The Best Water Fountains for Cats and Dogs, According to Veterinarians, Nurses, and Behaviorists

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If you’re trying to avoid plastic bowls since they can harbor bacteria, the PetSafe Drinkwell 360 comes recommended by Dr. Ambika Vaid, an integrative veterinarian and the veterinary adviser to dog-food brand Badlands Ranch. “The stainless steel helps reduce the risk of chin acne and facial pustules that can occur with plastic bowls, and the fountain comes apart completely, making it easy to clean thoroughly,” Vaid says. This water fountain also uses dual-filtration technology thanks to a carbon filter and foam filter, which Vaid says is a great option for pets. “Activated carbon helps reduce unwanted odors and tastes, while the foam traps hair, dust, and other debris to help keep the water clean,” she says, adding that the most important thing is to ensure you are cleaning it thoroughly and properly to prevent bacterial overgrowth. “Just because the water is moving doesn’t mean that it cannot form bacteria,” Vaid told me. With a 128-ounce capacity (about one gallon), this also has a solid reservoir for your furry friend. “It is also important to offer fresh water daily and change the filters regularly.”

PetSafe recently launched this fountain, which has a 60-ounce water tank and is designed for small dogs and cats. I’ve been testing it with my two dogs, and while the reservoir is clearly not big enough based on how much I needed to refill it each night, the HydroSphere would work well for any smaller pet. I found the water flow to be incredibly quiet, a key attribute for any noise-sensitive pets. Water in the reservoir bubbles up onto a bowl made of food-grade stainless steel, though the tank underneath is plastic. It also has a plastic splash guard to keep water inside the bowl as they are slurping it up. Another feature I appreciated is the LED indicator panel, which will tell you when water levels are low or the filter needs to be changed. It will also automatically shut off when the water gets extremely low, preventing any annoying dripping sounds.

Deals editor Sam Daly recommends this raindrop-shaped stainless-steel fountain, which she purchased after getting tired of the maintenance required for a plastic fountain. In addition to it being easy to keep clean — Daly says she hand-washes the entire fountain once a month, though the top parts are dishwasher-safe — she also likes the fountain’s unique shape. “It doesn’t hurt that it’s the nicest-looking cat fountain I’ve seen on the market,” she says. “It makes me think of a fountain you might find in a garden.” Her cats also appreciate the raindrop design, which is wide and low enough that they don’t have to crane their necks. Daly thinks the rapidly flowing water, which is faster than her previous fountain, encourages her cats to drink more. With a 60-ounce capacity, this Pioneer Pet fountain is best-suited to cats and small dogs. Pioneer Pet also makes a 128-ounce fountain that may suit larger dogs, but it has a different design.

Jerden bought the Catit Pixi fountain shortly after adopting her two cats, when the vet suggested a fountain to entice them to drink after they became dehydrated while sick. The Pixi, which has a shallow bowl and 84-ounce capacity, is primarily made of plastic but has a stainless-steel drinking bowl. While she’d prefer an entirely stainless design, there’s plenty to like about the Pixi. The elevated shallow bowl is easy for her cats to drink from, and because the reservoir of water is covered by the stainless-steel bowl, they can’t splash in the water — something she often catches them doing with a simple bowl of water or fountain with an open reservoir. They also like to drink straight from the fountain, so she appreciates that this bowl provides multiple ways for them to drink. The indicator light on the front of the fountain (the “nose and whiskers”), which turns red if the water level is low inside the reservoir, is handy for the owner. And if you or your pets are sensitive to noise, you’ll be glad to know this one is nearly silent. Jerden rarely ever hears it running, even though it’s in a central area of her apartment. Like all fountains, it does require regular maintenance. Jerden’s husband wipes down the reservoir with vinegar to disinfect it and rinses out the bowl to keep the water fresh, in addition to changing the filters monthly.

If you’re part of a multi-dog household or own a very thirsty pet, consider this Petlibro water fountain, which can hold over two gallons of water. It’s the fountain I keep running in my own home since it doesn’t require constant refills compared to other fountains with smaller reservoirs. The transparent water tank has a refill line, which makes it simple to keep track of how much water it needs. I also keep it plugged into the outlet closest to our sink, so I can easily fill up a pitcher of water and pour it into the fountain.

I love that it clears debris quickly thanks to the filter having five heavy-duty layers: non-woven fabric, ion-exchange resin, activated carbon, silver ceramic balls, and a sponge, which help to trap water impurities, outdoor matter (like grass or leaves), and pet hair. It’s also designed to have a whirlpool-like flow, so everything is properly filtered down and doesn’t get stuck to the sides of the bowl. My dogs Ringo and Georgie took to it after only a few days, and I often see them choosing to drink from the Petlibro over their normal water bowls now. It’s been such a hit that even Benny, my family’s rather particular Great Dane, drank from the fountain during a dinner party. My parents now have one at their house for Benny and their Aussie mix, Shea. The main drawback is the BPA-free plastic construction — I’m still on the hunt for a large-capacity stainless-steel water fountain for my dogs. And note: The brand also recommends cleaning the fountain weekly and changing the filter biweekly.

If you want to avoid plastic, glass is another great option. Brook’s all-glass water fountain comes recommended by Delgado. She says that while it is more fragile than stainless steel or ceramic, it’s easy to keep clean and simple to replace parts, if needed — Brook sells spare parts for every component of the fountain. The Brook’s glass is lead-free, and the only non-glass components are the carbon filter and pump. When the water is flowing, you can choose between three flow rates (low, medium, and full). The Brook has a 90-ounce capacity, making it best suited for cats and small-to-medium dogs. You can also add on a stand and/or mat to help contain spillage, at an additional cost.

Jerden just started testing out the Brook with her two cats after hearing Delgado’s recommendation and can attest that it is relatively easy to put together and looks nice. Her cats have taken quickly to drinking from the spout, though they also enjoy splashing their paws in the water bowl and making a mess — something to consider if your cats are similarly mischievous.

Ceramic is easier to keep clean than plastic in the long term, and it looks a little homier than stainless steel. Van de Kieft used this ceramic fountain with her cats for many years. While she now prefers using a simple water bowl for the easier maintenance, Van de Kieft says that the Creekside is a good-quality fountain and that she found PetSafe’s customer service to be excellent when she needed a replacement part. The fountain has a similar design to the Brook, with a bubbler on top of an open bowl of water, and it has a pump and filter to keep the recirculating water clean. The ceramic components of the fountain are also top-rack dishwasher safe.

One of the most finicky aspects of setting up a water fountain for your pets is finding a convenient place to plug it in. For her cats,senior editor Winnie Yang uses PetLibro’s Dockstream fountain, which is completely cordless and operates on a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 30 days. Without needing to be plugged in, the PetLibro can be placed wherever is convenient in your home; you also don’t need to worry about your pet’s access to water during a power outage. Like my Pixi fountain, the Dockstream is primarily made of plastic with a stainless-steel bowl. Yang says, in retrospect, she might have chosen PetLibro’s stainless-steel model instead, though it’s not cordless like this model. The Dockstream has a spout that flows into a bowl, giving pets multiple ways to drink. When it’s not plugged in, the PetLibro uses radar detection to begin flowing when your pet walks by; it runs continually if you leave it plugged in. Yang notes the Dockstream does require frequent filter replacements (every two weeks). Her husband cleans the fountain weekly as well, though he says the internal pieces are well-designed to avoid any nooks and crannies where gunk can hide. And, of course, if you use it wirelessly, you’ll need to ensure it is charged.

Cats are drawn to flowing water, so it’s not uncommon for owners to find their feline friends drinking straight from the sink. For cats that look to the faucet for a drink, Delgado recommends the AquaPurr, which has been a successful recommendation for several of her cat-behavior clients. It’ll be a little more effort to set up than some of the other fountains on this list, as it hooks up to your sink. That means less maintenance long term, as you don’t need to change the water out. The AquaPur is motion-activated, so it will start flowing with water straight from the faucet when your cat wants a drink. It can be plugged in or run on batteries, so you can set it up at whichever sink is most convenient for you. There is also a remote control, which you can use to control the sensor’s range and the time range during which the faucet runs.