Does your cat give you a dirty look whenever you change their water bowl? Do they prefer to drink from puddles or standing water than their bowl? This could be a sign they aren’t happy with the current arrangements.
Perhaps now is a good time to try a cat water fountain.
Anyone who has had a cat for long will know they aren’t shy about letting us know when they aren’t happy.
Protests, dirty looks, hunger strikes and disobedience are all signs your cat isn’t happy. We don’t want that!
Using a cat water fountain is one of many ways to keep your cat happy.
If that isn’t reason enough, we’ll give you 5 other reasons why a cat water fountain is the only way to keep your cat hydrated.
1. Animals prefer running water
Even though cats and dogs will drink out of puddles, they prefer running water. Something a cat fountain can deliver.
It’s an instinct thing. Running water means freshwater, which is less likely to make them sick. Standing water can harbour bacteria, or worse, which animals instinctively know.
While cats and dogs can adapt to our way of doing things, they are far happier when the way we work aligns with their instincts.
They may never know why they are happier, but they definitely are!
2. Lowers the chemical content of water
Animals are not naturally adapted to treated drinking water. Tap water may be clean, but part of that is down to the series of chemical processes water is subjected to when being cleaned.
Use a cat fountain with a filter and you can remove much of the chemical taste of tap water.
Humans may have become used to the taste and smell, but most animals haven’t.
Collect rainwater in a bowl and tap water in another and give your cat the choice. They will almost always choose rainwater as it has fewer chemicals.
3. Helps encourage the cat to drink
Most domestic cats could do with drinking more. That’s especially true if their diet is primarily dried food.
We wouldn’t necessarily say cats are dehydrated, but many vets will recommend encouraging your cat to drink more than it currently does.
You’ll have a hard time convincing them to drink more from a static bowl, but a cat fountain is another thing entirely.
Fresh running water that taps into their animal instincts is an effective way to encourage any cat to drink more.
4. Stores more water than most bowls
Use a large bowl and it becomes unwieldy and may cause problems with access for your cat. Plus, as we have established, standing water isn’t attractive to animals.
Cat drinking fountains offer a way around that. It uses a simple pump, bowl and reservoir system that cycles water around and around.
Many fountains will have a higher water capacity than cat bowls and keeps the water moving and oxygenated. Both of which will benefit your cat.
5. Can help keep water cool
While most of the UK doesn’t swelter in heat, water absorbs warmth much more effectively than air. Standing water in a bowl will quickly absorb heat and become unpalatable to your cat.
Cooler water slows down bacterial growth and is nicer to drink.
We don’t know about you, but we prefer our water cool too. There’s nothing worse on a warm day than drinking warm water!
It’s the same for cats. They are more sensitive to these things and, like running water vs standing water, they will always choose cool water when given a choice.
We’re guessing it’s a combination of good taste and those animal instincts again!
You may have needed a little convincing of the benefits of a cat water fountain but give your cat the choice of a bowl or fountain, we’ll bet they choose the fountain!
