Best pet fountain for long-haired cats

A fountain that clogs every single week is exhausting — and with a Selkirk Rex, that dense curly coat sheds in a way most fountain filters just aren't designed for. The good news is this is a solvable problem; the issue is almost always filter design rather than fountains in general. Before I point you to something specific: is the fountain just for your Selkirk Rex, or do other pets share it? And is she drinking well enough from it in between clogs, or has the frustration put you off fountains altogether?

At 10, keeping her hydrated is genuinely important — kidney disease is the thing we most want to protect against in older cats, so you're right to persist. The core issue with most standard fountains is that they use a single foam or carbon block filter that catches everything, fur included, and saturates fast. What you need is a fountain with a pre-filter stage — something that catches hair before it ever reaches the main filter. That way the main filter lasts weeks longer and you're only rinsing the pre-filter quickly every few days rather than doing a full teardown weekly. Has your current fountain got any kind of coarse pre-filter, or is it just one filter cartridge?

That explains everything. The Veken is fine for short-haired cats but it really struggles with heavy shedders. My recommendation for you is the PetSafe Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain. It has a two-stage filtration system — a pre-filter foam that intercepts fur and debris before anything reaches the carbon filter. With a Selkirk Rex you'd probably rinse the pre-filter every three or four days (takes about 30 seconds under a tap) and replace the main filter every three to four weeks rather than every week. It's also a generous 1.5 litres, holds its flow well, and the adjustable stream is quiet enough that it won't put a nervous older cat off. It's widely available on Amazon UK and sits around £35–45 depending on the listing. The replacement filters are inexpensive in multipacks too.

It's genuinely one of the easier ones to strip down — fewer small parts than most, and the pieces are substantial enough that you won't lose them down the sink. The pump lifts out cleanly, the reservoir is one smooth bowl, and most people find a full deep clean takes about ten minutes once a fortnight. The pre-filter rinsing in between is so quick it barely registers. For a 10-year-old cat who's already drinking from a fountain, switching to this should be seamless — same concept, just one that keeps up with her coat.

Exactly right — you weren't failing at maintenance, you had a single-stage filter dealing with a double-stage problem. The Drinkwell Platinum should make this genuinely low-effort, which means it'll stay clean, keep flowing, and your Selkirk Rex keeps drinking. That's the outcome that matters most for her kidneys at her age. Hope she takes to it straightaway.