Cat Water Station (fountain Alternative)

[CommonCatOwner]

I want to provide clean water for my cat. Pet fountains are expensive and difficult to maintain. I read a post about using an aquarium filter in a bucket of water as a makeshift water source for cats. Expanding on this it seemed simple enough to put together something similar. The root of this is an Aqueon Quietflow Internal Power Filter. Thus far it has done a great job at moving and filtering water. So much can be done with its filter system and output. I threw together some thrift store stuff along with a bit of vermiculite and cat grass mix to make a watering station. After owning a PetSafe Drinkwell Mini and dealing with the expenses and frustration and not wanting to pay so much more for the same experience the only solution was DIY. What are y'alls thoughts about using an aquarium filter for drinking water? Is there a better option? I am interested in learning what everyone thinks.

 

[duckpond]

I don't know, i think my cats would have the grass and dirt torn out and mixed in the water all the time. My guys have no manners But it does look like a very cleaver set up.

I have some big wide water bowls i use, just clean and refill daily. and i have a few water fountains. I have had the drinkwell mini in the past, it was hard to clean. I have two now that were pretty cheap, and they are both easy to clean. I use the charcoal filters and just tear them down once a week or so, clean and refill. Occasionally i wont use the filters, and then i just dump the fountain, give it a really good rinse with the spray attachment in the shower, and refill with refrigerator filtered water. I find both of these easy to clean i think my cats prefer the pet safe. but they like the you think too, and it is totally quiet. the pet safe is pretty quiet too, but i cant even hear the you think fountain.

 

[Neo_23]

Another option is to feed all wet food - then your cat won't need to drink from a water hole.

 

[CommonCatOwner]

Another option is to feed all wet food - then your cat won't need to drink from a water hole.

The cat does not respond well to all wet food. I don't know why. Currently dry food plus a little re-hydrated freeze dried raw along with drinking water seems to be best. I wish it was as simple as feeding all wet food, haha!

duckpond - The grass is basically decoration. He doesn't care for it and it won't be replaced. I have at least 2 water bowls out for him which he drinks from and regularly swap out the water. It still doesn't seem very appealing to him having standing water that sits out. The Drinkwell was OK but it didn't really seem to filter water and was constantly dirty. I looked into other fountains and it seemed like it would be the same. This aquarium filter seems to work well and can be adjusted a great deal and used in many containers. I want to find a middle ground between water bowls and pet fountains in terms of functionality, cleanliness, and appearance.

 

[duckpond]

The cat does not respond well to all wet food. I don't know why. Currently dry food plus a little re-hydrated freeze dried raw along with drinking water seems to be best. I wish it was as simple as feeding all wet food, haha!

duckpond - The grass is basically decoration. He doesn't care for it and it won't be replaced. I have at least 2 water bowls out for him which he drinks from and regularly swap out the water. It still doesn't seem very appealing to him having standing water that sits out. The Drinkwell was OK but it didn't really seem to filter water and was constantly dirty. I looked into other fountains and it seemed like it would be the same. This aquarium filter seems to work well and can be adjusted a great deal and used in many containers. I want to find a middle ground between water bowls and pet fountains in terms of functionality, cleanliness, and appearance.

If it works for your cat then great! I just know mine and the would dig all the grass up and make a mess, they love cat grass lol. The fountains i have now don't seem to be dirty, especially if i use the filters and wash them every week. Often i will dump during the middle of the week, give a rinse, not tear down, and refill, as the cats like cold water

However even if your cat eats all wet food it still needs a good clean source of fresh water. They can get most of the water they need from wet food, but not all of it. check the link below.

How Much Water do Cats Need | petMD

 

[Neo_23]

However even if your cat eats all wet food it still needs a good clean source of fresh water. They can get most of the water they need from wet food, but not all of it. check the link below.

How Much Water do Cats Need | petMD

I think this article is using a very specific hypothetical example to deduce that cats can't get all of the water they need on an all wet diet. I think it will all depend on how much wet food you are feeding and on the cat (its size, activity level, etc.).

Personally, I think it's unnatural for a cat to have to go to a water hole to drink. Modern domestic cats are descended from desert animals, they are intended to receive hydration from their food source. I think if a cat is drinking lots of water from a bowl it means they are not well hydrated.

Every cat I have ever had has ate all wet and never drank from a water bowl.

 

[duckpond]

I think this article is using a very specific hypothetical example to deduce that cats can't get all of the water they need on an all wet diet. I think it will all depend on how much wet food you are feeding and on the cat (its size, activity level, etc.).

Personally, I think it's unnatural for a cat to have to go to a water hole to drink. Modern domestic cats are descended from desert animals, they are intended to receive hydration from their food source. I think if a cat is drinking lots of water from a bowl it means they are not well hydrated.

Every cat I have ever had has ate all wet and never drank from a water bowl.

I dont know, about all cats, i know some wild cats drink...lol or at least i have seen them do so on nature shows
my cats that primarily eat wet dont drink as much as the ones who eat more dry, this is true. But i still see them at the bowl, or fountain from time to time. i would be afraid not to have water available, if and when they want it. i figure any way we can get more fluids in them the better.

 

[Neo_23]

I dont know, about all cats, i know some wild cats drink...lol or at least i have seen them do so on nature shows
my cats that primarily eat wet dont drink as much as the ones who eat more dry, this is true. But i still see them at the bowl, or fountain from time to time. i would be afraid not to have water available, if and when they want it. i figure any way we can get more fluids in them the better.

I agree that we should always have water available. I just notice that my cats never go near their water when they eat all wet. I guess all I'm trying to say is if someone is worried about water intake they should try to feed all wet - it's a better way of getting a cat hydrated than water fountains.

 

[duckpond]

I agree that we should always have water available. I just notice that my cats never go near their water when they eat all wet. I guess all I'm trying to say is if someone is worried about water intake they should try to feed all wet - it's a better way of getting a cat hydrated than water fountains.

True

 

[Kat0121]

I agree that we should always have water available. I just notice that my cats never go near their water when they eat all wet. I guess all I'm trying to say is if someone is worried about water intake they should try to feed all wet - it's a better way of getting a cat hydrated than water fountains.

Mine eat all wet and do drink water

 

[CommonCatOwner]

Feeding a cat wet food for moisture is pointless when none of it is absorbed and ends up in the litter box. It would be great if my cat could handle a wet food only diet. Because he eats dry food mostly and drinks water I would like to provide nice resources. I don't think it would be good to keep trying to have him on an all wet food diet when the results are always negative.

 

[duckpond]

Feeding a cat wet food for moisture is pointless when none of it is absorbed and ends up in the litter box. It would be great if my cat could handle a wet food only diet. Because he eats dry food mostly and drinks water I would like to provide nice resources. I don't think it would be good to keep trying to have him on an all wet food diet when the results are always negative.

all cats are different. wet is great if you can feed it, and they can eat it. I have one that absolutely refuses, so kibble for her. my others eat wet and dry, but my one little girl, mostly all dry. at least she does drink well You have to feed what they can, and will eat

 

[Neo_23]

Feeding a cat wet food for moisture is pointless when none of it is absorbed and ends up in the litter box. It would be great if my cat could handle a wet food only diet. Because he eats dry food mostly and drinks water I would like to provide nice resources. I don't think it would be good to keep trying to have him on an all wet food diet when the results are always negative.

I’m confused. Are you saying that your cat’s urine is dilute or that he gets diarrhea on wet food? If it’s diarrhea then it’s not due to there being moisture in the food (if it was, your cat would have a medical condition. It’s not normal for hydration to cause diarrhea in cats). It’s likely because your cat can’t handle some ingredient in the wet foods that you’ve tried.

 

[CommonCatOwner]

I’m confused. Are you saying that your cat’s urine is dilute or that he gets diarrhea on wet food? If it’s diarrhea then it’s not due to there being moisture in the food (if it was, your cat would have a medical condition. It’s not normal for hydration to cause diarrhea in cats). It’s likely because your cat can’t handle some ingredient in the wet foods that

Not diarrhea exactly but close to it. I have tried a few different brands of canned wet food and the results are similar. Even when I add water to freeze dried food if it soaks too much he will have a reaction. The same nuggets fed with very little or no water don't have the same negative effect. At this point I don't think it is proper to keep testing canned wet food. It may be a medical condition because even before I adopted him he was having issues as a very young kitten.