5 Top Ceramic Cat Fountains Review

PLEASE NOTE - We do not review plastic cat fountains because they are universally known to generate slime (biofilm), cause chin acne, to be notoriously hard to clean once film builds up and to be harmful to cats There are no exceptions.

HERE ARE THE 5 TOP CERAMIC CAT FOUNTAINS

And what makes these the top 5? We chose these as belonging to the 5 top ceramic cat fountains because of how they’re made, their attractiveness, their foodsafeness, how well they keep clean and how easy they are to clean. These five vary in those terms considerably; some stay cleaner better, some are easier to clean than others and there are considerable differences in quality. We point out all the differences as we encounter them.

5 top ceramic cat fountains

We group these two, the Drinkwell Pagoda and the Miaustore fountain together because they are made by the same process and are distinctly different from the other three in very important respects. They are mold-made but note, so is the Glacier Point fountain shown in the upper right of the previous photo. So why separate these two out?

The porosity / density of the clay makes both these inferior to the Glacier Point, the Cat Taps brand and ThirstyCats Cat fountains.

Both the Pagoda and the Miaustore are slip-cast with low-fire clay. That is; Low-fire clay is poured into a mold, (see video) so receives no strengthening pressure as occurs with wheel-thrown ceramics. Most importantly, the clay can only be fired to a low temperature. It melts at the higher temperatures used in the other examples shown here. Same for the glazes that go on them. What does this mean?

There are serious structural/qualitative limitations to low-fire mold made pottery. (Go to the 3rd paragraph down. The porosity and low density makes them vulnerable both to absorption of water and to breakage. Both these brands are of this kind. In fact all commercially available, big brand ceramic cat fountains are the same.

5 Top Ceramic Cat Fountains

So why include these among the 5 top ceramic cat fountains? Because of all the numerous commercially made, slip-cast ceramic cat fountains these two are among the least objectionable. They are relatively attractive and not terrible to clean.

In addition, they do have some positive qualities. Both make the water easily accessible to your cats. The Pagoda fountain is a bit cramped in the lower basin but the flow is generally good and it offers two streams and an upper basin. It is relatively easy to clean (though it has eight sharp corners you’ll need to get into) and it is mostly of ceramics. (There are plastic fittings on the inside.)

Some things to note about the Miaustore fountain. It is, on the whole a very decent fountain though there are questionable elements, Foodsafeness isn’t known (as is true of all slip-cast and foreign made fountains.) There are four pieces to clean but 10 minutes with a soapy sponge should do it.

Prices are about $70 for the Miaustore and $90 for the Pagoda.

5 top ceramic cat fountains

As mentioned, the Glacier Point is also slip-cast, but of high fire ceramics so does not have the vulnerabilities of low-fire. It is durably made of quality materials and is food safe. Whether or not you like the looks is, well, another story. You may also choose between a refrigerating unit and one withoout refregeration. Prices range from $170 to $370.

Made Everywhere, Assembled in America

The newest arrival to the ceramic cat fountain scene are the Cattaps cat fountains. This company purchases high quality ceramic-ware and re-purposes the pieces, creating beautiful  ceramic cat fountainscat drinking fountains which they certify to be food-safe. These are intended to be as much works of art as they are cat fountains, a value they share with the makers of ThirstyCat fountains. Prices hover around $300 to $340 but there are also more and less expensive models.

Made In America

Also made in the U.S.A are ThirstyCat Fountains. These are the only completely handmade ceramic cat drinking fountains for which both the fountain bowls and center pieces are wheel-thrown and hand-built, and the glazes are made from scratch from raw minerals. cat water fountainThe value of this is that complete food safeness can be and is certified. Another virtue of a ThirstyCat fountain is that each one is unique. Because they are made by hand, no two are exactly the same, though different designs are repeated, and there are many styles and glazes from which to choose. Cost for these fountains ranges from about $145 to about $220. The filtration system, however, is quite robust and over a four year period the overall cost of this brand is less than most mass produced brands.

Using different criteria will bring you possibly to a different set of the 5 top ceramic fountains. That said, and with the caveat that the Miaustore and the Pagoda fountains do have serious limitations we feel this is a fair assessment of the top 5 ceramic fountains available today. Please be sure to check the list of links on the right of this post for a a lot of useful information about cats. 

Have other questions about cats? Here is a list of topics with links which might interest you:

ThirstyCat Fountains