The 7 Best Cat Water Fountains, Tested in Our Lab

Best Overall: Cepheus 360 Ceramic Pet Fountain

4.7

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With accessible streams of water, easy-to-clean ceramic construction, and fun color options, the Cepheus 360 Ceramic Pet Fountain was a clear favorite of our testers.

"Aesthetically, this is the best fountain," one tester said. "It's heavy ceramic, and it feels great."

True to its name, the Cepheus 360 has a round reservoir with a 71-ounce capacity—more than half a gallon—which is fed by three different fountain spouts arranged around a circular top reservoir. The design not only allows for multiple cats to drink the Cepheus at once, from any angle they can get at it, but also creates a few different ways for your cat to hydrate. Cats can drink from the main bowl, lap water from the spout streams, lean in to drink from the bubbling top reservoir, or lick up the thin layer of water that splashes over a flat second tier.

Setting up the Cepheus was straightforward, though the included instructions were very basic. The fountain is primarily made of two different pieces, with the ceramic fountain unit inset in the center of the bowl. The fountain's pump is affixed to the bottom with suction cups, then the power cable snakes up and through a passage leading out the bottom of the fountain (an included waterproof cap is used to seal off this exit).

The Cepheus came with three filters, which are rectangular cartridges stuffed with activated carbon and cotton. On visual inspection, the cartridges are less full of absorbent material than some other cat water fountains we tested, though we were unable to find any detrimental effect on its cleaning capacity or longevity. Cepheus recommends changing the filter once a month, which is comparable to other fountains we tested. We especially appreciated that the filter fits into a bracket that places it directly in front of the water intake on the side of the fountain's pump, which means water is forced through it. In several other filters tested, water merely burbles over a filter layer, creating a less thorough water cycle.

Since the Cepheus seals its pump mechanism under the ceramic fountain piece, it operates remarkably quietly. You mostly only hear the waterfall sound. That ceramic construction has several other advantages too. For one, it makes the Cepheus 360 incredibly stable. It doesn't matter how excited a cat or even a small dog might drink from it, they won't be scooting it around the floor and splashing everywhere. But our favorite ceramic advantage is that it's dishwasher safe.

Our testers did note a few small downsides to the Cepheus 360 Ceramic Pet Fountain. The most obvious is the lack of an AC power cord. Instead, the pump cable ends with a USB plug, so you'll need your own adapter. One tester also noted that internal elements are likely to be trickier to clean than the two main ceramic parts.

"The excess foam around the pump may get a little dirty," the tester noted. "I could see this being a little finicky to clean the insides long-term."

But reservations aside, the tester was eager to recommend the Cepheus 360. We especially liked that it was available in a bunch of fun colors and patterns. In addition to gray and white models that could fit in with any kitchen decor, there are also two cheerful pattern designs and a gradient "Gradual Purple" version.

Best Splurge: PetSafe Drinkwell Pagoda Ceramic Fountain for Pets

4.6

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The PetSafe Drinkwell Pagoda Ceramic Fountain is remarkably similar in many facets to our overall favorite, the Cepheus 360. It includes a similar ceramic design, using two separate pieces to house its internal fountain pump. It also has a similar 70-ounce capacity and comes in four fun colors. What mainly separates the Drinkwell Pagoda from our favorite cat water fountain is a higher price and a rectangular—rather than round—design.

The Drinkwell Pagoda combines dishwasher-safe ceramic components, a smaller top reservoir (which tester cats loved), and a dual-fountain design that enables multiple cats to drink from either end of the fountain. We also liked that it came with a proper power adapter rather than just a USB cord.

There were some minor downsides to the Pagoda Ceramic Fountain, including a complicated internal water pump set-up that is a pain to disassemble and clean. And while the pump motor was a barely discernible hum, the spouts dropped water directly into the bowl from a significant height, making it a little noisier than similar water fountains. Finally, while we loved the look of the Drinkwell Pagoda, our testers did note that the flared-out rim made it easier to spill water when moving the fountain.

But none of these were dealbreakers, and our testers mostly found the Pagoda fountain to be as high quality and well-designed as our top pick. If the price difference doesn't deter you, then ultimately the decision between the Cepheus 360 and the Drinkwell Pagoda should come down to your aesthetic preference.

We also tested—and loved!—the PetSafe Drinkwell Avalon, which is the same as the Pagoda but with a round instead of rectangular design. It's well worth your consideration as well.

The PetSafe Drinkwell Pagoda Ceramic Fountain is available in four colors: white, red, taupe, and Himalayan blue.

Best Large: PetSafe Drinkwell 360 Stainless Steel Pet Fountain

4.6

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The PetSafe Drinkwell 360 Stainless Steel Pet Fountain was our previous Best Overall pick, and it's still one of our favorite pet water fountains. Its main downside will also be an advantage for many pet owners: This fountain is gigantic! If you have cats and dogs willing to share a bowl, then this is likely to be your best option.

"This thing is huge," one tester said. "Pictures make it seem smaller than it is."

Similar to our Best Overall pick, the PetSafe Drinkwell 360 is designed to fill a round reservoir that can be approached from any direction. Unlike the Cepheus, however, the Drinkwell is strictly utilitarian in its design, with plastic clips that distract somewhat from its clean, stainless steel lines.

While it has fewer surface areas for cats to lap water from, the Drinkwell offers extra customizability, with a plastic cap that can be used to adjust the size of the fountain streams. Several swappable caps are included for different configurations, allowing you to customize the number of individual water streams—up to five. One tester called the flow adjuster cap "a nice touch" that's "easy to use."

We also liked the long power cord.

Our testers were less enamored with setting up the PetSafe Drinkwell, which included small parts that connected together in initially unintuitive ways. Still, the instructions were decent, and after 15 minutes, we had the fountain up and running without issue.

While the dishwasher-safe stainless steel design makes it easy to clean the Drinkwell's primary components, the internal mechanisms are a little more finicky, and may require a little scrubbing. In addition to replacement filters, PetSafe also sells a fountain cleaning kit with pipe cleaner-style scrubbing brushes.

Best Stainless Steel: Pioneer Pet Stainless Steel Raindrop Fountain

4.7

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If you prefer stainless steel (and don't need the massive capacity provided by the PetSafe Drinkwell), we recommend the Pioneer Pet Raindrop Fountain.

The Raindrop Fountain resembles a standard (albeit a little oblong) stainless steel pet bowl, except for the curved water slide design, which creates a sluice of water to attract your cat. It has a 60-ounce capacity, or just under two quarts, and operates very quietly.

Our testers found it to be a "simple, no-frills fountain" and were particularly impressed with its reasonable price, especially compared to cheaper-feeling plastic models.

Best Plastic: PETLIBRO Capsule Water Fountain

4.4

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The PETLIBRO Capsule Water Fountain has a 71-ounce (2.1-liter) capacity but retains it in a surprisingly compact design.

"It looks small but actually carries a decent amount of water," our tester noted, describing the Capsule as a "very simple fountain that works well."

The filter is especially beefy and did a great job catching the crumbled kibble we sprinkled in the fountain. It was also one of the quieter fountains we tested, behind only the ceramic models that smother the pump noise under heavy housing.

The Capsule is made from BPA-free plastic. It's easy to take apart and reassemble, which makes it easy to clean. Sadly, the fountain is not dishwasher safe, but it does come with its own scrub brush.

It's an attractive design, though our tester did wish for a longer power cord (the cord is USB, but a power adapter is included). Another compromise the compact fountain makes is a lack of water flow choices. While other models offer customized streams and the ability to adjust water flow, the Capsule can only be used with the spout or without. The choice is between a stream of water like a water fountain or a low burbling.

The Capsule Water Fountain also shares limitations common to the "flower" style of the cat water fountain (more on those later). Most notable is a top tray that separates the fountain from the water reservoir, which means if the pump stops working or the power goes out, your cat won't have access to most of the water. But unlike flower-style fountains, the Capsule has a broad drinking area that retains about 2.7 ounces of water on top of the dish in a shallow pool.

The PETLIBRO Capsule Water Fountain comes in blue, purple, orange, or green. There's also a stainless steel version.

Best Budget: Cat Mate Pet Fountain

4.4

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The Cat Mate Pet Fountain is the cheapest fountain we recommend, but it has more going for it than just a low price. Its design offers a lot of drinking options, with water spread across three different levels, so your cat (or cats!) can pick whichever pool or stream they prefer. And while far from our quietest model, we didn't find the low hum from its pump very noticeable at all.

While the Cat Mate is an excellent fountain that is likely to engage your cats, it's less effective as a filter. In theory, water is supposed to pass through a screen-like filter on its way to the pump intake, which then shoots the water back up to the top pool. But in practice, bits of kibble and other impurities (like fur, slobber, etc.) slipped around the edges of the filter, which is held in a plastic bracket. Or, if a piece of food or other contaminant is heavy enough, it's likely to stay in the main bowl area and not circulate back through the plastic grille.

If you're primarily considering a cat water fountain as a way to entice your cat into drinking more water, the Cat Mate is a great way to try one out. However, if you're more interested in a water fountain that you can fill up and forget for days at a time, you might want to consider our other recommendations because the Cat Mate requires a little attention to keep clean. In our tests, it also demonstrated a smaller practical water capacity than advertised: It's closer to 50 ounces than 70. Luckily, the Cat Mate is easy to disassemble and reassemble, plus its BPA-free plastic is dishwasher safe, so cleaning is easy.