Vet-recommended fountain for Norwegian Forest Cat

Your vet has given you a really solid plan — the fountain-plus-wet-food combination is genuinely the gold standard for hydration in older cats, and at eight years old your Norwegian Forest Cat is at exactly the age where keeping kidneys well-flushed starts to matter most. Cats evolved in arid environments and have a naturally low thirst drive, so most cats on dry food are chronically underhydrated without their owners ever realising it — kidney disease is the leading cause of death in older cats, which is why your vet is being proactive. Has your cat been drinking from a bowl up to now, and has the vet mentioned any early kidney markers yet, or is this purely preventative?

That's the best time to make the switch — before there's a problem rather than after. Norwegian Forest Cats are big, active cats with a fair amount of muscle mass, and they genuinely need good hydration to keep those kidneys ticking over. Moving him to wet food alongside a fountain is going to make a real difference. One quick thing: does he tend to ignore still water, or does he drink from the tap or show interest in moving water at all? It helps me point you to the right fountain style.

Not daft at all — that's a cat telling you exactly what he wants. Moving water triggers their instinct that it's fresher and safer, so a fountain with a decent flow is going to appeal to him far more than a static bowl ever will. For a cat his size and with that preference for running water, I'd go with the Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain. It holds 168oz, has a free-falling stream that mimics tap water (which is clearly already his thing), and the reservoir is large enough that you're not refilling it constantly. It's also easy to disassemble and clean, which matters because a fountain you actually clean regularly is far better for kidney health than one that sits going murky. Pair that with transitioning him gradually to a high-moisture wet food — aim for something with named meat as the first ingredient and no added grains — and you'll be doing exactly what your vet recommended.

It's one of the more user-friendly ones on the market. The Drinkwell Platinum comes apart into a small number of pieces, the pump lifts straight out, and everything except the motor is dishwasher safe. A full clean once a week and a filter change every two to four weeks is all it really needs. The filter does the heavy lifting between cleans — it removes impurities and keeps the water tasting fresh, which is exactly what you want for a cat you're trying to get drinking more. For an eight-year-old with kidneys to protect, consistent clean water is genuinely worth that small amount of weekly effort.

Place it near where his current water bowl lives to start — cats are creatures of habit and a completely new location can put them off. Leave his old bowl out for the first week so he doesn't feel like his familiar option has vanished, then quietly remove it once he's using the fountain regularly. Given that he's already interested in running water, I'd honestly expect him to investigate it within the first day. The sound and movement will draw him in. With the wet food, go slow — mix a small amount into his dry food for a week or two, gradually increasing the ratio. His digestive system and his preferences will both adjust better that way.