Regardless of what kind of pet you've got living with you at home, whether that be a dog, a cat, a rabbit or any other pal you've got tagging along in your day to day life, a pet water fountain can make your life a whole lot easier and their life a whole lot better.
Have you ever noticed how excited about the running water your dog or cat gets whenever they're subject to it or you're working with running water around the house? It's almost a magnet with something secret inside that lures them to it!
Well, this exact love of pets for running water is what sparked the invention of pet water fountains, which have proven to be a great success for many reasons we'll be talking about in this article.
And, best of all, it's been scientifically proven that having your pet drink from a water fountain is much healthier for them than drinking water via traditional methods such as pet bowls.
We'll be talking about all of these issues and much more in this article, but for now, if you're in a rush and just want to take a look at the 6 best cat and dog water fountains of today without getting too much into the specifics that we cover from A to Z throughout this article, then have a quick look at our list of the 6 best pet water fountains you can get today.
Our List Of The Top 6 Pet Water Fountains - (Updated List For 2023)
Top Pick: PetSafe Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain
Pick #2: Pioneer Pet Raindrop Stainless Steel Pet Drinking Fountain
Pick #3: Petmate Replenish Pet Waterer with Microban
Pick #4: PetSafe Drinkwell 360 Pet Fountain
Pick #5: Dogit Design Fresh and Clear Dog Drinking Fountain
Pick #6: Catit Fresh & Clear Stainless Steel Top Drinking Fountain
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*Note: The links in the table above, as well as several links in the remainder of the article below, will take you to over to Amazon.com where you can find out more information about the products, such as current prices and customer reviews.
Best Pet Water Fountain Reviews (Top 3 Options In Details)
#1 Pick - PetSafe Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain
Surplus Of Water Capacity: One of the first impressive features you'll notice in this pet water fountain from PetSafe is it's impressive water capacity, where this unit can hold up to 4.9 liters of water all at once.
That's more than enough water any cat or dog of any size needs to be drinking a day, and is even enough to support the need of multiple pets you may have at home without the need to re-fill it with water throughout the day.
Carbon Water Filter: This unit has a carbon water filter as part of its overall mechanism, which means that any water your dog, cat or pet will be drinking from it will be as fresh as possible - most importantly tasting and smelling as fresh as possible.
Made Of Plastic: Even though later on in this article we do go on to recommend that you try to stick to buying either a stainless steel pet water fountain or a ceramic pet water fountain instead of a plastic one, this pet fountain does meet the one and only condition where we would ever recommend a unit of these made from plastic, and that's the condition that it be BPA-Free plastic.
If you're adamant on not buying a pet water fountain made of plastic, though, then check our our #2 pick below that's made of stainless steel.
Stainless Steel: As you can tell from the name of this product, this is an excellent option for you to consider if you're looking to buy one that's not made from plastic, for several reasons we cover later on in this article.
This pet water fountain is made from some of the highest quality and most durable stainless steel, and can be very easily washed with your dishwasher instead of having to do all the work manually.
Ceramic Alternative: Since the best pet water fountains will almost always be made from either stainless steel or ceramics, Pioneer Pet also have an identical "raindrop design" pet water fountain that's made from ceramic - you can have a look at it here.
Very Quiet: This is one of the most quiet pet water fountains you're going to come across in today's market and when you're looking at the top options, of course.
Even though you may come across a customer complaint here or there about their unit making a significant amount of noise, this isn't entirely accurate, as this pet fountain will only begin to make some noise when it's nearly out of water.
As long as you ensure it still has water above a certain threshold, it won't make any loud noises at all.
Very Easy To Clean: For anyone who may be worried about how difficult it will be to clean a pet water fountain, this unit is one of the easiest to clean on the market.
First off, it isn't made from a whole lot of different pieces that you have to dismantle and re-assemble together whenever you want to get it cleaned, and the whole process of taking the unit apart and putting it back together shouldn't take more than 4 to 5 minutes each.
Microban Antimicrobial Protection: As is apparent from this product's name, it features something called "Microban Antimicrobal Protection" which goes a long way in getting rid of any possible harmful microbes and bacteria that might be present in your pet's water.
Such bacteria may just cause the water to taste or smell nasty, and may also very well cause serious illnesses and diseases in your pet.
Very Large Water Capacity: This pet water fountain is very abundant in the amount of water you can fill it up with, with you being able to pour around 3.8 liter's worth of water at a time.
This is more than enough water that will last you for a few days even if you've got a large dog at home or even multiple cats or small sized dogs.
Not The Easiest To Clean: One thing we didn't particularly like about this pet water fountain is the fact that it isn't the easiest out there to clean, especially when you're trying to get to the lower parts of it.
If ease of cleaning is a top priority you have in mind when looking for a pet water fountain, then our #2 pick above is your best option to go with.
Why Should I Invest In A Pet Water Fountain For My Cat Or Dog?
If you're wondering about what benefits you'll be getting after you purchase and use a water fountain for your pet, besides having your little buddy feel like a king or queen with the whole world at their service, here's a list of some of the most notable advantages you can look forward to.
Fresh Water: Unlike the still water you pour for your dog or cat in their bowl and leave outside for them to drink from throughout the day, a pet water fountain does an excellent job in keeping the water that your dog, cat or any other pet will be drinking from as fresh as can be.
This is a very important health advantage you can give your pet, thanks to the fact that a pet water fountain offers running water instead of standing water.
Not to mention that the water your pet will be drinking from a good pet water fountain will also smell much better, thanks to the filtration systems that high quality pet water fountains have in place as part of their overall mechanism.
Less Bacteria: Did you know that giving your pet running water to drink, as opposed to still water, means giving your pet water that's much less likely to contain harmful bacteria inside?
And we're not talking about bacteria that may come and go without noticeable effects here, we're talking about harmful bacteria that can make your dog or cat very sick if it makes its way into your pet's system.
So, investing in any one of the best pet fountains mentioned in the list above is a surefire way to greatly minimize the risks of your pet being sick because of harmful bacteria being present in the water they're being given to drink.
Increased Hydration: Pet water fountains also do a tremendous job in tempting your dog, cat or any other pet to drink significantly higher amounts of water throughout the day, which translates into greatly improved hydration levels, and greatly improved overall health as a result.
Again, this ties back to the whole running water vs standing water debate, as it has been proven time and time again that pets are much more inclined to and feel the urge to drink from running water when compared to being offered water in ordinary fashion to drink.
Dehydration in cats and dogs is a very serious issue that leads to countless deaths on a yearly basis after causing deadly conditions such as kidney failure, and a pet water fountain will go a long way in ensuring your little loved buddy remains properly hydrated at all times.
And, in addition to keeping illnesses and diseases at bay by ensuring your pet is properly hydrated throughout the day, you're also giving them what they need in order to stay energetic, upbeat and productive throughout the day as opposed to being lethargic and low on energy because of dehydration.
Less Work For You: Let me ask you this, which situation out of the following two scenarios would you rather be in?
Having to fill your dog or cat's water bowl once every couple of hours for them to drink from? Or having to fill a pet water fountain once every day/two days before you have to perform a re-fill?
Pet water fountains, especially ones with fairly large water capacities in them, will relieve you from the hassle of having to re-fill your pet's water bowl every hour or two, which is very tedious to say the least.
What Makes The Best Water Fountain For Cats , Dogs & Other Pets?
In this section, we'll be taking a closer look at some of the most important criteria and features that should be met and present in any pet water fountain you choose to buy.
There are many different pet water fountain types out there with different features, but here are the most important issues you need to be taking into consideration before making a purchasing choice.
Cleaning Difficulty: How easy it is for you to clean and maintain your pet water fountain is actually one of the most important criteria that you should take into consideration before spending any amount of money on such a product.
Some pet water fountain manufacturers do an excellent job in making this as easy and fast as possible, while others fail and make it out to be a much more complicated and energy-draining process than it needs to be.
Obviously enough, the best pet water fountains will be ones that are very easy to clean and maintain in as little time and effort as possible.
Imagine getting a pet water fountain that has to be dismantled into many different pieces and then re-assembled all over again around once a week for you to be able to properly clean, not efficient at all!
The best pet water fountains will have you dismantling them, cleaning whatever part that needs to be cleaned and putting the pieces back together in no time.
Also, an additional plus when it comes to cleaning pet water fountains would be if they're dishwasher friendly, a standard that the best pet water fountains on the market do indeed live up to.
Quality Material VS Poor Material: When it comes to buying a pet water fountain, there are many options and different brands that promise you the sun, moon and the entire world all in one product for a ridiculously low price - and it's almost always because of low quality material the pet fountain was made from.
In general, you want to avoid pet water fountains made from the likes of cheap plastic and opt for ones made from high quality materials such as stainless steel or ceramics.
Stainless steel pet water fountains and ceramic pet water fountains are just much more durable and more sanitary than ones made from plastic.
Also, it's being discovered nowadays that more and more dogs are having allergic reactions when using products made from plastic, which is also the case when dogs are being given access to plastic pet water fountains, so that's another reason why sticking to a ceramic pet water fountain or stainless steal one would be a safer route to go with.
However, and if you've got your mind absolutely set on buying a plastic pet water fountain, then at least make sure that it's the higher quality kind of plastic that's BPA-free.
Amount Of Noise: How much noise the pet water fountain you're considering buying actually makes when it's operating is also a very important factor you have to take into consideration.
If a water fountain makes excessively loud noise when your dog or cat wants to drink from it, then this is counterproductive since pets are terrified of loud noises and will prefer to stay as far away from the water fountain as possible if its too loud.
Hence, the best pet water fountains are ones that are as quiet as possible and don't offer your pet any distractions or things to be afraid of.
Water Capacity: Depending on which pet you're planning on getting a pet water fountain for, and what that pet's size is and needs are, you have to take into consideration the amount of water that the pet water fountain you're considering buying is able to hold inside.
For example, if you're buying a pet water fountain for your German Shepherd dog, your needs are going to be very different as far as water capacity is concerned than they would be had you been looking to buy a pet water fountain for a small puppy or little kitten.
Dogs of different sizes have different water consumption needs, and so do different pets, so knowing how much water your pet needs to be drinking throughout the day and making sure the pet water fountain you're considering buying can hold this amount of water inside is a very important thing to do.
If you don't do this, you run the risk of buying a dog water fountain or cat water fountain and realize only when it's too late that the amount of water it can hold inside is way too little compared to your pet's drinking needs, and that you're having to re-fill it with water one too many times a day.
