Best pet water fountains: six fountains from 2 to 7.5 litres compared on capacity, filter, power and material

The fountain most UK cats have drunk from: 3 litres, a flower-shaped top that gives three different flows depending on how the petal piece is fitted, a triple-action filter (cotton, carbon and ion-exchange resin) that Catit says to change every 30 days, and a small mains pump. Light, cheap, two-year warranty by the listing.

The bowl is plastic, and the pump’s cable runs to a plug.

For a first fountain and one cat, it is the standard choice.

Catit’s cat-shaped fountain: 2.5 litres, a pump that runs from a 5 V USB adapter at under a watt, a window in the front showing the water level and a nose that flashes red when it is low, three drinking spots in a shallow whisker-friendly bowl, and the same triple-action filter. The pump detaches for cleaning.

Half a litre less than the Flower, and Catit quotes two different sizes and weights for it on its own pages.

For an owner who wants to see the level from across the room, and USB power that a power bank can run in a cut, it is the one.

A cascade: the pump lifts 2 litres to a top bowl and the water runs down a ramp through three levels, so a kitten, a cat and a small dog each find their height and a tap-drinker finds a stream. The polymer-carbon filter and the pump are cleaned monthly, the bowls go in the dishwasher, and the pump is low-voltage with a 3 m lead to a transformer at the plug. Three-year guarantee on the fountain, twelve months on the pump.

Two litres, and a ramp has more surfaces to scrub than a bowl.

For a cat that wants running water rather than a pool, it is the one.

A ceramic tower pours a stream into a wide, clear, impact-resistant bowl: 3 litres, PetSafe’s carbon filter (every two to four weeks) and foam filter (every four to six), a submersible pump, and parts that go on the top shelf of the dishwasher. The wide bowl suits a Persian or a small dog.

The bowl is copolyester plastic, not ceramic; there are two filters to keep in stock; and PetSafe publishes no dimensions.

For a flat-faced cat, or a kitchen where the fountain will be looked at, it is the one.

The big one: 7.5 litres in a long open bowl, a free-falling stream whose strength you set by knob from near-silent to a pour, foam and carbon filters, top-rack dishwasher safe, 40 centimetres long and 2.2 kg by the listing, two-year warranty.

It needs 40 centimetres of floor and is plastic throughout.

For two or three cats, or a medium dog, it is the only one here with enough water.

Cordless: a stainless bowl on a rechargeable base, charged by the USB cable in the box, 2 litres by the listing, multi-stage filtration, three-year guarantee. Closer Pets’ page for this model was not read, and the listing’s component list contradicts its own title, so every fact is flagged.

Battery run time is not stated anywhere we could check.

For a landing or hallway with no socket, where a cable cannot go, it is the option; buy it knowing the figures are the listing’s.