Veken Innovation Award Winner 95oz/2.8L Cat Water Fountain, C1 Classic

Why it's worth it

The Veken costs a fraction of what the smart fountains do and still holds 95 ounces, with a flower waterfall mode, a gentle stream mode, and a five-stage filter. If you've never owned a fountain and you're not sure your cat will take to one, start here.

This is the low-risk way to find out whether your pet is a fountain pet. Some cats convert overnight. Others sniff a fountain once and go back to the bathtub drip. Spending big to run that experiment is a bad idea, and the Veken lets you run it for very little. If your cat loves it, you've spent almost nothing. If not, you've learned something cheaply.

Ninety-five ounces is a lot of water for a small fountain. That's enough for a couple of cats to go the better part of a week, or a medium dog to go a few days. There's a water-level window on the side plus a blue LED, and a switch on the cord to turn the light off when it starts bothering you at night.

From our review of 12 pet water fountains, by James Bennett, Associate Editor

What we like

• +This is the low-risk way to find out whether your pet is a fountain pet
• +Ninety-five ounces is a lot of water for a small fountain
• +The filtration is better than the price suggests
• +It's genuinely easy to clean, which is why so many people keep using it

What to know

• –It's plastic, and plastic scratches
• –The maintenance schedule is tighter than you'd like