Using Aquarium Filter On Cats Drinking Dish

So ive seen some people attaching a HOB filter to a container for they're pets water dish and had to try it. I got the aqua clear filter and just removed the biobag, leaving the carbon bag and foam filter. The cats love the water more than they ever have! Has anyone else tried this?

 

I’ve never heard of something like that. Sounds pretty cool though and I might have to try that out.

 

I've always had cats in my life and they ignore water bowls with a passion. They just aren't into stagnant water but will drink water from freshly formed rain puddles with gusto. Rain water releases some sort of deep evolutionary need in them to drink. Their aversion to stagnant water bowls is also clearly driven by evolution too though, obviously cats know that drinking stagnant water is dangerous. That is why pet stores sell cat water bowls that circulate the water with a small battery or solar panel.

My cat hates stagnant water but I get around this with a perhaps uncommon method. We keep a large plastic container below the copper outlet pipe attached to the pressure release valve of our (outdoor) hot water system. I've measured the daily water outlet of the pressure release valve and it is about a liter or two per day. This keeps the water bowl full with regular little spurts of water so the cat never sees the water as stagnant. The water coming out is very hot but the water in the bowl below never gets hot as it only receives small spurts of water and is protected from sunlight (is in the shade all day).

Using a HOB filter is definitely something I'd support for people trying to keep their cats water in a state they want to drink it but if you have an outdoor hot water system that releases a liter or two a day you may not need to do anything besides putting a medium to large bowl under the outlet. Any option that works is a good option though, and using a HOB seems to be working well for you.

 

Found the container on amazon along with the filter. The aquaclear 30 would have fit inside rI'm but the 50 works fine with a little redneck engineering

 

My cat hates stagnant water but I get around this with a perhaps uncommon method. We keep a large plastic container below the copper outlet pipe attached to the pressure release valve of our (outdoor) hot water system. I've measured the daily water outlet of the pressure release valve and it is about a liter or two per day. This keeps the water bowl full with regular little spurts of water so the cat never sees the water as stagnant. The water coming out is very hot but the water in the bowl below never gets hot as it only receives small spurts of water and is protected from sunlight (is in the shade all day).

Using a HOB filter is definitely something I'd support for people trying to keep their cats water in a state they want to drink it but if you have an outdoor hot water system that releases a liter or two a day you may not need to do anything besides putting a medium to large bowl under the outlet. Any option that works is a good option though, and using a HOB seems to be working well for you.

What is your outdoor hot water system for and how is water coming out the pressure release normal function?

I can only think of my house hot water heater and its pressure release (safety ) and I definitely wouldn't want my cats drinking that water even after it cooled.

 

What is your outdoor hot water system for and how is water coming out the pressure release normal function?

I can only think of my house hot water heater and its pressure release (safety ) and I definitely wouldn't want my cats drinking that water even after it cooled.

It is the hot water system for the house, a 200 liter gas heated storage unit. The tanks can create a lot of pressure, especially during the heating process, and the pressure release valve is a mandatory safety feature to stop the pressure building too high. The general rule of thumb is that if it is releasing no more than half a bucket a day it is working fine. If it is not releasing any water it is important to have it looked at. You are right to be cautious about using the water for anything but washing and bathing as water from such units is not classed as potable. I used to sell Hot Water Systems though and according to the manufacturers the only reason that the water is not classed as potable is that they use sacrificial anodes in the hot water system to delay corrosion. Instead of doing the expensive research required to class the water coming out as potable the manufacturers just class it as not potable as they would not sell any more units if they went to the trouble of doing the research. That is why the hot water systems in places like break rooms are instantaneous heaters with no storage. The simple fact is though that the anodes in hot water systems are made out of harmless materials and actually draw impurities out of the water. Cats are one of the fussiest animals out there concerning their food and drink and if they smelled or tasted anything they perceived as harmful they wouldn't drink it. Plenty of people use water from hot water systems to add warmth during water changes and I've never heard of peoples fish having issues with it - I know I haven't. As I say though the water is not classed as potable so you were/are right to be wary.

 

Pet stores sell pet fountains that are basically an aquarium filter with a foam filter and a carbon filter. I had one for my cats long before I got Fergus. In fact, when I opened the tank kit to set it up I realized that I could have stolen the pump and filters from their tank to set something up - but then they wouldn't have their fountain. (which actually isn't a huge deal as they beg at the sink for fresh water every day anyway.)

 

So ive seen some people attaching a HOB filter to a container for they're pets water dish and had to try it. I got the aqua clear filter and just removed the biobag, leaving the carbon bag and foam filter. The cats love the water more than they ever have! Has anyone else tried this?

Be careful- mammals tolerate drinking ammonia at high levels (we intentionally add it to bind with chlorine) but drinking high nitrates/nitrites can cause toxic effects if they reach high levels.. at moderate levels they give me headaches. Opposite of fish. (We don’t breathe it though.) I say it’s a bad idea. Give them Britta filtered water and add aeration if you want (use filter with out media - media intentionally grow bacteria- carbon will too - drinking water filters have silver ions to sterilize). Clean it out frequently. Stagnant water is nasty -I agree with your cat but avoid the bacteria ammonia conversion to nitrites and nitrates . And avoid bacteria in your cat bowl anyway don’t farm it intentionally.

 

I did mention taking out the media, btw. I regularly test my tap water for my tanks so I keep a close eye on it. I actually drink some water from the dish from time to time to check it for strange taste/smell. It's been a couple months with weekly cleaning and they love it. They don't even beg at the sink anymore, which tells me they're satisfied

 

Sorry I thought you had a sponge in there which in fish filters are meant for bacterial growth. Pet water filters may use silver ions. Nitrites/ates don’t have an odor/taste. But As long as you test the bowl water it is probably fine.. I just wanted people reading this to think about nitrates/nitrites being not the best in drinking water for mammals that’s all. I have ammonia in my tap (and chloramines which breaks down and releases amm) so would be unhealthy for my pets to have any n cycling happening in the water bowl.

 

It's been a couple months with weekly cleaning and they love it. They don't even beg at the sink anymore, which tells me they're satisfied

I've had my fountain for years and my cats still beg at the sink. But that's more to do with one preferring running water (from the tap) and the other preferring still water (in the bowl) so neither gets exactly what he wants from the fountain. :smh:

 

Found the container on amazon along with the filter. The aquaclear 30 would have fit inside rI'm but the 50 works fine with a little redneck engineering

That’s a smart idea to keep the water clean and to make your cars want to drink! We feed our cats wet food so they rarely drink water, so I might have to try this out to help them get some more water!