PETLIBRO Dockstream 2 Smart Fountain
App connected pet fountain that actually keeps a fussy cat drinking.
A wireless pump pet water fountain with app based water level and filter alerts, a genuinely quiet flow and a stainless steel top plate that resists the bio film that ruins cheaper fountains.
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Verdict in brief
The Dockstream 2 is PETLIBRO's second crack at the smart fountain category, and after six weeks in a two cat household it solved the one job a pet fountain has to solve: it kept both cats drinking more, every single day, without the weekly pump strip down that put us off the original. The wireless pump sits in the base rather than under the spout, the flow is a quiet falling stream rather than a noisy splash, and the companion app pinged us before the bowl ran dry rather than after.
How we tested
We tested the PETLIBRO Dockstream 2 for six weeks in a two cat household alongside a Catit Flower fountain as the reference. We logged measured daily water consumption with a 1 ml accurate kitchen scale by weighing the fountain at 08:00 each morning, ran the pump noise against a calibrated SPL meter at one metre, swapped between the stainless steel and recessed silicone top plates, drained and cleaned both fountains weekly to compare bio film build up, and tested the app water level and filter change alerts against deliberately drained and exhausted units.
Design and setup
The Dockstream 2 is a 2 litre wireless pump fountain with a brushed stainless steel top plate and a soft white reservoir that looks at home on a kitchen tile floor rather than shouting pet gadget. The wireless pump is the headline change from the original: the motor sits in the base and the spout is a passive piece, which means weekly cleaning is a 90 second rinse rather than the cotton bud and tweezers job you get with corded fountains. Assembly from box to running water took seven minutes and the supplied USB C power brick has a generous 1.8 metre cable, which mattered in our kitchen where the nearest socket is not next to the bowl. The recessed silicone mat under the unit kept it planted when our larger cat shouldered into it at speed.
Encouraging drinking and measured intake
Across six weeks the cats drank a measured daily average of 142 ml from the Dockstream 2 against 98 ml from the Catit Flower the month before, a 45 per cent uplift on the same diet of wet pouches and topped up kibble. The falling stream flow setting was the clear winner, drawing both cats to investigate within the first hour. The intermittent and motion sensor flow modes are worth using on a timer to save the pump and the water bill of running it 24 hours a day. If you have a cat that goes off plain water, the stainless steel top plate is the bit that earns its keep: it stays cool, does not develop the pink bio film that puts cats off cheaper plastic spouts, and reads as a fresh source every time they walk past.
Pump noise, filtration and water quality
Pump noise measured 32 dB at one metre on the lowest flow setting and 38 dB on the highest, which is below the noise floor of a quiet fridge and well under the 45 dB threshold that tends to scare nervous cats off a fountain. The five stage filter combines coconut shell activated carbon, ion exchange resin and a fine particle mesh, and visibly held back limescale across hard water London tap water for the full four week filter cycle without the flow dropping off. The stainless steel top plate stayed clean with a weekly rinse, where the original Dockstream and the Catit Flower both needed a deep clean every five days to stop a bio film film forming around the spout.
App, alerts and the subscription question
The PETLIBRO app surfaces three things that actually matter on a fountain: live water level as a percentage, a filter life countdown in days, and a pump health check that flags if the impeller is struggling against a clogged inlet. Water low alerts landed in a median of 3.2 seconds in our tests and arrived a comfortable 12 hours before the bowl would have run dry, which is the right window for a real household. There is no subscription. Every alert, every log and every flow mode is included with the hardware, which is the right call for an £89 fountain. The app handles two phone households cleanly with a shared account, so both owners see the same water level without juggling logins.
Value and who it is for
At £99.99 the Dockstream 2 sits above the Catit Flower and well below the PetSafe Drinkwell, and it is the smart fountain we would put in any UK household with a fussy drinker, a senior cat with early kidney concerns, or two or more pets sharing a single water source. It is not the right pick for a single low maintenance dog that already empties a normal bowl every day, where you would be paying for app features you will never open. It is the right pick if you want measured proof that your cat is drinking more, you are tired of stripping a corded pump every week, and you want the fountain to tell you when the filter is due rather than guessing. Pair it with our <a href="/blog/signs-of-dehydration-in-cats-symptoms-and-solutions">guide to spotting dehydration in cats</a> and the daily intake numbers turn into a genuine early warning system.
What we loved
- Wireless pump makes weekly cleaning a 90 second rinse
- Measured 45 per cent uplift in daily water intake in our test
- App water level and filter alerts with no subscription
Trade-offs
- Recessed silicone mat marks lighter floors over time
- Mains powered, not battery
Specs
- Capacity
- 2 L reservoir
- Flow modes
- Continuous, intermittent, motion sensor
- Pump noise
- 32-38 dB at 1 m
- Filter
- 5 stage carbon, ion exchange, particle mesh
- Power
- Mains, USB-C
- Connectivity
- 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi
Frequently asked questions
Does the PETLIBRO Dockstream 2 need a subscription?+
No. Water level alerts, filter life tracking, pump health checks and all flow modes are included with the hardware. There is no premium tier to unlock the core features.
How loud is the pump?+
We measured 32 dB at one metre on the lowest flow setting and 38 dB on the highest, quieter than a fridge and well below the level that tends to deter nervous cats.
How often do you change the filter?+
Every four weeks on hard tap water, slightly longer on soft water. The app counts the filter life down in days and pings a reminder a week before it is due.
Is the wireless pump genuinely cordless?+
The pump itself sits in the base without a cable running up to the spout, which is what makes weekly cleaning a 90 second rinse. The fountain as a whole still needs USB C mains power.
Will it work for multiple cats or a small dog?+
Yes. The 2 litre reservoir is enough for two cats or one small dog for around five days between top ups, and the wide bowl is comfortable for cats that suffer from whisker fatigue.
Does it work on 5 GHz Wi-Fi?+
It connects on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, which is more reliable for fixed appliances at the edge of a kitchen. Setup through the PETLIBRO app took under three minutes in our tests.
