This Seemingly Silly Luxury Is Actually Important For Your Pet’s Health

One simple purchase can make a world of difference for your pet. The issue at hand? Hydration. It may be time to replace your pet’s water bowl with a fountain.
“Water fountains can deliver a lot of benefits for cats and dogs,” said Dr. Danielle Bernal, a veterinarian who specializes in animal nutrition and works on-staff at Wellness Pet Company. For starters, they provide fresher, cleaner water by “continuously filtering the water, reducing impurities and preventing bacterial growth,” Bernal explained.
This is especially important because “water bowls that sit out all day can often be breeding grounds for bacteria,” Dr. Carly Fox explained. Fox is a senior veterinarian at New York City’s Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, where she specializes in emergency and critical care. “This won’t necessarily cause illness in your pets but may deter them from drinking,” she said.
“Most fountains also cool the water,” Fox noted, “which tends to be more appealing to pets, similar to people!”
Keeping a water fountain in your home is especially crucial if you own a cat, according to both veterinarians. “For cats especially, their evolutionary heritage often saw them seek out fresh water sources over stagnant ponds for their safety and wellbeing,” Bernal explained. Using a water fountain “mimic[s] that preference,” according to Bernal, and encourages healthy water intake.
What makes water fountains especially appealing to cats is their moving water. “The flow of the water makes it instinctually seem fresher [and] cleaner to them, which promotes drinking,” Fox said.
Understanding cats’ evolutionary preference for running water is also important because they are more susceptible to kidney disease, Fox noted, which proper hydration can help.
Besides helping with kidney disease, water fountains can benefit pets with medical issues like diabetes, frequent urinary infections and blockages, endocrine diseases and more, according to both veterinarians.
An added plus? A water fountain is likely going to be more difficult for your pet to knock over than a water bowl, so you won’t have to deal as many messes — like loose water — on your floors, Bernal said. A water fountain is less likely to run dry than a bowl, especially in multi-pet households, she added.
We’ve rounded up some of the best water fountains for dogs and cats for you to consider, based on these recommendations. Read on for our picks.
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This 7-liter water fountain is specifically designed for larger dogs and multi-pet households thanks to its extra-large water capacity and wide shape. It features multi-layer filtration for fresh, clean water and offers two flow types (a faucet or bubbling mode). Reviewers say it’s easy to clean and that they’ll “never go back to [a] regular water bowl.”
Promising review (multi-pet household): “I really like Oneisall Products and I do like this water fountain for the dogs. I have a large golden doodle and a basset hound and I have noticed that they definitely are drinking more water each day. I do wish it had a little deeper dish on top for holding water for the dogs, but it doesn’t seem to have stopped them from drinking regularly. I do recommend purchasing extra filters because with two dogs you will go through them much quicker than the recommendations by the company.” — Ark
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Petibro’s medium and large dog-dedicated water fountain is an impressively thoughtful, effective find.
Its unique whirlpool design provides 8 liters of cool, fresh hydration while simultaneously discouraging your dog from over-gulping, helping prevent vomiting and indigestion, much like a slow feeder.
At the same time, the whirlpool’s center whisks impurities like dirt, hair and crumbs down into the piece’s five-layer filtration system.
The fountain’s anti-splash shield is a particularly welcome plus, designed to guard your floor against splashing and dripping from your dog’s happy water-guzzling.
This PetLibro water fountain is a standout for its innovative tank, which detaches from its base. This design makes it easier for you to wash the fountain more frequently, since you won’t have to deal with lugging an entire fountain, cords and all, to your sink. The fountain has a snap safety lid so your pet can’t detach the tank by themselves by accident (or if they’re prone to mischievousness). The fountain also has a handy translucent base, so you can easily monitor when the water level is getting low. It’s BPA-free, features four-layer filtration and offers two flow modes (bubbling and free-fall) so you can adjust based on your pet’s preference. Another plus? Reviewers love how quiet it is. This also comes in a stainless steel version available at Amazon.
This falling stream fountain from Petsafe emulates a human-style water fountain (which, if you haven’t seen for yourself, dogs love drinking out of).
Sized for dogs and cats, the flowing water helps encourage pets to drink while making it easy. Its bottom reservoir keeps more water available, and you can even customize the water flow by adjusting the pump.
The piece holds 4.9 liters of water.
This Amazon bestseller sports over 25,000 5-star ratings thanks its five-layer filtration and pet-friendly design. Each of the faucet’s “flower petals” gently streams water to encourage pets to drink (and catch their attention). Available in four colors, it holds 2.8 liters of water and is made with food-grade, BPA-free material.
You can also grab it in a stainless steel version.
I own this Petsafe stainless steel fountain and my cat loves it, preferring it over her other fountain. Its sleek, tower-like design creates a cooling, bubbling effect that encourages her to drink — while looking mod-cool enough to fit into the rest of my decor. (I can attest: Its design consistently earns compliments.)
Durable and hefty, its 60-ounce water capacity serves cats and smaller dogs. Plus, crucially, its deep reservoir ensures that your pet will still have access to water even if the power goes out.
A great pick for senior pets or animals with arthritis due to its elevated design, this ceramic fountain combines two flowing streams with an open bowl that’ll keep water available should your power go out.
Best used for cats and medium and small dogs, this model holds 70 ounces of water.
Promising review: “I really like the design of this fountain. It’s attractive and matches my existing white ceramic food bowls. It’s ceramic and heavy enough my cat can’t knock it over, which is great. Been using it for about a month with no issues. I add water regularly and completely empty and clean it out once a week. Easy to assemble/disassemble.” — K
This tiered ceramic water fountain is something of a hidden gem on Amazon. Its quiet bubbling provides fresh water without nagging background noise, and its “open access” design allows pets to keep drinking out of it even if you have a power outage.
It’s solid and sturdy enough that your pet won’t be able to push it around or tip it over. Plus, its cupcake shape adds a little touch of cuteness for your sweetie.
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