Two questions that frequently arise concerning cat fountains are; How do they work and Are electric cat fountains Safe? This article, along with the accompanying videos, answers both these questions.
Fountain Pumps
Almost all cat water fountains contain a submersible aquarium pump, and as the name suggest, for the pump to operate it must be submersed in water. Millions of aquariums, man-made ponds and streams also use submersible pumps, though generally pond and waterfall pumps are much larger than cat fountain pumps.
In the United States a cat fountain pump is 110 – 120 volts (in Europe they are the standard voltage for there, 220 volts) and the wattage for a cat water fountain pump is around 4 watts. This may vary slightly depending on the size of the particular pump. ThirstyCat fountain pumps are 4 watt pumps which use very little electricity.
As the video below demonstrates, the pump draws water in through a screen by way of an impeller (like a propeller) and ejects it out a nozzle into the vessel in which the pump sits, thus, recirculating the water. The pump is completely sealed, as is the cord, and both are meant to be in water.
Almost all cat fountains have the same sort of pumps which work in the same way and they are all safe. Keep in mind that electric pumps have been used in flora and fauna stocked aquatic environments for a very long time and there are, at this moment, probably millions of aquariums and fountains being run with electric water pumps like those used in cat fountains. So, are they safe? Millions of living beings testify that they are indeed safe.