequently and as specific cat watering stations.

Over the last ten years, year by year and with scientific knowledge, they have been changing, improving, and becoming more prevalent in our daily lives. Let’s have a closer look at three brands that do an excellent job of representing features available to help determine if one could be the perfect fit for your cat watering lifestyle.

The Different Kinds of Cat Water Fountains

The Large Capacity Fountain

The first type of fountain we will look at resembles the idea of water running in the sink. While we have a closer look at the FORDENZO water fountain, keep in mind there are many other fountains on the market, each with its own unique style for your cat to enjoy. 

Holding just over three liters or one hundred and eight ounces of water at a time. The FORDENZO water fountain has a small pump that sits in one corner of the large container near where you run the power cord out, keeping it protected and dry. A couple of pieces make up the workings of the fountain itself, the water shaft, and the square filter that sit around the pump to keep the pump free of derbies.

A clear plastic ring is attached to the top as a window for the LED light to glow along with the water level window. Once the water is filled to the waterline, place the tray that holds another filter. After the filter is in place the bowl section goes on top. In the same corner as the pump, the top of the fountain is attached. And just like that, you are ready to plug it in and let the magic happen.

A few crucial features cat owners shared are that if the power goes out, the cat can still access the water even though it is no longer being circulated. However, it is a small water supply and will not refill itself until the power is back on. You do not have to take the water fountain apart to add water. It’s very quiet for an electric watering fountain. In fact, some owners say silent unless the water level is low. It can be run without a water filter, and it’s too heavy when full for the cats who love to dump their water to have extra water fun.

The blue light is calming, pleasant to look at, and lights up the watering area in the dark. While the instructions say to clean the water basin and the pump every other week with soap and water and change the filter every two to four weeks, after talking with several owners, we found it depends mainly on the water you are using. If you’re dealing with hard or high iron content, you may have to clean it more often. Those who had softer, prefiltered water said they cleaned and replaced the filter about once a month. This is the case with all of the cat water fountains.

Battery/Plugin Fountain with Motion Sensor

The bubbler-style water fountain for cats indeed has its place. There are several brands on the market; we will take a closer look at one with several different features. While all of them do not come with these features, by looking at the Kastty you’ll know the benefits of some advanced options.

This is another large capacity water fountain for your cat; however, the lighting on this one has a convenient feature. If the light is blue, everything is well and good, but if the light turns red, the fountain machine tells you it’s low on water. The on and off IRS sensor has a visual radiance of 120 degrees, so your cat can sneak up behind it but cannot get a drink without turning it on due to where the sensor is located.

Because this is a battery-operated and plugin device, the creators of the Kastty allow you to decide on any one of three setting options. You can set it up so it only comes on when it senses your cat in its presence. You may choose a timed cycle on for one minute, off for five, or on all of the time. Since it has battery technology, the battery backup will kick in if your power goes out, maintaining that your cat still has access to fresh water. Depending on the setting, the backup battery could last a week, according to the owners we talked to when it was in IRS sensor mode. 

This fountain has an indicator bar just above the sensor. That is why your cat can not get a drink without turning on the fountain. Power, change filter, standard mode, timer mode, sensor mode, and a set button. Suppose you misplace the directions for the indicator bar. You can simply look up the product on Amazon. They have the instructions posted there.

We can say this has a great water circulation feature but not necessarily what one thinks of when you hear the word fountain. However, the benefit of their design is that it helps keep the watering area dry if you have a cat who likes to play paw chase in running water. This model’s pump and water circulation system sits in the unit’s center, with no designed piece to attach to the top. A tray goes in before the filter, then a stainless-steel tray on top where your cat drinks.

The bubbler versus flower is nice for cats who tend to be more skittish. Owners who use the battery technology regularly love being able to place it where their cats can get to it without worrying about cord issues.

The Power of The Flower

One of the most common cat watering fountains has a flower in its center. This time we will take a closer look at the Vekonn Cat Water Fountain, but remember there are loads of this style available.

This is a smaller watering unit. The Vekonn Cat Water Fountain holds just over two liters or around eighty-four ounces of water. The pump inside this water fountain has blue light with red light technology. You will see the blue light glow through the water level window, but if it turns red, the water fountain pump tells you that the water level is low and the pump has been turned off.

This product comes with two flower attachments, tulip and daisy, allowing you and your cat to choose what water flow is best for them. However, if the water flower flow does not work well for your cat, you can leave the flower off, and it will run automatically in bubbler mode.

While the companies that make the fountains do what they can to help stop derbies and hair from getting to the pump, you should disassemble and clean the water fountain system once a week. It is essential to keep in mind that your water, hard, high iron, soft, or prefiltered, also plays a role in the cleaning needs of any cat watering fountain.

Customers who purchased this pump all said they love the red light, blue light technology, and that the pump shuts off if the water level gets too low. They all said it was easy to assemble and was very easy to clean.

Choosing a Water Fountain for Your Cat in Cincinnati, OH

All of the water fountains, the products we chose to tell you about, are essential feature options, and every other cat watering fountain available requires a pump. While the majority of fountain owners said they love them and would never go back to a water bowl, a few dealt with pump issues. The companies that made the water fountains appear to be diligent in getting out new pumps or a whole new system when problems were reported.

As we did our research, we found out that some cats love to play in the water before and after drinking. Most kitty parents dealing with the water fun chose to purchase good heavy-duty water catching mats allowing their cats to continue a bit of splash play. Here and there, we came across some cats who thought pushing their water bowls around was a fun game. Almost all of the fountain owners we talked to said that their cats could not push it around once the water was in the base container. A few figured out that when the water level was low, they could go back to the pushing fun.

Now that you know some of the features water fountains offer. The convenience of the amount of water you can leave for your cat when you are away. We highly suggest that you do your research if you plan to add a watering fountain to your home for your cat. There are many products available with many features.

If you have a cat who runs away when water is first turned on, you may not want sensor technology. At the same time, if your cat comes running when the water is turned on, it might be the perfect thing to entice your cat to enjoy the fountain. Always consider how long your cat will rely on their fountain for water, if you are gone for a few days at a time, helpers that come into your home and their knowledge of the watering fountains, and even how often you may deal with power outages.

We hope all of this information was helpful for you to choose the right fountain system for your home and your cat! If you have any questions, give our Cincinnati, OH, animal hospital a call at (513) 531-7117.