Yeah I think it just smells and tastes more like what they naturally expect.

And honestly works for me because I don’t have to deal with the shit that crops up in managed fountains. They get algae and thick blooms of slime bacteria/mold. Not amazing for health unless it’s a very easy fountain to clean (most are the opposite)

But have a 5-10 gallon tank with a half inch of topsoil an inch of sand, and a bunch of cute plants.. maybe some freshwater shrimp and scuds to clean up the plant waste.. you are golden for pet water because shit you can leave that for several days and they won’t dramatically reduce levels.

If you don’t have fish, a simple bubble-driven sponge filter is the way to go.

And any saliva bacteria or whatever just gets consumed by the micro and macrobiotic, rather than forming bacteria mats that offput harmful nonsense in the water.

Win-win.