Does one need to wash and sterilize a water fountain every day?

[kaylee892015]

I have a filtered water fountain, the filter is replaced regularly, according to what the instructions on the filters say. I have two cats and they are fed raw. Is it necessary to clean and sterilize the fountain everyday? What about changing the water? I also have some other water bowls around, how often is is necessary to wash and change the water in those? I've tried to look it up on google but I got nothing, even on raw food websites I've looked into.

 

[roguethecat]

probably depends on how dirty they get. If you look at wild cats living anywhere, they cheerfully drink out of puddles, and their immune system thanks them for it. My Rascal prefers the neighbor's goldfish pond to the fountain or bowls. The goldfish do poop into this pond, mind you.

I have several bowls here and honestly change water whenever I remember, or about twice a week. My sister's cats eat a lot of kibble and their water bowls are always dirty, so they get changed daily.

 

[happybird]

We got our first fountain about 6 months ago and the cats love it. But, I noticed something very weird- a clear, Vaseline-looking goo quickly builds up in the filters and pump and can restrict the water flow after just a few days. At first, I thought it was a lubricant the manufacturer put on the internal parts to protect them or something like that- but it kept coming back. So, I googled and on Amazon reviwes for all sorts of pet fountains people were reporting the same thing. Some scientist in the comments section explained that it's a type of bio-film caused by bacteria, and compared it to how plaque grows on teeth It's pretty freaky how fast and thick it accumulates.

I tried washing the bowl every day, but that didn't help. Within 5 days, the pump was noticably moving less water. Bottled water goos everything up faster because it doesn't contain the amount of chlorine tap water does. The only thing that has helped is entirely disassembling the fountain every 5 days, thoroughly rinsing out both filters, and using a plastic toothpick to clean the vent slots and any other little gaps and spaces on the pump. That is when I scrub everything down with dishsoap and hot water. Otherwise, I just dump and refill the bowl with fresh water everyday. Using tap water has definitely cut down on the goo production. Even with all this, apparently I wasn't getting the pump cleaned out enough. When I broke it down a couple days ago for a full scrubbing, I managed to shake (with a whipping motion) about 2 teaspoons of goo out of the little slots in the pump. I was absolutely flabbergasted by the amount.

But, all the disassembling and scrubbing is so worth it! All my cats are drinking a lot more now and their clumps in the box are almost twice the size they were before we got the fountain. Like rougethecat said, how often you clean will depend on how your cats use the bowl. I just wanted to pass along what I learned about the freaky clear goo, in case it shows up in your fountain, too!

 

[di and bob]

I had that 'goo' too, but using reverse osmosis water and cleaning every part with a brush and soapy water once a week kept it at bay. I always took the pump apart too and used a small brush inside. I changed the filter once a month.  You might try distilled or RO water, I found that the Goo returned when my RO filters needed replaced once a year,  it sounds like filtered water is not removing something. I also add a little Oratene drinking water additive which helps to remove 'biofilm' and bacteria from my cats teeth, I have never had a dental problem since I started using it years ago. My vet always comments on how clean my cats teeth are. It was the ONLY one my cats accepted and would drink. It may have had something to do with inhibiting the film too. 

 

[kaylee892015]

I use filtered water in the fountain and I actually do fully disassemble the thing once a week for a full rinsing and scrubbing with vinegar as I too have noticed the slime. I was just wondering if there is a specific raw meat cross contamination that occures from their mouths to the water foubtain them eating the raw meat. I'm starting to think I'm thinking a little too far into it haha. Considering it's not mentioned on any site I've looked on, and google searchs haven't came up with any results. I'm a major clean freak so I tend to read to far into things like this.. I mean they lick themselves and then lick themselves again later and they've always been fine haha. And that is more cross contamination then the fountain would get anyway. Thank god I won't have to be adding that to the amount of dishwashing I already have to do.
Real love is feeding your cats a raw food diet that you make from scratch...... when you don't own a dishwasher :| lol

 

[missmimz]

I change out the water in my fountains once a week. I don't typically wash it with soap I just give it a good rinse and or scrub it down if it's extra slobbery from my dog. 

 

[jkuras]

Hi:  I have a cat fountain, made of strong plastic.  I do not use the filter.  I change it daily.  But it develops a strange yellow like dirt.  I scrub it off as much as possible.  I am not sure what it is.  I do not know if they make the fountains in other materials that don't stain.

Does anyone else have this problem?  I cannot remove all the yellow as it is in places I can't reach easily.

Joyce

 

[LTS3]

Fountain_sm.jpg

• LTS3
• Oct 13, 2016

The staining could be caused by minerals in the water which leves a residue on the plastic. Plastic is porus so it's hard to completely clean away stains.

 

[missmimz]

 
Hi:  I have a cat fountain, made of strong plastic.  I do not use the filter.  I change it daily.  But it develops a strange yellow like dirt.  I scrub it off as much as possible.  I am not sure what it is.  I do not know if they make the fountains in other materials that don't stain.

Does anyone else have this problem?  I cannot remove all the yellow as it is in places I can't reach easily.

Joyce

Are you using filtered water? I have a plastic fountain for my outside cats (that's kept on my porch out of sunlight) and it never develops any stains, but i use filtered water in it. 

 

[jkuras]

Hi, no I am not using filtered water.  Will try that.  

Joyce