Cat Water Fountains

Water fountains for cats are an interesting alternative to drinking bowls. Freshly filtered splashing water encourages cats to drink sufficient fluids. What's more, a cat fountain often improves the general ambience in a household with cats. Our bitiba cat shop offers a wide range of water fountains for cats from brands like Catit, as well as different ceramic, stainless steel or plastic cat fountains together with accessories like filters – a treat for all feline friends.

Domestic cats are descendants of African wildcats, native to North Africa and the Arabian peninsula. Since water is a scarce commodity in these regions, these animals cover a large part of their fluid requirements through food. If a domestic cat is fed dry food partially or even predominantly, it can lead to a water deficit, because they do not drink enough of their own accord. Factors such as dry heating air also increase fluid requirements. The purpose of a cat fountain is to encourage cats to drink by providing freshly filtered clear water. The water also moves in many cat fountains. This splashing creates an additional sensory stimulus to consume fluids.

Cat fountains with a pump create a cycle in which the water is permanently purified and then delivered to drinking zones. The water can run over a plain, form a small waterfall or run out of a tap. The pump is usually operated by a power supply unit, although there are also battery-operated models. Hair filters also ensure that hairs and other coarser particles are removed from the water. This filtration can counteract appliance malfunctions as well as preventing the formation of gastroliths. Activated carbon filters are also designed to remove additional metals and bacteria from the water and prevent unpleasant odours.

Choose a spot for the water fountain that is always accessible for your cat. If it is mains-operated, you need to choose a spot close to a plug socket or with an extension lead for a flexible layout. If possible, avoid a spot with direct sunlight during hot weather. Although a cooling effect is active in ceramic fountains with water circulating, this isn't sufficient to keep water at a pleasant drinking temperature when it is very hot. Placing a cat fountain in the bedroom often isn't practical, because even quiet pumps can be heard in the still of the night. However, whether this disturbs you or not depends on your personal perception.

As guidelines, a period of four to six weeks applies for changing activated charcoal filters and two to four weeks for hair filters. It may also make sense to change them more or less frequently. This depends on how many cats use the fountain and whether they are clean indoor cats or have outdoor access. Cats also lose more hair during the moulting period, so hair filters in cat fountains have more work to do. Always take into account manufacturer-specific recommendations on the packaging. You should change the water much more often than the filters, e.g. twice a week. Shorter intervals naturally do no harm.