- The Felaqua Connect is a brilliant water bowl that tracks your cat’s water consumption with a useful app.
- It was simple to arrange; nevertheless, it took a while to acclimate my skittish cat.
- The system works nicely; however, the app can’t present clear information if two pets drink collectively.
According to the Feline Health Center, cats are arid and capable of thriving in dry environments; however, they should drink water each day: about Four ounces (around 118 milliliters) per 5 kilos of lean physique weight at Cornell University.
It is simple to assist your cat keep hydrated when you find yourself residence to trace consumption — simply examine the extent within the water bowl and replenish it day by day. However, monitoring consumption when you find yourself away from your cat is not a simple feat, particularly if you have several pets consuming from identical sources.
A “good” water bowl for cats, the Felaqua Connect from Certain Petcare makes use of Bluetooth to observe your cat’s consumption and sends you updates through an app on your smartphone. We tried it out for a month with our 4-month-old kitten, who shared the consuming fountain with our canine and an older cat.
Breakdown of the research
Our evaluation of the Felaqua Join cat water bowl
The Felaqua Connect has three principal parts: the Bluetooth-enabled, battery-powered, inverted water reservoir which attaches to a shallow bowl, the Hub (offered individually) that connects to WiFi, and the app that you just obtain in your cellphone. Sensors within the water reservoir detect when the cat visits it, how lengthy they keep there, and far water they drink every time. All this data will get relayed to the app.
What it is like to make use of
Establishing the Felaqua was the straightforward half. It took about 20 minutes, from downloading the app on my cellphone, unboxing and connecting the Hub to my WiFi, registering my kitten’s microchip, and getting it to “speak” to the Bluetooth.
The arduous half was getting Mr. Kitten to heat and utilize the fountain. He simply appeared cautious of it, much like how our tester cats reacted when attempting Sure Petcare’s Feeder. A FAQ on the Sure Petcare website notes that the fountain makes a noticeable effervescent, burping sound when the reservoir dispenses water into the bowl, which startles some cats. It suggests filling the shallow bowl manually for just a few days earlier than utilizing the pool, sidestepping the blurring noise, whereas habituating your cat to the fountain.
When our kitten started consuming from the fountain, the readout on the Felaqua app famous the 15 to 20 milliliters he consumed every time, displaying his image (which we might uploaded) and microchip quantity. However, after just a few days, the app readout confirmed that the kitten had downed 52 milliliters of water in a single go. Since he weighed simply 6 kilos, it appeared extreme. The following day, the app recorded that he consumed 58 milliliters; once more, an enormous gulp for just a little man. Was one thing flawed with him, or was it the system?
A day or so later, we noticed our canine, who isn’t microchipped, consuming water from the fountain whereas the kitten was utilizing it. The canine additionally apparently drank from it on her personal, which we deduced from the readout on the app that often confirmed 60 to 70 milliliters of water being mysteriously “eliminated” from the bowl (after a query mark on the timestamp).
Since the kitten was microchipped, each time they drank water collectively, the readout displayed the kitten’s image and gave him all of the “credit scores.” Whereas it’s potential to hyperlink an RIFD tag (offered individually and connected to the pet’s collar) instead of a microchip, I had some doubts as to if that might assist me in observing my cat’s water consumption. It’s because the Certain Petcare website notes that the Bluetooth can’t determine who drank what quantity each time pets drink collectively and even after they “collect around the water cooler” at a similar time.
What makes it stand out
With simply two elements to unscrew, the reservoir on the Felaqua was simple to arrange, clear, and refill. It holds 1 quart (946 milliliters) and sends a discovery to the app when low water degree. As for the setup of the entire system, I favored that the cat “ears” on the Hub flashed purple to alert me to a WiFi connection situation, which I resolved rapidly with assistance from the Sure Petcare website’s troubleshooting guide.
Different water dispensers use carbon filters and battery-operated pumps that transfer the water like a fountain. Nonetheless, only a few observe a pet’s water consumption. The bo Spring Dog and Cat Fountain provides readouts on a pet’s water consumption, filters the water, and prices about the identical because of the Felaqua. It has very combined opinions.
The cons
Having a little skittish kitten heat as much as consuming from the Felaqua took a while since noise from water meting out from the fountain’s reservoir into the bowl startled him. Even with that situation resolved, the Felaqua isn’t a sensible choice for households with multiple pets who drink from it concurrently. The Certain Petcare website offers suggestions for troubleshooting this downside, resembling positioning the feeder at an angle to permit just one pet to go to it at a time or shopping for a second system. Neither choice is correct and could also be price prohibitive for some.
The underside line
If all of your pets are microchipped or paired to the system with an RFID tag, the Felaqua has the potential to precisely observe their water consumption, an essential side of your pet’s well-being. It is simple to arrange and enjoyable to make use of, with the app giving detailed readouts alongside your pet’s picture. However, until all pets are additionally educated to attend their flip at consuming from it, the readouts will trigger confusion. Nevertheless, those who dwell in single-pet households will discover it very helpful for maintaining tabs on their cat’s well-being.
Pros: Simple to arrange and troubleshoot, helpful app
Cons: Reservoir is small and desires frequent refilling, reservoir noise places off skittish cats, can’t file correct information for pets who drink collectively
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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