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PET FOUNTAIN
FACTS & FICTION
1. Carbon filters will remove bacteria -- False. For
more information see here and
here .
Implications of these studies: Because sooner or later, all fountains will
contain all sorts of algae, mold, viruses and bacteria, it becomes obvious
that the fountain must be easily and effectively cleaned. According to the
CDC, porous materials such as plastic cannot be sanitized. Glazed ceramic is
not porous and can be santitized with heat or chemicals without any damage
to the ceramic basin or a pet. Further, when a non-porous material is cleaned,
all traces of any chemical are easily rinsed away.
2. Moving water cools water -- False. Source: See this
reference .
Implications: There is only one fountain that has been proven to chill
the water in a fountain. The Glacier Point Perfect Pet Fountain™ by Sierra BioScience is
the only patent pending fountain that will chill the drinking water.
3. Falling water puts oxygen into the water making the water taste
better -- No evidence.
Discussion: There are no relevant studies showing that any cat has a
preference or aversion to water based on the amount of dissolved oxygen being
the only variable. As all fountains have water flowing into the bowl all fountains
are equal except the only fountain that has a chilling unit which increases
the dissolved oxygen content more than 15% i.e. The Glacier Point Perfect Pet Fountain™ See this
source .
4. Stainless steel bowls are better and safer than other materials --
False. Source: See this
reference .
Implications: There are over 150 grades of stainless steel that contain various
amounts of nickel and chromium which can be toxic when released from poorly
made stainless steel. Stainless steel loses its desirable properties when submerged
in water such as when used as a watering bowl for pets. If a safe grade of
stainless steel was used to make a safe stainless steel bowl, that bowl could
cost hundreds of dollars. Hexavalent chromium was the chemical that was causing
birth defects and cancer in the Erin Brockovich story.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel, www.treehugger.com/files/2010/12/hexavalent-chromium-erin-brockovich-chemical-found-31-of-35-us-cities-tap-water.php
Feline Obesity
For more than 10,000 years, cats have consumed animals and the moisture contained by their prey. For this reason, cats have a poorly evolved sense of thirst because their water needs were met by the animals they preyed on. Cats in the wild and modern cats feed a more natural diet that has a high moisture content are rarely obese, if ever.
Modern cats are still hard wired to eat without any awareness of how much or little water is in their food. Not surprisingly modern cats pay little attention to water sitting in a bowl which is why so many cats on a dry food diet, are dehydrated. At some level, modern cats still instinctually eat their food with some historic expectation of a moisture content of around 75% (which is the moisture content of a mouse).
A study in the June 2011 issue of the Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition demonstrated the direct correlation between commonly consumed dry cat food and obesity. Clearly, providing extra water can reduce obesity. So what are the “tricks” to entice your cat to drink more water? Sierra BioScience studied and found out how to get cats on a dry-food-only diet to consume the required amount of water starting with a few common sense thoughts such as:
Moving and active water will attract most cats,
Containers of water that are always full,
Water that does not have anything floating on the surface,
Water that has no objectionable odors, and
And most importantly the evidence shows, if the water is cool, cats on dry food will drink three times more water.
Finally, while reducing obesity in cats is important, reducing the diabetes that is weight associated can be life saving.
