How to Get a Cat to Use a Water Fountain

Three stages, with the old bowl still out

If you are working out how to get a cat to use a water fountain, introduce it in three stages: put it in place switched off and empty, add still water with the pump off, then turn the pump on, and leave the old bowl out.

International Cat Care’s cat carer guide uses that order for a new water source. Let the cat investigate with no water and no motor. Add water once the cat is comfortable. Turn the motor on last. Some cats need the extra encouragement.

This page is based on public sources: International Cat Care, PETKIT manuals, and the listings. We did not test these fountains.

Rinse the bowl, then take the three stages

Before the first fill, wash the bowl. eufy’s support article says to clean the bowl with soap and water before first use. The same article says to soak eufy’s own filter under warm running water for 30 seconds to remove surface carbon particles. That 30-second soak is for eufy’s filter, not a PETKIT filter.

On the EVERSWEET MAX, the manual says not to rinse or soak the wireless base or the control module.

Set the fountain in the spot you already chose. Food, litter, power, and the cord are covered in where to put a cat water fountain.

1. In place, switched off, and empty

International Cat Care starts with the fountain in the desired location, no water, motor off, so the cat can investigate. Catit’s fountain page says not to plug it in while the cat is standing near it, because a sudden flow may startle the cat. Put treats at the base. Keep the old bowl as the second water source.

2. Still water with the pump off

Once the cat is comfortable, add water and leave the pump off. If the cat is afraid of the noise, eufy says to leave the device off for a few days until the cat approaches and tries to drink. Dip a finger in the water, bring it to the cat’s lips, and offer a treat after the cat drinks. The old bowl stays.

3. Pump on, with the cat not beside it

Turn the motor on last, while the cat is not beside the fountain. Catit says a sudden flow may startle. If noise is the worry, International Cat Care says some models are noisier than others. A silicone or rubber mat under the fountain can deaden sound by reducing vibration. Keep it topped up, because some become noisy when they run low.

International Cat Care also says to introduce a fountain gradually, clean it thoroughly on a regular basis, and change the filter as the manufacturer recommends. The old bowl stays out.

Sensor mode starts the pump as the cat arrives

The stages above keep the pump from starting while the cat is beside the fountain. Sensor mode does the opposite. The pump starts as the cat arrives.

On the PETKIT EVERSWEET MAX Cordless (ASIN B0CXHM344N), an optional motion-sensor mode in the app runs water for 1 minute when a pet comes within about 10 cm (3.94 in). On battery, the pump runs intermittently, 25 seconds per hour by default, and flow-mode switching is not available. Continuous flow needs the USB cable. The EVERSWEET MAX manual says the water pump works continuously in normal mode.

The Gardner Pet Cordless 3.8 L (ASIN B0H392WP8Z) is listed with sensor mode or continuous flow when it is plugged in. On battery, only sensor mode is available.

For the introduction, plug the fountain in and use continuous flow. The stream is already moving when the cat walks up. You can switch back to sensor mode later if you want it.

What each stage means on each fountain

Off is no water and no motor. Still water is a filled bowl with the pump off. Pump on is the last stage.

Advice to start on the lowest flow setting does not apply to the Solo SE. Flow cannot be adjusted. The pump is on, or it is off.

What the cat does, and the next step

Pick the row that matches the cat.

Owner reports from two threads

In two threads, owners described the early stages.

In a CatAdvice thread about a new fountain, a Reddit user moved a treat on a fingertip toward the fountain over several days, then rested that finger on the fountain beside the water. Two cats in that home started using it. A third cat did not trust new things and never drank from the fountain.

Another Reddit user in that thread set the usual bowl right beside the fountain and said the cat grew curious. A further Reddit user let the cat drink while the fountain stayed off, and only then tried the power.

In an r/cats thread about a scared cat and a new fountain, a Reddit user filled the fountain, left the power off, and kept the normal bowl nearby.

If the cat never takes to it

Keep the bowl. Catit says to keep a second water source while the cat will not drink from the fountain, and one report above is a cat that never used it. Cat water fountain vs bowl compares staying with a bowl. How to choose a cat water fountain is for picking a different machine.

The same stages still apply: switched off and empty, then still water, then the pump, with the old bowl left out. If the cat never takes to it, the bowl stays.