Please recommend The Best Cat Fountain EVAR.
May 12, 2014 12:18 PM

Franklin and I will soon be moving in with my parents. As such, I will no longer be able to leave the bathroom sink faucet trickling for him. So I need to get the best cat fountain there is because he is the best cat there is.

I have had cat fountains in the past with other cats. My problem with them was that they were really hard to clean and got a gross pink slime in them pretty much the day after I cleaned them.

I think I want to get either a ceramic or stainless steel one instead of plastic this time around because it seems like it will be easier to clean and more "sanitary" or something.

I would like specific brand/model recommendations and links if you have them. Also tips on keeping fountains clean and running smooth if you have them.

Frankie won't drink water that isn't moving, so it's important I get him one.
posted by misanthropicsarah to Pets & Animals (16 answers total) 20 users marked this as a favorite
We have the Drinkwell Ceramic Pagoda (Amazon link). One cat gets soaked whenever he drinks out of it (the black one, pictured here), but all three love it. We've had no issues with the pink slime with this fountain and we don't do anything special to clean it, other than swapping out the filter at recommended intervals and fishing food out that gets knocked in.

My biggest complaint is that the power cord is too short.
posted by crush-onastick at 12:27 PM on May 12, 2014


My boyfriend and I ended up with this steel 360 one to replace one like this.

It's much easier to clean because of the stainless steel--I know what you're talking about with the slime on the plastic one and eventually I couldn't get it off without a lot of scrubbing of the plastic and even then I felt I missed some. It also had crevices that I felt I couldn't get a brush into appropriately.

The steel one comes apart easily and doesn't have any corners, which is great for cleaning. Downside is it is a bit big in footprint.

I have a friend with one of these which is good but I dislike it because it is MUCH HEAVIER than the one I have at home, and that makes it harder to clean in my opinion.
posted by foxfirefey at 12:28 PM on May 12, 2014




jamaro: does that just kind of bubble the water/move it around, or is there a stream/waterfall for the cat to drink from? snowflake cat likes the stream.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 12:46 PM on May 12, 2014


yep we have that stainless Pioneer raindrop fountain bowmaniac linked and I can confirm that it is all kinds of awesome. We have 2 cats that will only drink moving water and it's super easy to fill, clean and care for. All of the parts save the filters themselves and the pump are dishwasher safe (even the filter housing can be run thru in the top rack).

I got ours on Amazon but I'm pretty certain you can get these at any larger pet store. Due to its somewhat larger size it's marketed more for dogs than cats but it's fine for either.

we had a plastic one before and it was ghastly. And our ragdoll developed chin acne from the plastic that has since gone away.
posted by lonefrontranger at 12:49 PM on May 12, 2014


also fwiw it comes in 2 different sizes - 60 and 96 oz. With only one cat I can't imagine the smaller one won't be big enough.
posted by bowmaniac at 12:54 PM on May 12, 2014


I'd recommend any Pioneer Pet fountain, as long as it is not plastic. I've used Dogit/Catit fountains in the past and they 1) were very hard to clean and 2) had problems getting the water pumps working correctly.

I love the Pioneer Fountain "Big Max- Stainless Steel" that I purchased 6 months ago. It's similar to the Pioneer Raindrop fountain but has a larger pool of water at the base (so my dog can use it as well).
posted by bCat at 1:03 PM on May 12, 2014


I have the ceramic Big Max and have been quite happy with it.

A little overkill now that I'm down to one cat, but the black ceramic cleans easily and pretty much always looks nice.
posted by wildcrdj at 1:13 PM on May 12, 2014


I've bought two from this couple - Cat Fountains at Etsy. I smashed the first one by accident which is why I had to buy the second. They included a little bag of charcoal pellets and this was by far the hardest thing to keep clean for me. So now I use Kishu charcoal sticks. They last for quite a long time and are so easy to use as a filter.
posted by rdnnyc at 1:31 PM on May 12, 2014


jamaro, that sounds really neat, but I can't picture how the setup works. If the filter is hanging on the edge of the bucket, is the water pouring straight back into the bucket or is there some other way it gets back in? If it is pouring straight back in then how do the cats orient themselves to drink? Also, a 1 gallon bucket seems a bit high, are the cats standing while they are drinking?

You wouldn't happen to have a picture of the setup in action would you?

(sorry for the derail)
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:11 PM on May 12, 2014


In contrast to bCat, I much prefer my Catit to the Pioneer Pet raindrop model others have recommended. I had one of the latter (in plastic), and I hated it. You couldn't take the pump completely out, there were all kinds of weird corners and edges to clean, and it was low and shallow which meant moving it from the sink to its spot was hard when it was full of water. In addition, only the stream is filtered -- the lower bowl sits out and collects dust and cat hair.

In the Catit I linked to, on the other hand, the only accessible water comes straight from the pump, so the water is always clean. Instead of being low and wide, it's tall, so it's easier to move around. I also find this one much easier to clean -- there seem to be fewer edges or corners, and you can completely remove the pump (and, presumably, replace it if needed).

That being said, it may not work for you -- it's plastic, and the water is more pond-with-a-current than stream or waterfall, which may not satisfy your cat. My cat likes it, as do my feline nieces, and those two are faucet drinkers to boot.
posted by natabat at 2:55 PM on May 12, 2014


Thanks! The picture makes everything clear. You have inspired me to start a new project.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:47 PM on May 12, 2014


Just throwing in my anecdata: We have two of the fountains bowmaniac linked and our cats love them. We've had several of the plastic ones in the past and these stainless steel ones are so much better. They are super easy to clean and fill and they're really quiet.
posted by dreamingviolet at 6:00 PM on May 12, 2014


hmmm. my dad does enjoy a good trip to the hardware store. it could be a good project and if franklin doesn't like it i could always buy a purpose-built cat fountain.

thanks for weighing in everyone!
posted by misanthropicsarah at 8:51 PM on May 12, 2014


I second the homemade solution. I did the same thing (a "table fountain" pump from a hardware store for $10 in a bucket of water). My cat likes it; it's quiet; it's never clogged. My friends with a Drinkwell fountain for their cats are jealous.
posted by lollusc at 9:27 PM on May 12, 2014


We have the Steel 360 and it is fine for our two cats. It took a while to get the hang of cleaning it properly (probably because I didn't read the manual I'm sure), but now it works out great. We use activated carbon and a forever filter from Amazon.
posted by getawaysticks at 7:04 AM on May 13, 2014


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