The 9 Best Cat Water Fountains, Tested and Reviewed by WIRED (2025)

Compare our picks

Others we tested

Courtesy of Petcake

Petkit Eversuit Max, $90: This technical automatic fountain can be either cordless or battery operated (lasts up to 83 days), and the drinking bowl is made of stainless steel, but the tank is made of plastic. Due to the shape of the tub with its large battery and reservoir bowl, it is a bit difficult to clean. The app records every time your pet drinks and compares it over time to determine if your cat’s drinking habits have changed. The app also tracks when the filter needs replacing and when you last added water. However, it doesn’t monitor or show you how much water is left in the sink; You have to check manually. The design also made it a bit difficult to clean and refill easily.

Enabot Rola Smart Pet Water Fountain for $50: This automatic fountain is cordless and runs on a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 60 days (although it can remain plugged in, too). It has a cordless pump that uses magnetic induction – this pump was one of the easiest and most hassle-free to clean I’ve tested. The fountain has a stainless steel surface that holds a decent amount of water even when not running. Although the tank is made of plastic, I’m now wary of plastic due to its tendency to harbor bacteria (plus it doesn’t keep the water cold). The app offers reminders when the water runs low, the fountain needs cleaning, or the filter needs replacing, plus it automatically stops dispensing water and sends you a refill reminder via the app. It also records how often and for how long your pet has been drinking, monitors hydration patterns over time and compares the statistics to the average time used. The complaint I had was that this fountain would not stay in continuous stream mode, even when plugged in, and instead automatically switched to sensor stream.

Homerunpet Cordless Pet Fountain for $60: This cordless fountain can be used as a traditional fountain attached to its base, or it can be detached and moved around the house with up to 30 days of battery life. I don’t like that this fountain is all plastic, but it’s easy to see the water levels from the outside, top, and bottom. filter The layers are very easy to remove, clean and replace, and the (essentially silent) cordless pump makes cleaning much easier. Plastic doesn’t keep water as cold or clean as stainless steel, so you’ll have to clean it more often. The fountain only starts boiling when a cat (or human) approaches to save battery power, and there’s no option to control the flow (and no connected app). I love the cordless pump, but I’m really over plastic at this point.

Photo: Kat Merck

Wonder Creature Cat Fountain for $20: My cat has wandered past several water fountains over the past few years, but this clear version was a hit. The interior is lit with a blue LED (bright enough to glow in the dark), and a clear viewing window on the side makes it easy to monitor the water level from afar. I also love the dishwasher-safe metal bowl and the fact that you can remove parts of the yellow and white “flower” to create a fountain configuration your cat will love (waterfall, low bubble, tall bubble). The only major downside is the fact that it requires very frequent cleaning Filter changes Because of its plastic body, and the lack of a tank to store water in the event of a power outage or pump failure. When I go on vacation I have to replace it with Old school gravity diffuser. —Kat Merck

Happy & Polly Gothic Cat Drinking Fountain for $60: If you prefer gothic decor over neutral softness, this ghostly ceramic cat fountain from Happy & Polly might tempt you to bite. Water bubbles emerge from the top of the ghost and collect on the ceramic surface. It’s fairly quiet at about 35 dB, but it gets louder when the water level gets low, and I’m concerned about engine burnout, as the 1.5 liter can run dry quickly. Although the ceramic finish is easy to clean, it is difficult to dismantle. You’ll need to clean it once a week to keep it from becoming sticky, and you should change the filter once a month. – Simon Hill

Petkit Eversweet Solo 2 is $45: I love three main features of this fountain: The bowl is located on top of a wireless charging base, so you don’t have to fiddle with cables, it’s very easy to clean, and it’s very quiet at about 25 decibels. A flashing light alerts you when the water level is low, and you can check the need to change the filter in the app. There is an optional smart mode that pumps intermittently and a night mode to turn off the light. Happily, all three of our cats drink from this fountain, although this means I have to refill it often, as it only holds 2 litres. – Simon Hill

Photo: Simon Hill

Oneisall Stainless Steel Pet Fountain for $50: This drinking fountain is as simple as it gets. Since it’s designed for cats or small dogs, it has a large bowl, but some cats prefer that. I like the stainless steel body, because it’s easy to keep clean and less prone to accumulating dirt and bacteria. You can even stick the parts in the dishwasher to clean them. This fountain can also hold up to 7 liters of water, so you won’t have to refill it as often. It’s fairly quiet at around 35 decibels, but it gets louder when the water level gets low (a red light warns you when you need to refill). You should clean once a week and rinse the filter. the Filter packages They are relatively affordable at $15 for a pack of eight, and need to be replaced once a month. – Simon Hill

Petlipo Cordless Cat Water Fountain for $57: The all-plastic pet fountain rests on the dock for easy tank cleaning and is rechargeable for up to 60 days of cordless power, has a wire-free pump, a large 2.6 liter capacity, and three customizable water flow modes (induction, timer, and continuous flow). The heavy-duty filter is housed in a plastic cage and only needs to be replaced every 4 to 5 weeks. I didn’t have any problems using this fountain, but at about $60, it’s quite expensive because it’s made of cheap (and bacteria-harboring) plastic. Even though it is a solid fountain, I would spend less and choose one of the stainless steel selections.

Not recommended

Photo: Molly Higgins

Petcube Ceramic Pet Water Fountain $90: I really wanted to like this fountain; Although its tank is made of plastic, its surface is ceramic, which is more hygienic than plastic (and I’ve never tested a ceramic model before), and the brand makes some of my favorite pet cameras. However, the setup was a little confusing, as it took a long time to charge the base to turn on the fountain’s water flow, and the sensor to start the water flow is only triggered from one side, making the situation uncomfortable. After a few days, it would only work while plugged in, and soon its flow was barely strong enough to reach the top, and after a little over a week it stopped working altogether. It is also very expensive for a pet fountain.

Photo: Molly Higgins

Cat Mate 3-Tier Pet Fountain for $28: This tall automatic Cat Mate fountain features three levels for cats who love drinking at every level. Engine cleaning requires disassembly with tools and extended soaking. Due to the long distance the water had to travel, evaporation caused the need to refill the water approximately every two days. Plastic also harbors bacteria, and previous plastic models I’ve owned had problems with mold. The sink is very large and flat. For this reason, some debris may settle to the bottom and front of the large aquarium instead of returning to the filter system behind it. The plastic material and lack of ergonomic gravity design caused this fountain to be dirtier than others.

Whisker City Free Fall Cat Fountain for $30This huge fountain is best suited for dogs, as it has a large bowl that holds 150 fluid ounces and a waterfall design. Although the tub has a small cushion to help compensate for the noise of the waterfall, this was one of the loudest fountains I tested. The evaporation generated by the waterfall-like system also prompted me to refill it every couple of days. Because of the structure of the fountain, my cats had to bend their heads at an awkward angle. They tended to avoid drinking from the sink because of this, and their heads got a little wet from the waterfall spray. The sink is also not angled so that crumbs and debris sit at the bottom of the bowl.

Petkit EverSweet Solo SE for $26: This very simple and straightforward fountain has a square-shaped body, is transparent to easily see the water levels from the outside, and has a nearly silent 25 dB cordless pump to circulate water from the sink to the upper level, where there is always 60 milliliters of water available to drink, even in the event of a power outage. The sink is placed on a pedestal and all parts can be easily detached, making it easier to clean. This fountain does not have multiple modes or an associated app, and you will have to check the water levels manually. I noticed that this fountain wasn’t as cool as some other fountains, and because of the design of the top, debris often collected in the submerged areas, which caused me to clean it more often.

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