Laika Aqua Cat Water Fountain is one of the best we’ve tried.

Paws News for Cat Lovers is always eager to try new products that will benefit our cat’s physical and emotional health, so when Laika reached out to us to try their cat water fountain, we jumped at the chance to get a free cat water fountain in exchange for an honest review.

Disclosure: Paws News for Cat Lovers received this product for free in exchange for an honest review. Although the product was free, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.

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Buy your Aqua Cat Water Fountain

To be exact, the product we received was the LAIKA Aqua Pet Water Fountain 91oz/2.7L Cat Water Fountain Drinking Fountain.

Getting cats to drink enough water can be a challenge. As they are descendants of desert animals, drinking water is not something they like to do, but they need to drink enough water to stay healthy.

But getting cats to drink more water can be challenging. Cats are inherently desert hunters, and historically, they would have gotten most of their water from their prey such as mice or other rodents, not by drinking water.

As more and more felines have become inside-only cats, they are not getting that much-needed water from their prey. It is our job as responsible pet guardians to make sure they stay hydrated to avoid dehydration and its detrimental side effects.

How much water do cats normally drink?

How do we know if our cats are drinking enough water?

Typically, cats need between 3.5 to 4.5 ounces of water per 5 pounds of body weight per day.

If you have a 10-pound cat, they should consume between 7–9 ounces of water – about half an average bottle of water. Keep in mind, the key here is consuming, not drinking, as cats don’t need to get all their water just from drinking. 

A can of wet food is about 70–80% water. So, if your cat is eating wet food, they might get between 3.85–4.4 ounces of water from a single can (an average 5.5 once can). That’s half their daily water right there. But they still need the other half to keep in optimal health.

So we shouldn’t worry if we don’t see them at the water bowl or fountain several times a day.

Keep watch for dehydration

Dehydration in cats is typically caused by the cat not drinking enough water or by excessive water loss. Cats can also lose moisture by sweating small amounts through their paws but this does not usually cause drastic water loss. Dehydration could be brought about by many different factors like:

• Diabetes
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Heatstroke
• Hot weather or overheating
• Trauma
• Vomiting

To help your cat maintain healthy hydration, ensure that they can always access fresh water 24/7.

How to tell if your cat is dehydrated and not drinking enough water

Our cats cannot tell us they are not feeling well, in pain, or want more fluids. Therefore, it is up to us cat guardians to tune into our cat’s habits. Signs of dehydration in cats include:

• Loss of energy
• Panting
• Refusal to eat
• Sunken eyes
• Tacky and dry gums

How to use skin tenting to tell is your cat is dehydrated

Skin tenting is an ideal way to find out if your cat is dehydrated.

• Take a small portion of your cat’s skin around their shoulders, pull it up, and then let go.

• If your cat is hydrated, the skin will snap back into place quickly.

• If the skin falls back down slowly, your cat could be dehydrated.

• If your cat’s skin remains up in a tent position and does not fall back down, it can be a sign of severe dehydration. Go to your veterinarian as soon as possible.

More tips about cat water fountains

Once you’ve chosen a water fountain, read the instructions and set it up in a prominent area of your home. Cats in the wild drag their food away from their water source, so it’s best to set the fountain up across the room from any food dishes.

Don’t remove your cat’s previous water source right away. Cats sometimes time to get used to something new, and it’s important that your cat can still go back and get water from her old dish. Once you see your cat reliably drinking from the fountain several times per day, you can remove the old bowl.

Why water fountains are good for cats

We rank the Aqua Cat Water Fountain as one of the best, and getting kitties to drink more water is essential to their good health.

Here’s why a water fountain is a good investment for your cat:

• Cats do not like drinking from stagnant water sources. (So chances are, they are not that keen on that bowl of water sitting on the floor for days at a time.)
• Cats are very cautious of what they ingest. (As cats are picky eaters, they are also picky when it comes to drinking water.)
• Cats have a relatively low thirst drive. (As cats aren’t motivated to drink water, we, humans, need to find a way to entice them to drink more water)

Some things to look for in water fountains

Here’s a checklist of some things you should look for when purchasing your water fountain:

• They are ceramic or some other material that will not hold bacteria.
• They have wide drinking surfaces.
• Their constant water flow inhibits bacterial growth.
• Their filters remove bad tastes and odors. (We can only guess at the taste, but we can be in tune for odors or the water not looking fresh and clean,)

Why we feel the Aqua Pet Water Fountain is it one of the best

Things we really liked and why we think the Aqua Cat Water Fountain is one of the best:

• It’s quiet, so quiet, you would never know it was running, and the noise is not going to frighten your cat.

• It’s a wide drinking surface. No need to worry about the cat’s whiskers getting pulled back.

• The water moves constantly. Mind you, it is not a rush of water. It is quietly moving and circulating. This inhibits bacterial growth.

• As the water just circulates and does not mimic a sink faucet, it will not scare skittish cats.

• It comes with 2 filters, so you don’t have to wait for your order to come in when the filter needs to be replaced.

• It was easy to put together, mostly pre-assembled.

• The lights display is right beside the water, so it is easy to see when you need to add water to the cat water fountain.

• The lights also let you know when you need to replace the filter. (We love this feature.)

• The water tank is separate, and can be filled and then inserted into the fountain. (However, this feature has its pros and cons, and the part of the dislikes are listed in the cons section.
• The water fountain’s small size makes it ideal to elevate on a stand or countertop.
• It’s easy to clean.
• It environmentally friendly with an energy saving mode.
• And it keeps your cat’s water, fresh, clean, and free of bacteria and debris.

All of these reasons contribute to why we think the Aqua Cat Water Fountain is one of the best.

Cons: Things we didn’t like:

• Even though the water tank is well-marked, it’s easy to spill on the floor when inserting it into the fountain. (We keep our fountains elevated on a table or counter top so clean-up is easy.)
  • The filter disengages easily.
• Instructions were not clear on how to re-attach the water filter to the fountain. (It really is quite easy, but it took some internet searching to find the answer. Would suggest, including the location of the water filter and how to attach and replace in the instructions.)

The Aqua Cat Water Fountain is one of the best. Here’s why.

Now, let’s talk about some of the Aqua Cat Water Fountain’s features.

The size makes it ideal for multi-cat households.

Because it holds 91 ounces or 2.7 liters of water, the water fountain is unlikely to run out of water too quickly.

This is a rather large capacity that works perfectly for all pet sizes.

It comes in two modes to cater to your pet’s needs.

• The circulation mode, also known as regular mode. ensures no bacterial growth, keeping the water clean.

• The environmental protection mode (eco mode), saves energy, making it more energy-efficient. To switch to the eco mode, you simply double-tap on the button.

Quadruple Filtration System and UV Germicidal Light

This feature contributes to making the Aqua Cat Water Fountain one of the best.

To keep out any dirt, the water pump has a mesh to quadruple purifying filter. This ensures that your pet only takes clean water free of any debris, contributing to the Laika Aqua Pet Water Fountain’s commitment to keeping your cat healthy and happy.

Other features include:

• It has a coconut shell activated carbon filter that removes organic compounds and sediments.

• The ion exchange resin removes any excess magnesium and calcium.

• The UV Germicidal light inside the water tank keeps the water thoroughly clean giving the water a 99.99% super sterilization rate.

Clean water is more palatable to cats, who are particular about what they eat and consume.

Change the filter every two to three weeks. Be sure the replacement filters are for this water fountain.

Laika Aqua Pet Water Fountain is optimized to work automatically. That is good for our cats because we can’t always be there to be sure the water fountain is working properly.

Whenever the water in the tank is too low, the pump automatically stops working.

As mentioned in the pros, we really liked the lights. They tell us when we need to do something.

There are three smart indicator lights;

1. One for sterilization. (The sterilization light turns red when the water is automatically sterilizing.)
2. A filter replacement prompt. (The filter replacements prompt light turns on to remind you of fountain filter changing.)
3. And water shortage warning. (This let’s you know when it’s time to add more water.)

If you liked this post, you might want to read:

• Does your cat drink enough water?

You may also want to check out some of our other product reviews:

Check out our other product reviews

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• Smart Cat Litter is the best
• Zen Clipper clips tip of cat’s claws, not the quick
• Pet Remedy calmed my cats when going to the vet
• Let’s Talk About Cats (a book review)
• Celebrating Cats All Year-Long (a book review)

You may also want to purchase our beautifully, illustrated cat book, ‘Who Needs Men, I’ve Got Cats’, a parody of the dating game, now available on Amazon.