3 Best Pet Fountains (Ceramic vs Stainless Steel for Cats)
If you appreciate the importance of hydrating your kitty you will know why pet water fountains are a great investment. You have probably heard about the negatives of plastic fountains (more on this later), but what is better than Stainless steel or ceramic?
What is the best pet fountain (Ceramic or Stainless steel)? Here is my best pet fountain for cats (Click here to see the price on Amazon) The reason I love this is because it looks excellent, really well made, it’s solid! And more importantly, easy to clean and maintain.
Now that you know what is the best choice, let me give you more detail on why I picked this ceramic fountain over the other 2 stainless steel offerings. Also, what I like about the other two, the importance of cat fountains, features you need to look out for and more. Keep reading…
Quick Fountains Comparison
| Name | Image | My Rating |
| 01. PetSafe (Best Overall) Ceramic Cat Water Fountain Click here for the price on Amazon |   |  |
| 02. PetSafe (Best for big drinkers!) Stainless Steel Cat Water Fountain Click here for the price on Amazon |   |  |
| 03. Beacon Pet Stainless Steel Cat Water Fountain Click here for the price on Amazon |   |  |
Why do cats need water fountains?
Water fountains are needed to entice your cat to drink more water than usual. Fountains provide a constant flow of water which makes your cat feel curious and tempted to have more water.
They are important if you have a cat, especially if they eat dry food, as opposed to wet food.
Why is this?
Because wet food is moist already. So, this can typically draw moisture from the food. But, with dry food, as you can imagine, there is no moisture available. So, any attempt to get more water into the system will improve their health.
What are the benefits of stainless steel pet water fountains?
Stainless Steel is a great option for pet fountains. This is because, first and foremost, they look absolutely great. In my opinion, they look very classy due to the shiny stainless steel finish.
In addition to this, they are easier to clean than a plastic stainless steel fountain as well (more on this later).
Also, they are very lightweight especially in comparison to a ceramic water fountain.
Hygiene
In my opinion, one of the biggest benefits of stainless steel especially, in comparison to the conventional plastic versions, is the hygiene. Plastic water fountains are not the most hygienic to use (more on this later). Stainless steel is a big improvement on this.
What are the benefits of a ceramic water fountain for cats?
Ceramic water fountains are excellent because, firstly, they look really good and give a real premium feel to the room.
They are Solid!
The next quality is how solid and strong they are. You will not see a ceramic fountain moving around as your cat casually nudges it around the room, are you with me? It will stay still and in place.
Hygiene (Avoiding Feline Acne)
With regard to hygiene, again it is ideal. Plastic (and even Steel in some cases) can harbor bacteria. This is in the form of micro scratches. This results in potential bacteria that can build up. The end result of this can cause feline acne which is to be avoided at all costs.
However, with a ceramic water fountain, you can avoid some of these hygiene issues.
Do cats prefer running water?
You may be wondering what’s the point of a water fountain when you can just have a basic bowl of water on the cheap. It’s a good question and for that reason, I want to tackle this question in this selection.
In the wild cats are used to drinking water which is running naturally. Whether that be a stream, a lake or wherever that may be. Because of this they instinctively react better to running water and feel compelled to drink from it.
In some cases, vets say that it is a better option than your conventional water bolt for this reason.
What features should you look out for?
You may be thinking, ok, I understand the benefits of a water fountain and why I need it. But, what features should I be looking out for? For that reason, I’m going to give you an overview of some of the key features to look out for.
Quiet water pump.
The sound of the water fountain is very important. Cat’s do not like changes, especially noisy ones. If you bring a water fountain into your house and it is particularly noisy not only will they avoid it. It will be a big waste of money.
For that reason, it is important to look out for a particularly quiet water fountain and one that has a quiet pump.
Low-maintenance.
As you can imagine maintaining the water pump is an important factor. Almost as much as how it looks and what noise it makes. For that reason, I need to emphasize why this feature should be one of the key things you’re looking for.
The worst thing that you want is to have is a device that needs you to clean it out every few days. And, you are having to break down too many different parts just to get it clean the darn thing, are you with me?.
So on your journey to looking for the ideal device look for one that is simply easy to clean. Its less headache for you.
How much water should your cat be drinking every day?
You may be wondering how important is it for your cat to get enough water. And, how much water do they need every day? For that reason, I’m going to give you some suggestions in this section.
As you can imagine the water is one of the most important ingredients in a cat’s life. Closely followed by food and sleep.
To make sure that your cat is properly nourished you need to be providing at least 60 ml for every kilogram of body weight, according to experts.
This basically means, in simple terms, a tall glass of water every day for a cat which is approximately 300 grams in body weight.
A tall glass of water may not sound like much to you and me. Because, as humans we want to consume a lot more than that (as much as six to eight glasses in a day for us). However, even though it doesn’t sound like a lot, it can still be challenging for your cat, especially if you feed your cat dry food all day.
All the more reason why a water fountain is an ideal addition to your cat set up.
Best Pet Fountains (Ceramic vs Stainless Steel)
In this section, I am going to share with you a selection of my best pet water fountains. With the main focus on ceramic and stainless steel.
01. PetSafe Ceramic Cat Water Fountain (Best Overall)
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Pros:
- Solid! (Well built)
- Looks great (Will look beautiful in any room)
- Easy to maintain and clean
- Filtered Water (Replaceable filters)
- Two Levels of bowls (Ideal for older or weaker cats)
Cons:
- Quite loud
- Difficult for some cats to drink from
What I like about the PetSafe Ceramic Fountain
Firstly this fountain looks gorgeous! If aesthetics is your thing, or you just generally care about your home decor, then this is ideal for you straight off the bat. Not just that, it is really well made.
Like most ceramic fountains, it’s solid. Meaning your cat won’t be able to push this thing around the room, are you with me?
Another great thing about this is the fact that it is quite easy to clean and maintain. Meaning you can easily break down the parts and give this a full clean, or just a quick freshen up either way, you’re good.
It also has a nice two-level feature, which allows older or weaker cats to focus on the lower level. While the other young and nimble cats may love the choice of a second upper tier.
What I do NOT like about PetSafe Ceramic Fountain
One of the things I do not love about this is the noise. Personally, I feel you will benefit from turning it off at nights, depending on where you locate it.
Also, regarding the two-level feature. It’s a good idea, but it does have some downfalls (excuse the pun!). Firstly, the bottom tear could be improved if it had more space between the edge and the top tier level. Basically any cat drinking on the lower level only really has a couple of inches to drink from.
Lastly, the top level is a bit small, to be honest. It depends on how big your cat is, but honestly, this is clearly an area for improvement, in my opinion.
02. PetSafe Stainless Steel Cat Water Fountain (Best for big drinkers!)
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Pros:
- Large Capacity (Great for multiple cats or Big drinkers!)
- Simple to assemble.
- Easy to Clean
- Runs Quiet (Won’t interrupt your sleep)
- Can customize the flow of water
Cons:
- Hard to see the volume markings (Min/Max level lines)
- Shows watermarks easily
- The filter clogs up quite fast
What I like about the PetSafe Stainless Steel Cat Water Fountain
This fountain is perfect for those that need a large size. This bad boy has a 128-ounce capacity. Which is ideal if you have multiple cats or maybe one big cat, that loves drinking.
You will be happy to know that it is simple to put together and also a doddle to clean it. One of the things I love about this is the volume levels. I mean, it runs very quite.
You will like the fact that it is so quiet. No worries about it interrupting your sleep. In addition to this, you can also adjust the flow of water to make it even more relaxed.
What I do NOT like about the PetSafe Stainless Steel Cat Water Fountain
Unfortunately, like anything, there are some things I don’t like, that I need to share with you. Firstly, the volume level markings. They are quite hard to see. Don’t get me wrong, in the scheme of things, this is a minor issue. But, it’s still worth mentioning.
Also, like a lot of the stainless steel offerings, it leaves some noticeable watermarks. Finally, regarding the filter. You will need to keep on top of the maintenance because it has a tendency to build up quite quickly.
03. Beacon Pet Stainless Steel Cat Water Fountain
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Pros:
- Very Quiet
- Easy to clean
- Easy to clean the water pump
- Light indicator (Shows how much water is left inside)
- Flow settings for the water
Cons:
- The light Indicator is quite bright. (distracting & attracts flies)
- Needs regular cleaning.
What I like about the Beacon Pet water fountain
Firstly, this fountain is nice and quiet. You will love it for this alone. It makes a big difference. Also, it is very easy to clean it, which makes life a lot easier. In particular, the water pump is easy to get to and clean.
It also has a handy light indicator that lets you know how much water is left inside. Finally, it has the ability to adjust the water flow, which is great.
What I do NOT like about Beacon Pet water fountain
A couple of things I don’t like, that I need to mention. Firstly, while the light indicator is helpful, it is a gift and a curse. Meaning, the light is quite bright and annoying. Another little annoyance is the fact that little flies tend to make a bee-line (excuse the pun!) for the bright light.
Finally, be prepared to clean this on a regular basis. This is not a really bad thing, because you should be doing this anyway. But, I feel it seems more than expected with this device.