This $50 cat fountain from Chewy is the only way my 2 picky cats will drink water, and it’s shaped like a UFO

My cats are not usually picky about much, but they hate one thing: a traditional water bowl.

They’d rather not drink water at all if it’s not moving. So much so, that my one cat wound up developing crystals and had to have emergency surgery to remove a blockage. How dramatic!

But thankfully they both love water fountains. They liked the Petlibro fountain I originally got, but it pales in comparison to how much they like this BUETEKA water fountain from Chewy. I’d like to think it is because it is shaped like a UFO and they are just two tiny aliens who live in my home.

My cats, Luna and Sirius, have expensive tastes. They’re on a wet-food exclusive prescription diet, have two different Litter Robots to do their business, and they liked the $50 water fountain significantly more than the $30 one I originally bought.

They must get their expensive taste from me, their mother, because I liked this fountain more, as well.

My initial reason for liking the BUETEKA water fountain more was simply aesthetics. I bought this because it is a cute little UFO. It also has near-excellent reviews: 4.5 stars and nearly 500 ratings on Chewy. Over 80% of the people who own this love it so much, they gave it 5 stars, and I am also someone who’d rate it 5 stars.

BUETEKA Cat Water Fountain Features

This Chewy cat water fountain has a number of features that stand out, including:

• A unique catnip ball dispenser
• A 1.6L water tank
• 2 water flow modes and an adjustable water outlet pipe
• A visible water-level indicator
• An ultra-quiet smart pump
• Multiple filters that help to sterilize the water and remove hair, debris, and impurities
• A small footprint: 7.87 inches L x 7.87 inches W x 8.27 inches H

We don’t use the catnip ball in the dispenser, because Luna and Sirius get rowdy enough in the middle of the night, the last thing I need is catnip hyping them up for 3 AM zoomies.

The water level indicator makes it very easy to spot how much water is in the fountain, so you know when it is low and needs to be refilled. Between my two cats, I typically only need to refill it twice a week.

This fountain is also whisper quiet. You can faintly hear the water if the room is dead quiet, but otherwise, it seamlessly blends into background noise. However, you will hear the fountain if the filter needs to be changed or the water level is too low.

It comes with two filters, and you can buy a replacement pack of six for $20 from Chewy. The reason you’ll hear it more is that the fountain has to work harder to filter the water if the filter is old or the machine is too low on water, thus causing more sound. But, if you’re up to date on switching out the filter and not letting the water levels get too low, you won’t hear this fountain at all.

What are the benefits of a cat water fountain?

If you own a cat, you’ve probably spotted them trying to drink water from the faucet once or twice. Sirius used to love doing this. Cats like moving water, thanks to their ancestors preferring to drink from moving streams over puddles in the wild.

There are some health benefits to buying a cat water fountain though, outside of letting your cat feel like they’re the lion of the house.

• Fountains encourage more drinking
• Drinking from a water fountain can help prevent health issues, like cystitis, urinary crystals, kidney issues, and more
• Fountain designs can lessen whisker fatigue

The first two go hand in hand. The more water your cat drinks, the less likely they are to develop urinary crystals or have kidney issues. Increasing water intake is often a key strategy your veterinarian will implement if your pet is experiencing any of these issues. I know it firsthand, as Sirius developed crystals in 2023 due to previously having a diet that consisted of mainly dry food and he used to only have an old-school water bowl. After his surgery, we switched him to a water fountain and a wet food diet, and then the crystals pretty much vanished. He’s now gone 13 months without issue.

His sister Luna has also reaped the benefits, not needing the water fountain like her brother, but she is still drinking water more now and making far less of a mess at her food and water station.

Why this cat water fountain?

I have my theories on why my cats prefer the BUETEKA fountain over the original fountain I initially bought. They still use the other one, but I find them drinking from the BUETEKA fountain significantly more.

There is a little more space between the water dish and the spout on the BUETEKA fountain. I’d assume that this allows them more space to catch the moving water before it hits the bowl. This is also a circle design, instead of an oval, so again, there is a little more space for them to stick their head over the bowl to get to the fountain’s spout.

The BUETEKA water fountain also has a light blue light that is easy for cats to see, even in the dark. But it is not so bright that it will keep a human awake at night. Whereas the other fountain they have does not have a light for them to find the fountain at night.

The #1 feature about this water fountain that makes it infinitely better than the other fountain we own is that I never have to unplug it from the wall to clean it. The power cord connects in the middle, not the end that plugs into the wall, which makes this very easy to unplug without having to crawl around to get to the wall plug. This makes cleaning the water fountain substantially easier. It comes apart in seconds and I can wash each part in under a minute. I can either let it air dry or I can wipe it down and replace the water all in under five minutes.

It is simple to use, easy to clean, and only $50, which really is not that expensive for a product that my cats love and use every single day.

Get the Bueteka Spaceship Ultra-Quiet Dog & Cat Water Fountain from Chewy for $50.