As soon as you become aware that drinking additional water is essential for the health of your cat and that a cat water fountain is a great method of encouraging your pet to down more water, you next step should be to come to a decision as to which water fountain is best suited for your cat.
When choosing a model and make of your cat water fountain, the two primary considerations should be what material is used to make the water fountain and how your pet prefers drinking. Below we will take a look at the two of these components in great detail, so that you will be able to choose the cat water fountain that is best suited to your beloved pet:
Construction of Cat Water Fountain
The water fountains are available in either ceramic, stainless steel or plastic. There are even distinctions in the fountains that are made of plastic, seeing that a number of them are made out of cheap plastics which easily scratch, while the others that are made out of higher grade, better quality plastics are a great deal more durable.
As a general rule, you are strongly encouraged you to purchase cat water fountain which is made out of either stainless steel or ceramic and to steer clear of water fountains which are made out of plastic. Every one of the water fountains have some amount of plastic construction, typically around the motor housing or pump. However, the essential thing is to stay away from cat water fountains which have plastic drinking surfaces or bowls; anywhere that the skin of your cat might touch. There are quite a lot of reasons for this; two of which are listed below:
A number of cats could experience extreme skin reaction to the plastic. However, it has not been made clear whether it is an allergy reaction to the plastic itself or whether it is as a result of the fungal and bacterial toxins which are typically harbored in the scratches that are made in the plastic. Whatever the case may be, the reactions could range from a mild skin irritation, which normally comes up on the chin and is referred to as chin acne, to severe infections which require antibiotics and cleansing.
Secondly, it is just about impossible to stay away from scratches being developed in the plastic. Plastics that are of a higher grade and more expensive are usually more resistant to scratching; however, eventually thoroughly cleaning the cat water fountain will produce scratches and allow an opportunity for bacterial growth.