Petlibro Dockstream 2 Smart Cordless Water Fountain Review

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

Hydration is crucial for cats, and it’s not always as easy to keep them hydrated as you may think. Since cats tend to prefer running water, fountains encourage them to drink more.

The Petlibro Dockstream 2 is a smart water fountain that connects to an app on your phone, allowing you to monitor your cat’s water intake, see trends in their behavior, and know immediately if their habits change. This can help you detect illnesses in their early stages that may have taken you longer to notice otherwise.

I tested the Dockstream 2 with my own cats for several weeks, taking notes on the set-up and cleaning processes and my cats’ interactions so that I could provide you with a thorough review, including comparisons to the original Dockstream and other cat fountains I’ve tried.

Why Trust Cats.com

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

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I’m a lifelong cat owner who has tested several water fountains, both on my own and for Cats.com. Trying various brands and products has shown me what to look for in cat water fountains, including low noise levels, a good filtration system, and a simple deep cleaning process.

While reviewing the Petlibro Dockstream 2, I made notes on its functionality and compared it against other fountains I’ve tried, including the original Dockstream smart fountain.

Dockstream 2 & Petlibro Overview

Founded in 2019, Petlibro quickly grew into a leader in pet technology, specializing in cat water fountains and feeders. They’re especially well-known for their automatic feeders and watering fountains. Their focus is on pet and human-friendly designs, which shines through in the Dockstream 2.

This fountain improves on the original Dockstream with a pump-free design and a larger, 3-liter tank. The Dockstream 2 series is extremely quiet, comes with an app to track your cat’s water intake, and the cordless versions can operate for up to 30-days between charges.

Petlibro Dockstream 2 Features

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The shining feature of the Dockstream 2 is the ability to monitor your cat’s water intake through the Petlibro app. Knowing immediately when your cat is drinking more or less water than usual can cue you into a variety of health issues, allowing you to catch and treat them while they’re still in early stages.

In the app, you can view your cat’s hydration history and see the average amounts they drink in a week or month. It also provides reminders for refilling and cleaning the fountain as well as changing the filters.

In previous iterations, you could choose between a non-smart cordless or smart corded fountain, but the Dockstream 2 removes this limitation. The smart corded fountain has received multiple quality of life updates, and the cordless version (which I’m reviewing today) now allows you to continue tracking your cat’s water intake and using other app features, even in cordless mode.

On a full charge, cordless mode on the Dockstream 2 smart fountain lasts up to 30 days. While unplugged, the fountain will flow only when it senses your cat nearby. Though this saves battery life, I’ve found that my cats ignore fountains that work this way. I think they assume it’s off and don’t bother approaching! However, your cat may get the hang of it faster than they did.

Other differences between previous versions and the Dockstream 2 are a slightly larger basin, going from 2.5 to 3 liters. The steel tray is now dishwasher safe, and the fountain is pump-free.

Like older versions, it has a plastic basin. The fountain is incredibly quiet, and the indicator lights can be set on a timer or turned off completely.

Another improvement is that the base is now designed to lock the fountain in place, making it more difficult for your pets to knock it over.

What We Like:

Improves on previous iterations with a pump-free design, 3 liter water capacity, and anti-knockover tank
Track your cat’s hydration and and receive reminders for fountain maintenance with the Petlibro app
Dishwasher-safe drinking tray
Whisper-quiet operation
Easy to disassemble and clean

What We Didn’t Like:

Cordless mode only allows for pet-sensing flow, which some cats may not drink from as consistently
Expensive compared to other water fountains, but worthwhile for its hydration tracking
Water basin is made of plastic, rather than stainless steel

What Did Our Test Cats Think?

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

The original corded Dockstream quickly became my favorite cat water fountain, so I had high hopes when unboxing the Dockstream 2. It has many of the same features including an easy set-up, hydration tracking, and a similar design which made the transition easy for my cats.

I love being able to see how much they’re drinking in the app, though with seven cats, this isn’t my only water dish. People with just one or two cats and a single fountain will see more benefits from this feature as they’ll be able to entirely track their pets’ drinking habits.

The fountain was exceptionally easy to clean once I realized that the plastic piece at the bottom is removable. Though it has a pump-free design, you’ll still want to make sure you take apart this piece and the wheel underneath to fully clean the fountain using the included cleaning brush. Petlibro recommends a deep cleaning every two weeks, but this will vary depending on the amount of pets in your home.

Another thing that confused me at first was the cordless mode, which requires turning the fountain on using a button at the bottom of the base. This was super easy once I figured it out, but I’ve seen other reviewers confused as well. It can be easy to skip the set-up instructions and dive right in when you’re excited about a new product!

In the end, the only flaw I found with the fountain was that my cats won’t use it in cordless mode due to the pet-sensing flow, but otherwise I think we’ve found a new favorite. The Dockstream 2 has all of the features we loved from the original Dockstream, plus some extras that make it even easier to use.

What Do Customers Think of the Petlibro Dockstream 2?

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Positive Reviews

“I’ve had this Water Fountain for a while now, and it’s been great for my household with two dogs and one cat. All three of them use it no problem, and the 3L is large enough that I don’t have to refill constantly. The stainless steel tray also feels cleaner and is so easy to wipe clean compared to plastic ones I’ve had previously.” – Chuang Yin on Amazon

“It’s quiet, easy to clean, and the stainless-steel top feels very hygienic. The water stays fresh for days, and the app reminders make it easy to know when to refill or change filters.” – Shu on Chewy

Reviewers praise the fountain for being easy to clean and allowing them to monitor their cat’s water intake. They also say that it runs quietly and holds enough water to suit multi-pet homes.

Negative Reviews

“I had great hopes for this cat water fountain based upon reviews by others. However, I have tried at least 20 times to connect the fountain to my Internet with no success.” – Marie on Amazon

“I purchased in September and after only 2 months of use the pump is broken. I have tried all the troubleshooting suggested with no fix. It is very frustrating that my pets haven’t had water all day because it broke while I was at work.” – Rachel Kays on Amazon

Reviewers complain about app connectivity issues, leakage, and fountains that stop working within the first couple of months.