Thanks for stopping by! Get The Way of Cats, delivered, by asking for my RSS feed. Get my free cat advice newsletter by signing up here and get the FREE eBook, Ten Cat Tricks (Every Human Should Know.)A reader writes:
I have a filtering pitcher at home because I like the way the water tastes. Should my cats be drinking it too?
Dear Readers,
Yes.
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If the filtered water tastes better to us, then it will taste much better to the cats. Cats not only have highly sensitive taste buds, they also have a special relationship with their drinking water.
When we remember cats were originally from the desert, their fascination with water becomes clearer.
This does not mean we should duplicate desert conditions for our cats. Cats benefit from having good water sources. Both in their overall health, and in their behavior.
If we do not provide enough good water sources, in their opinion, they will draw on their desert behaviors to seek out new sources. This is what puts their head in our water glass. If the cat is asking for “drink!” then make sure they have something they like.
Cats love running water. It triggers their reassurance that the water will be clean enough to drink. Cats have limited ways of clearing toxins in their body. They are fussy because they must be extra discriminating about what they take in.
So cats will hang out by faucets or jump in the tub where they have seen the water running. Even if we do not investigate cat fountains, we can reassure the cat about the quality of their drinking water by making it as fresh and clean as possible. When the cat sees the bowl being filled from a running source, instead of just appearing on the floor, the cat feels better about their water.
This explains the attraction our own drinking containers have for many cats. As much as possible, serve the cat their water from their own version of our mugs and glasses. Pour their water from the same source they see us drinking from.
They notice.
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My cat is fussy. She used to drink from an indoor fountain then decided she wanted to drink from the bathroom faucet. I have tried cups (which she’s used before), saucers, other fountains, and she insists on drinking from the bathroom faucet. I’ve even tried adding a small plant or catnip to the water.
A couple of days ago, the water from the faucet had too much chlorine. When I could smell it, I turned it off and she left, only to urp a few minutes later. She didn’t learn her lesson as she keeps trying to drink from the faucet, even though I’ve given her water from my filtered pitcher. I’m keeping an eye on the water and try to coax her with filtered water, but she still insists on the faucet.
Frankly, I think she just wants the attention of me getting up and turning on the faucet.
I’ve tested my tapwater, and it’s as good as it gets. It’s from a freshwater lake 5 minutes from my home.
My first cat decided that she wanted the same water from the leaky bathtub tap. My second learned it from her. The leak got bad enough that I had it fixed. But they still wanted the water in the tub, and they still like to see it poured from the spout.
The water bowl is also in there because my bigfoot boy Byron, for reasons that only he understands, will only drink from a bowl after he’s whacked it around enough to see the water spill. A throwback to the “running water” idea?
–Frankly, I think she just wants the attention of me getting up and turning on the faucet.
I think you’re right. I’ve diverted “drip watchers” to something else I fuss over, but of course, cats are always right
I think Bill has a point with his boy who smacks the bowl around. They like to see the ripples so they know where the surface is. Or, they just like the action.
One of the kittens loves to play in the water. He is always putting his paws in the bowl and just moves the water around. And not just their bowl, anywhere there is water, he plays in it.
Marg Elmendorf´s last blog ..Dona Nobis Pacem