Cat Water Fountains: Do Cats Drink More? Two Studies Explained
A cat water fountain can encourage drinking in some cats, with results that vary by individual. Cornell's Feline Health Center describes that variation. Two small controlled studies help explain the evidence: a home study's initial drinking difference became nonsignificant after a diet-related exclusion, and a longer laboratory comparison found similar group averages. The useful takeaway is to offer accessible water and understand your own cat's response. Cornell: Hydration Grant: Results Robbins et al.: Results
For a useful reading of fountain research, keep three questions together: Which cats took part? How was drinking measured? What changed in the results? That approach helps you choose a drinking setup with realistic expectations for your own cat.
How did the two studies compare water sources?
Both studies used a crossover design. Each cat experienced more than one water setup in separate periods, so researchers could compare the same cat across conditions. One study took place in owners' homes; the other used a controlled laboratory environment.
| Study detail | Grant, 2010 | Robbins and colleagues, 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Participants | 13 healthy pet cats enrolled; 12 completed. | 16 healthy laboratory cats enrolled; 14 completed. |
| Setting | Indoor, single-cat homes with no other pets. | Individually housed cats in a controlled environment. |
| Water presentations | A regular bowl and a fountain. | Still, circulating, and free-falling water. |
| Adjustment and measurement | Seven days to become familiar with the fountain; two consecutive 24-hour measurements per setup, with 14 days between the bowl and fountain measurements. | Seven days of adjustment followed by 14 consecutive measurement days for each presentation. |
| Diet | Cats continued their usual food; one cat's diet changed between conditions. | The same dry food was offered throughout. |
| Original source | Grant: Methods and Results | Robbins et al.: Methods and Results |
Both studies randomized the order of the setups. A crossover comparison follows the same cat over different periods; each study supplied one water presentation at a time. These schedules describe how researchers collected evidence. At home, keep fresh water available and follow care guidance for your cat. Grant: Procedures Robbins et al.: Experimental design
The home study reflects a familiar household setting. The laboratory study controlled more of the environment and collected more days of measurements. Reading the two together helps explain why design matters when comparing results.
What did the home study find?
David C. Grant's study, published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery in 2010, reported average drinking of 31.6 ± 13.5 mL/kg/day from the fountain and 22.9 ± 10.2 mL/kg/day from the bowl in the 12 cats that completed it. These values are means ± standard deviations (SD); SD describes the spread of the measured values. The initial difference was statistically significant, with P = .0381. Grant: Results and Table 1
One of the 13 enrolled cats was withdrawn after an adverse response to the fountain, including refusal to drink. The reported averages describe the 12 cats that completed both conditions. Grant: Results
The researcher also checked what happened when the cat whose diet changed between conditions was excluded. That cat received canned food alongside dry food during the bowl condition, but dry food alone during the fountain condition. After its exclusion, the drinking difference was no longer statistically significant. This sensitivity analysis asks whether a result holds when a potentially important difference is removed. Keep it alongside the initial averages when judging how firmly the finding applies. Grant: Results
What did the laboratory study find?
Robbins and colleagues' study, published in the same journal in 2019, enrolled 16 cats; two were excluded during the first adjustment period because of intermittent vomiting. The following daily drinking averages describe the 14 completers. The same dry diet was offered throughout, and water intake was measured by weight with checks for spillage and evaporation. Robbins et al.: Methods and Results
| Water presentation | Drinking water, mean ± SD (mL/kg/day) |
|---|---|
| Still | 27.5 ± 5.8 |
| Circulating | 26.3 ± 7.3 |
| Free-falling | 26.1 ± 6.5 |
Values are rounded to one decimal place from the original table. The overall difference between water presentations was not statistically significant (P = .942). A P value describes statistical evidence under the study's analysis; it is not a percentage change in drinking. Robbins et al.: Table 1
Three cats showed significant differences between particular setups: one drank more from circulating than still water, one from free-falling than circulating water, and one from still than circulating water. These were differences in measured drinking across separate periods. The findings illustrate individual variation even when group averages are similar. Offer choices with your own cat's comfortable use in mind. Robbins et al.: Table 3
What did the urine measurements add?
The researchers measured urine as well as drinking. Osmolality and specific gravity are measures of urine concentration. Grant found no significant difference in urine osmolality between the fountain and bowl conditions (P = .6579). In the Robbins study, urine volume and specific gravity showed no significant differences. Neither did the relative supersaturation values for calcium oxalate or struvite, which describe the urine's chemical environment for crystal formation. Grant: Results Robbins et al.: Results
The Robbins study did find higher urine osmolality with circulating water than with either still or free-falling water (P = .009 for both comparisons). The authors described the clinical significance as unclear because the drinking averages were similar. These results concern measured urine characteristics in healthy cats; treatment decisions for a cat with a medical condition belong with its veterinarian. Robbins et al.: Results and Discussion
Four checks for reading the next fountain-study headline
- Find the number of cats that completed the comparison. Enrollment and completion differ in both studies. Multiple days of measurements give more information about those cats, rather than increasing the number of cats studied.
- Read the diet and setting. A result from individually housed cats eating one dry food answers a different question from a result observed in separate homes. Food moisture is part of the water picture. Cornell: Hydration
- Match the claim to the outcome. Drinking water, total water from food plus drinking, and urine measurements describe different things. These tables report drinking water per kilogram of body weight per day. Keep those study values in their research context.
- Keep the main result and its qualification together. Grant's initial difference belongs alongside the diet sensitivity analysis. Robbins' similar group averages belong alongside individual differences and the urine-osmolality exception. Grant: Results and Discussion Robbins et al.: Results and Discussion
Both studies used methods to account for water lost through spillage and evaporation. Grant also discussed water retained in the fountain system and the difficulty of fully capturing splashes. A reservoir level is therefore one observation; a research estimate of drinking requires additional measurements. Grant: Procedures and Discussion Robbins et al.: Water intake analysis
Use the evidence to plan a useful water station
A fountain can provide a dedicated moving-water option for a cat that enjoys it. VCA Animal Hospitals includes a fountain among its practical drinking suggestions, and Cornell emphasizes fresh water that cats can access easily. VCA: Tip 7 Cornell: Hydration
Keep your cat's familiar water source available while offering another choice, follow the fountain's care instructions, and pay attention to comfortable, voluntary drinking. Food belongs in the picture too: Cornell explains that cats receive water from both drinking and meals. Your veterinarian can help interpret your cat's individual hydration needs. Cornell: Hydration
For a dedicated station at home, explore the Sovelivee stainless steel cat water fountain. Choose a spot your cat can reach comfortably and build the model's water-check and cleaning instructions into your routine.
For the wider topic, see our cat water fountain research guide.
Prepared for Sovelivee from published research and veterinary guidance. The studies described here concern water presentation in healthy cats.
Common questions
What is a crossover study?
Each participant experiences more than one condition in separate study periods. In these studies, that let researchers compare a cat's drinking across water presentations. Grant: Methods Robbins et al.: Methods
Are these averages a daily drinking target for my cat?
Use the numbers to understand the study conditions. Your cat's overall water intake also includes food moisture, and individual needs depend on its circumstances. Ask your veterinarian about an appropriate plan for your cat. Cornell: Hydration
Why did one study report an increase and the other report similar averages?
Read the different settings, diets, and measurement periods alongside the numbers. The home study's initial increase became nonsignificant after excluding one cat whose diet changed. The laboratory study found no significant overall drinking difference across three presentations. These details explain the reports without treating either average as a promise for every cat. Grant: Results Robbins et al.: Results
Does a nonsignificant result mean every cat responded the same way?
Individual responses can vary. Robbins and colleagues reported similar group averages and three cats with significant pairwise differences in drinking. Those findings describe different levels of the data: the group and the individual. Robbins et al.: Tables 1 and 3
Research support
Grant's study received an internal university research grant and donated equipment. The Robbins study received commercial funding and a later equipment donation. Both papers describe the supporters as having no influence on their reported results; Robbins also states no influence on study design or reporting. These disclosures help readers assess the research alongside its methods. Grant: Acknowledgements Robbins et al.: Funding and footnotes
Sources
- Grant DC. Effect of water source on intake and urine concentration in healthy cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2010;12(6):431–434. DOI: 10.1016/j.jfms.2009.10.008.
- Robbins MT and colleagues. Quantified water intake in laboratory cats from still, free-falling and circulating water bowls, and its effects on selected urinary parameters. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2019;21(8):682–690. DOI: 10.1177/1098612X18803753.
- Cornell Feline Health Center: Hydration. Guidance on food moisture, accessible water, and individual preferences; page last updated 2021.
- VCA Animal Hospitals: How to Get Your Cat to Drink More Water. Tip 7: introducing a fountain as a drinking option.
- Sovelivee: Stainless Steel Cat Water Fountain. Product information.