Automatic Pet Waterer

Providing plenty of fresh water to your pets, especially when you are away from home is even more important than food. Your dog or cat will not starve to death with little or no food for a day or two but lack of water can cause dehydration and other severe health problems quite fast in animals, especially in hot weather conditions.

Automatic water dispensers are a very good idea for pet owners, not only when you are away from home, but also if you don't want to run around filling water bowls all day long or run the risk of leaving your pets without water.

I really hope that my review on the best pet waterers and water fountains will help you reach an informed decision on which kind of pet water dispenser is best suited to your needs and most importantly, to the needs of your furry friends.

Photo credit: dogs-n-more.blogspot.gr

A water dispenser is essentially a large water container connected to a water bowl. You fill the container with water and the unit dispenses water on demand to your pets. This way, depending on the size of the container or reservoir, you don't have to provide fresh water to your pets more than once or twice a week. Waterers are especially helpful if you are often away from home and don't want to to leave large bowls of water lying around which might be tipped over, dirtied or wasted in more than one ways, leaving your dog or cat with no fresh water to drink.

Water fountains on the other hand are electrically operated appliances which feature a water reservoir connected to the water bowl through a small electric pump mechanism. The water is filtered and recycled and constatly replenishes the water bowl as if coming from a water faucet.

If you are wondering wether to choose a simple waterer or a water fountain, I would say it depends a lot on the kind of pets you have. Dogs are much less fussy than cats and they don't mind drinking water that may be slightly stale or slightly messy. If you only have dogs, especially large dogs, I would recommend a top rated large waterer.

After reading all of the product reviews on Amazon, I finally opted for this one and couldn't be happier. It is large, with a 2,5 gallon water capacity, perfect for my large golden retriever who can never have enough water on hot summer days! The stainless steel bowl is easy to keep sparkling clean and the large opening makes cleaning the appliance very easy, not to mention that you can always pop it in the dishwasher if you prefer! This automatic pet waterer has saved me, as I was always worried that my pets would go thirsty if I left the house for more than a day or so.

For more options on automatic dog and cat feeders and waterers click here.

Cats on the other hand, are another story. It is not true that cats do not like water. They do not like getting wet (although some cats don't even mind that) but they are fascinated by the sight and sound of running water. How many times have you seen your cat perched on the bathtub watching you have a bath, or by the sink while you are brushing your teeth trying to catch the water with its paws? Has your cat ever tried to drink out of the toilet???? Cats just love to drink moving, running water and they love to play with it as well! So in the case of cats I would definitely recommend a good quality water fountain. Apart from making your cat happy, it will also encourage it to drink more water and this is essential to keep cats healthy, especially if they are mainly fed on dry cat food which has very low moisture content.

I really laughed watching this one! My cat did exactly the same the first time!

Would you choose a simple waterer or a water fountain for your pets?