Stainless Steel Cat Water Fountain, 2.5L

For the cat who ignores the water bowl and waits by the tap.

A lot of cats would rather drink from something moving. A bowl sits still, collects a film of dust and fur by the afternoon, and gets walked past. A fountain keeps the water circulating: a small pump draws it up through a filter and lets it run back down over the top, so there is always a little flow to come to.

This one is 304 stainless steel rather than plastic, which matters for something your cat puts its face into every day. Stainless steel doesn't hold onto smells or scratch the way plastic does, and it wipes clean. It holds 2.5 liters (84 oz), enough for a few days for one cat, or a household of them. A window on the side shows the water level, so you can see when it needs topping up without lifting the lid.

The filter is a layered pad of cotton, activated carbon and ion-exchange resin. It catches fur, food bits and the debris that would otherwise sit in the water. The pump is quiet enough for a bedroom. Four silicone feet keep it from sliding when a cat leans on the rim.

In the box

The fountain, the pump, four filters, a power adapter, a spout piece and a small cleaning brush. Four filters is about two months of changes, so you won't need to reorder straight away. When you do, the refill 6-pack adds six more filters and two pump sponges.

Looking after it

Every two weeks: unplug it, take it apart, rinse the bowl and lid, brush out the pump, and swap in a fresh filter. The maker rates the stainless parts as dishwasher-safe; the pump is not. Keep the water above the minimum line so the pump never runs dry, which is what wears them out.

What it will not do

It will not make a cat drink. Some take to it in an hour; some ignore it for a week before they trust it. Leaving the old bowl out next to it for the first few days helps. It will not stay clean by itself, because water that runs all day still needs the two-weekly clean. The filter is for fur and debris; it is not a water treatment system. And it needs to be plugged in: no power, no flow.

304 stainless steel · 2.5L / 84oz · water-level window · 4 filters included · corded, with adapter · 7 × 7 × 5in