Need a great way and easy to give your cat or dog fresh water on demand?
Fresh running water does have great appeal, even to pets. Take cats, for example: it’s the rare one who will even drink from a bowl of "stagnant" water. And when you think about it, cats have it right… who wants to drink out of a bowl or a glass of water that’s been sitting there for half a day or so? Perhaps that’s why the latest trend in pet drinking is not the ‘pet bowl,’ it’s the ‘pet fountain,’ where water flows constantly, or on demand. There are many fresh water fountains on the market for cats and dog, but I thought these 9 indoor and outdoor pet fountains stood out as the best in terms of quality, design and overall value…
Best Indoor Dog and Cat Water Fountain Options
1. PetSafe Drinkwell Ceramic Pagoda Fountain for Pets
The Pagoda Fountain is a porcelain fountain that is better looking than other pet fountains. It has two levels that run free-falling streams of oxygenated water that pets can choose from. It doesn’t make much noise so all you hear is the soothing sound of the water flowing. For those with hard water, the ceramic is much easier to clean and you can pop most of the pieces into the dishwasher. One of big downsides of this fountain is that like many others, it does not autofill so you will most likely want to top off the water twice a day. Is it perfect? No, but it is one of the best looking pet fountains that actually works well available on the market today.
2. Pioneer Pet Drinking Fountain
This sleek raindrop design makes a fountain suitable for both dogs and cats. While it doesn’t add fresh water to the bowl, the charcoal filter purifies the water each time it circulates through it. The Pioneer Pet Drinking fountain is available in black ceramic and stainless steel. The bowls are available in ceramic black (holds 48 oz. of water) and stainless steel (holds 60 oz. of water) The bowls are both dishwasher safe
Pioneer Stainless Steel Pet Drinking Fountain
Pioneer Ceramic Pet Drinking Fountain
3. CatMate Pet Fountain
The Catmate Pet Fountain is a great fresh water fountain for cats and small dogs.It has 3 pools of water with 2 waterfalls, creating several different levels of water for your pet to choose from as well as plenty of water movement so that the fresh water will appeal to your pets. It has a nice wide base to prevent tipping, it runs very quietly (probably one of the quieter machines we have tried) and is easy to clean since you can put most of it in the dishwasher. . It is made mostly of plastic (it is BPA free), it has a large 70 oz. capacity and comes with one filter so it’d be a good idea to get a few extra filters.
4. DogIt Fresh & Clear Drinking Fountain
For large breed dogs and older dogs with joint and muscle problems, the re-circulating water comes from a spout that can be rotating 360°, for your dog’s convenience. This size Dogit Drinking Fountain holds 355 ounces! The purifying filter is similar to that shown above for the Catit Drinking Fountain.
Dogit Fresh And Clear Drinking Fountain
5. Sink Drink Cat Faucet Fountain
The SinkDrink meets the needs of indoor cats who love to drink from the sink. They’ll either jump into the sink, leaving their paw prints and cat fur as proof of presence, or sit on the side of the sink and drink directly from the faucet. Either way, you have to run the water, adjusting it so it’s just the right intensity for your cat. Water is precious, and running it is wasteful. But the Sink Drink lets you drip the water into the kitty dish. She’s see the water moving in the dish, and be happy enough to stay out of the sink.
Sink Drink For Cats
Sink Drink For Cats
6. Drinkwell Multipet 360 Pet Fountain
The Drinkwell Multipet Fountain has the advantage of several recirculated streams of water, so two or three animals might drink at one time, but the streams also tend to relax the pets and humans within hearing distance. (Although the terrier seems to have the look on his face that comes just before he pounces on the cat!) The water is purified and, as with the above pet water fountains, the filters are easily available for replacement.
Drinkwell Multipet 360 Pet Fountain
Best Outdoor Dog and Cat Water Fountain Options
7. PetSafe DDOG-INOUT Indoor Outdoor Dog Fountain
If you have more than one animal, this DOGG-INOUT fountain
is great. There’s nothing fancy or neat about this fountain but it
works and it works well. It holds a huge amount of water (3.5 gallons
worth ) so it is a fountain that needs to be refilled less often than
almost any other pet fountain on the market plus it is difficult for
dogs to move it around. It has two different filters (a charcoal and a
foam one) to keep water tasting great. It has a free flowing water
feature and the water reservoir is covered to keep water fresh and
appealing. The plastic used for the fountain are BPA free,
non-porous, non-leaching and are among the highest quality available for
consumable pet products. Best of all, it is super easy to clean and the boring color is actually perfect for not showing dirt.
8. Press and Step On Automatic Dog Waterer Fountain
The outdoor Automatic Dog Waterer
– Step On Fountain is an amazing idea. (There are several makers of it now, including the Doggie Fountain and the Jumble Step On Fountain) All your dog needs to do is step on the water fountain’s press
pad to get a fresh shot of water. It’s made of heavy steel for
durability. It is super easy to install, all you need to do is connect
it to your outdoor water hose and you’re all set. You just need to introduce and train
your dog to use the fountain and most dogs learn to use it quickly. Just make sure you have the hose in a shady
area in the summer so that the water does not get too hot. (Update: There seems to be some quality issues with some versions of this fountain and the sellers keep changing. The one I really liked is currently unavailable, so take a look at the versions available here to find the one with the best reviews when you sort by date if you want to buy one. There is one that claims is an updated version which I have not tested that fixes the issues with the original model so perhaps try that one first?)
9. H20 Animal Hydration Flow Automatic Waterer
The Automatic Waterer
is not a pet fountain but for giving outdoor fresh water to your dog or
cat, I think this is probably one of the best fresh water gadgets
available on the market. The waterer connects to an outdoor hose and
provides a constant flow of fresh water for your pet. It’s big,
nice and sturdy and seems overall to work well. It gets some mixed
reviews primarily because where the hose connects to the fittings, they
used plastic and it can leak. But a quick trip to the home store for a
brass fitting and it seems to cure the problems of a leaky connection.
Hopefully one of this fresh water fountains will work well for you pet. Remember to keep your pets hydrated this summer… and do the same for yourself!
That’s the buzz for today!
SEE ALSO:
6 Must Have Items To Take Your Dog Camping
8 Indoor Dog Pottties Worth Buying
6 Dog Cooling Jackets That Will Keep Your Dog Cool This Summer
Original published March 2012 and updated June 2016.
