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There was a time when every morning, Cosmo (my cat) jumps on the counter in the bathroom, walks to his sink, and meowed.  He was asking me to turn on the faucet.  I turned it on, he looked at the water, sometimes he'd get a closer look, then he'd jump down and leave the room.

Whatever, Cosmo.

Cats Need Plenty of Water

One of the reasons people warn you away from feeding cats a diet of dry cat food is because it’s dehydrating.  Cats don’t readily seek out water and adding kibble to their diet increases the chance of cats developing urinary tract and kidney issues which can be expensive to treat.

After years of trying to improve Cosmo's diet, I finally got him to make the switch from kibble to wet food.  Today, my cat eats primarily freeze-dried cat food with some wet food thrown in from time to time. He prefers that I don't hydrate his freeze-dried food – whatever will get him to eat.  I'm loving that my old cat acts like a 2-year-old and his poops (wow, they used to be raunchy) don't smell as bad.  But, is he drinking enough water?

Cats are notoriously bad at drinking water.  I haven't had one cat that raced to the water dish to inhale half the bowl.  Instead, every one of my cats has played in the dish, sniffed the dish, or ignored the dish.  And this includes Cosmo.

If you have a cat that isn't interested in drinking water, here are a few tips to tempt your kitty.

Cats Love Moving Water

Eons ago, I was told that cats love moving water because it’s cleaner and it draws their curiosity – What’s that sound?  What’s happening over there?  Eons ago, I tried a few water fountains and found them to be noisy and a pain to clean. Today, there are so many pet water fountains on the market that I jumped into shopping mode once again. Choosing a water fountain was a bit frustrating with so many options to review.

I don’t know about you, but leaving my cat alone with a water fountain that plugs into the wall is a bit nerve-wracking.  I have never had an issue in the past, I know to place the water fountain away from the wall in a place that doesn’t pose a tripping hazard, but I’m still nervous.  Water and electricity just don’t mix.

So I’ve tried a couple of things to tempt my cat to drink my water.

Keep the Faucet Dripping

In the past, Cosmo loved to drink from the faucet.  I figured this out because I kept finding him in the sink during the winter.  We kept the faucets running lightly to prevent frozen pipes.  After discovering that Cosmo was drinking the water,  I kept the faucets at a low drip for him; fast enough to get him to drink, slow enough not to sound like we have a leak in the pipes.  I wasn’t worried about a high water bill because we live on a well and we filter the water that comes into the house (changing the filters quarterly). 

However, a year later, I noticed that the constant dripping was damaging the porcelain on the sink.  This made me wonder about any other damage the constant dripping would do in our home.

Henry Parker of HomeReference.net shared that leaving a faucet running for a cat isn’t a great idea considering how cheap pet water fountains are today.  This habit will not only increase the water bill (if you’re not on a well), it’s wasteful and it increases the chance of home damage.  While plenty of people do this with no issues, there is another risk that I never considered.  If a clog or leak does develop, it could result in me flooding my home and causing thousands of dollars in water damage. 

Why risk the damage when I can pick up a fountain for less than $50.

Gravity Water Fountains for Pets

Initially, I went with a gravity fountain thinking that it would be great for Cosmo and safe in our home.  Cosmo does look at it, but I don’t know if he drinks the water.  This may be perfect for dogs, but it doesn’t seem like a good fit for my cat.

Battery Operated Water Fountains for Pets

Since the gravity fountain was a bust for my cat, I started to look into battery-operated water fountains.  I remember seeing one at SuperZoo in 2016.  The only thing that concerns me about these is the cost of replacing the batteries.  How long will the batteries last. 

I did an internet search and came across one battery-operated water fountain that had terrible reviews.

Electric Water Fountains for Pets

Since the battery option was a bust, I took a second look at the electric water fountains for pets to see if there were any that I’d consider taking a chance on.  The following had the best reviews and now I just need to choose one.

PetSafe Drinkwell Avalon Pet Water Fountain

Ceramic Drinking Fountain for Cats and Dogs, 70 oz. Water Capacity

• This one gives me hope because it’s dishwasher safe.
• It has great reviews on Amazon.
• I’m not so keen on the $79 price tag.
• Check out this PetSafe fountain.

Catit Fountain

• This one doesn’t appear to be dishwasher safe, but it’s adorable and has great reviews.
• I like that I can change up the water speed; Cosmo gets bored easily so that will come in handy.
• The price tag is appealing.
• Learn more about Catit Fountain

Uniclife Pet Water Fountain

Dog Cat Automatic Electric Drinking Bowl with LED Light

• Part of this fountain is dishwasher safe, the blue water reservoir isn’t dishwasher safe.
• Although this has great reviews, looking at the fountain makes me think it’s complicated and I want something easy.
• The affordable price makes this one tempting, but it wouldn’t be first on my shopping list.
• Learn more about the Uniclife fountain.

Pet Fountain 2.5L Flower Pet Dispenser HOSPORT

Automatic Electric Drinking Water Bowl with 4 Replacement Filters for Cats Dogs Birds Small Animals etc (Blue)

• I believe that this one is hand wash only, which is fine. I love the design and that it comes with 4 replacement filters.
• What I like most about this fountain is that it is silent, but many are not.
• This one is affordable as well.
• Learn more about this HOSPORT water bowl.

PetSafe Drinkwell 360 Multi-Pet Stainless Steel Fountain

Filtered Water, 128 oz. Water Capacity

• This fountain is dishwasher safe.
• I love that you can choose between streams
• Like the others, this fountain has great reviews on Amazon.
• This one has a higher price tag, but the stainless steel (versus plastic) is appealing.
• Learn more about this PetSafe fountain.

So, which fountain would you buy?  And if you have one that you love, please share in the comments.  Thanks.

Make Water More Tempting to Cats

One thing Cosmo loves is catnip and I read online that one way to tempt cats to drink more water is to add a few crushed leaves of catnip to their water dish.  I gave this a try with my cat and didn't notice a change in water.

Another thing I read is to add a tablespoon of low sodium, plain chicken or beef broth to the water dish.  I tried this before and Cosmo wasn’t interested. However, he did like a little of the bone broth I made for the dogs added to his meals; so I do this instead.  Doesn't really help with the drinking more water bit, but it does add moisture to his meals, so that's a win!

Ultimately, what worked was running water.

How Much Water Does Your Pet Need?

Did you know that a dog or cat living in the wild would consume a diet that is 70-80% water?  Just another clue that kibble isn’t species appropriate.  This is why once a dog or cat is switched to a raw food diet, they tend to drink less water; most of what they need is provided in their diet.

A healthy dog should drink, on average, between one-half and 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight each day. A typical cat may require from 5 to 10 ounces of water daily.  Puppies and kittens, as well as senior pets, need more water than adult dogs, and toy dog breeds are also especially prone to dehydration. Pets with certain health conditions, including kidney disease and diabetes, may also require more water than average. 

Source: HealthyPets.Mercola.com

The Pet Fountain I Chose: Catit Fountain

I originally published this article in 2018 when I was searching for a fountain. After reading more reviews, I settled on the Catit Fountain. It's adorable, it's not noisy, and it holds a lot of water providing a runtime of two to three days before needing more water.

When I set it up for Cosmo, he immediately began drinking water. No catnip or bone broth needed.

Cosmo has been drinking from the fountain regularly and it's worked out well. Yes, it's made from plastic – I don't hold the same wariness of plastic products (or those imported from overseas) as other pet parents. I'm more concerned about one-use plastic items and poorly crafted imported products. The Catit Fountain has been in regular use for a while now with no issues – so I'm happy. And, more importantly, so is Cosmo.

Read More About Cats

I don't have a lot of content about cats. If you are looking to learn more about feline behavior, health, and nutrition, I suggest making The Two Crazy Cat Ladies as your first stop. Their website and social media is full of useful tips for cat lovers and they have best best online shop for cats.

• Is My Cat Drinking Enough Water?
• Steps I Took to Get My Cat to Kick his Kibble Habit