How much are you willing to spend on your pet? The answer, inevitably, depends on what kind of pet we are talking about. You might not be inclined to drop a wad of cash on technology to keep a goldfish amused, for example. Your cat or dog, on the other hand, is more likely to get a high-tech toy or a smart feeder to enjoy.
It’s a growing market. Globally, the pet tech market was valued at $5.5 billion in 2021, and is expected to reach $20 billion by 2027.
That means high tech pet gear to monitor, care for and entertain our faithful friends. And what are the most popular devices? Smart feeders and water fountains.
I can see the appeal. When we first adopted a cat, it came with plenty of promises from the younger members of the household, mainly around the level of care they would provide. Of course, no one actually believed that, so we were fully prepared for all the messy jobs – feeding, watering, cleaning out litter trays – to fall on the adults of the house, while the children could take over the playing, petting and dispensing of treats.
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The (very) spoilt cat that lives in this household already has a smart feeder for her dry food, so the next logical step was the pet water fountain, specifically the Enabot Rola Smart Pet Water Fountain.
This device promises a stream of fresh water for your pet, filtered to remove any dirt and impurities, with a 2-litre tank that can last around seven days before it needs a top-up.
The smart elements come via the app, which reminds you via alerts when it is time to charge the battery, replace the filter and top up the water. It basically holds your hand and does everything except refill the water tank for you.
The first thing that appealed about this device was the fact that it had a rechargeable battery. Unlike the smart feeder, which requires a plug and therefore can only be placed in certain spots in the house, the water fountain can be placed anywhere you want.
It is a sizeable piece of kit compared to the standard water bowl, but it looks nice. It has a stainless steel bowl on top, where the magnetic, silent pump pushes the water for your pet to drink. It is designed to allow excess water to drain back into the tank, which sounds like a recipe for murky drinking water within a few hours. But the basin is tilted at an angle, which removes a lot of the floating hair that might contaminate the water, and the remaining impurities – pet hair that escapes the bowl, random bits of food your pet drops in – is removed by pumping the water through a filter. A single filter works for up to 14 days; you get one in the box, with replacements available from Amazon or Enabot’s website (with a hefty delivery charge).
Setting it up was simple. A few pieces to slot together, and then connecting it to the app, and the whole thing was up and running in a few minutes. Convincing the cat that it was her new water bowl, however, took a little more time. For the record, this is not the type of cat who seeks out taps and other running water; she is more likely to stick a paw daintily into the cup you took your eyes off for a second.
I knew it would be a bit of a tough sell. She looked positively affronted the first time the water fountain triggered, although it was silent, and refused to go anywhere near it until she realised that it wasn’t trying to get her. We watched her like a hawk for a couple of hours, and she finally deigned to get close enough to lap at the water. Once that barrier was breached, she treated it like her regular water bowl.
The battery inside the rechargeable version lasts for around 60 days on a full charge. But that can be affected by things such as the duration of the water stream and how sensitive the sensor is to movement.
The app is a nice extra that gives you a little more control over the fountain and its settings. You can set the sensor to be less sensitive to movement, or alter the length of time the stream is activated.
It will also notify you when the cat drinks from the fountain so you can keep an eye on what they are drinking, or not as the case may be. At least that’s the theory. In reality, the notifications let you know when the motion sensor has been activated. That can be from the cat walking up to drink, or from a person walking within a certain distance of the device.
You can turn off the motion sensor, of course, and just have the water on a continuous stream. However, that will only work if the device is plugged in, limiting your placing options. As previously mentioned, the cat is not a fan of running water, so we decided that the sensor option was the best bet.
Good
The rechargeable battery makes it easy to place around your home, and it has a decent-sized water tank too. The filter keeps the water clean, and with the battery life extending to up to 60 days, all you have to do is make sure to clean the tank regularly and swap out the filter.
It is very quiet too, without any audible pump or even trickling water noise.
Bad
The filters last only for two weeks, so you will spend extra on those as you can’t do without them. You only get one in the box too.
The notifications on your app are supposed to tell you when the cat has been to drink, but really they are just a notification of when the motion sensor was triggered.
Everything else
The fountain charges over USB-C, so you have plenty of charging options. Or you can leave it plugged in and have a continuous stream of water.
Verdict
A reasonably priced useful pet accessory – even if some of the smart features less than live up to the name. The ongoing costs might be a deal-breaker for some.
