cats drinking habits!

No they're not alcoholics!

My cat Amelia will only drink out of the cat water bowl if forced or stuck. But if one of us has a glass of water, she will drink as much as she possibly can. Got to the stage where she shoved her head so low into a pint glass that I was worried she'd get stuck. So I started serving her water in a cup instead. She's always been like this though, even before I had another cat.

The other cat is a 7 year old tom and he paws the water loads before drinking it. He sometimes dips his face right in, for so long I worry he'll drown himself!

I learned in college that cats, like humans, don't often enjoy water from plastic. It does taste bad, to be fair. So I bought them a stainless steel water bowl. Corey (big tom) wont even look at it. He wants his blue plastic dish. Amelia still wants to drink from human things like glasses and cups.

I'm not worried about either because I am giving them water every way they want and I see them both drinking.

Just wondering if people have any insight and experience of this too!

andy125

Yea my cat does exactly the same thing, very rarely drinks from her bowel but if i have a glass of water on the table her head will be in it gulping down the water

Has to be a reason for this if your cat does this also

andy125

andy125 wrote: »

Yea my cat does exactly the same thing, very rarely drinks from her bowel but if i have a glass of water on the table her head will be in it gulping down the water

Has to be a reason for this if your cat does this also

Why do you think your cat does it?

I think Amelia thinks that what's in a glass or cup is "better", because it's for humans! Actually she's gone even worse lately and meows at me if she sees me with a bottle of water, I have to pour out some for her.

I've own a huge amount of cats in my life so I don't think I'm biased to say Amelia is actually a very smart one. I'll openly admit that Corey is a few sandwiches short of a picnic and the cat that was mine that my mother keeps now is nothing short of having a disability pass.

My cats the same. He occasionally drinks from the dogs water bowl (if he's desperately thirsty) but for the most part he only wants to drink from my glass. Emphasis on 'my'. If he thinks it's a glass I filled especially for him he's not interested, so I have to keep fresh water in a glass on my bedside locker to fool him into thinking hes drinking mine!

The cat we had at home when I was young would only drink straight from the kitchen sink tap so we had to guess when he was thirsty and let it run for him.

My sisters cat favours a glass in a sink but it has to be overflowing. He only likes it overflowing.

Cats are weird.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

My cats the same. He occasionally drinks from the dogs water bowl (if he's desperately thirsty) but for the most part he only wants to drink from my glass. Emphasis on 'my'. If he thinks it's a glass I filled especially for him he's not interested, so I have to keep fresh water in a glass on my bedside locker to fool him into thinking hes drinking mine!

The cat we had at home when I was young would only drink straight from the kitchen sink tap so we had to guess when he was thirsty and let it run for him.

My sisters cat favours a glass in a sink but it has to be overflowing. He only likes it overflowing.

Cats are weird.

I've had some feedback from actual experts on this, they all recommend either getting a water feeder or feeding from non plastic bowls!

It's so good to know that it's not just that actually. Your cat wants what is yours, not the glass put out for him! Amelia now wants to drink straight from my bottle of water, we haven;t figured out how to do that yet. I also drink from her cup of water beside the bed. I'm not worried about catching anything off her, I keep her well wormed. She usually wants the water more after I take a sup!

I think they want "our" water instead of regular pet water?

[Deleted User]

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I've had some feedback from actual experts on this, they all recommend either getting a water feeder or feeding from non plastic bowls!

It's so good to know that it's not just that actually. Your cat wants what is yours, not the glass put out for him! Amelia now wants to drink straight from my bottle of water, we haven;t figured out how to do that yet. I also drink from her cup of water beside the bed. I'm not worried about catching anything off her, I keep her well wormed. She usually wants the water more after I take a sup!

I think they want "our" water instead of regular pet water?

Oh yeah he definitely wants what's mine. Not convinced that they like non plastic bowls or water feeders. I've used lots of different bowls with no success and my sister had a water feeder and he had no real interest.

Maybe they're paranoid and think we'll try to poison them so they need to think we're drinking it too?

I dunno. If I started questioning everything my cat did it would take me down a very dark path.

Fluffy Cat 88

Mine like to drink from a glass too. If I'm getting myself a pint glass of water, I get a second one for the cats. I even leave it on the sink and walk away so they'll think its MY water!

They seem to like it fresh from the tap, and in a glass, however I have to keep the toilet lids closed because they will drink from the loo

They'll drink out of dirty puddles in the yard too, but give them water in a bowl, no bloody way will they even touch it.

Wow they really do own us.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Wow they really do own us.

Totally!!

I knew it wasn't just me! I was told I was spoiling Amelia, but to be fair if she didn't like the water from the plastic bowl then I would always give her a glass of water. But when I think back this has been going on since she was a kitten actually! Corey does paw the water and stick his whole face into it, I think he's just extra weird. But I do recall when Meels was just a kitten and I told my mother to give her water in a glass instead of a bowl.

I do think in Amelia's case it is because she thinks human water is better than cat water. I am tempted to pick up their bowl and slurp out of it, see how that goes down! Probably Corey clawing my hand and Amelia still wanting a glass all for herself.

Cats are weird just about covers it!

To add to this, I get up at 7:45 every morning, but I am terrible with mornings so I have my alarm set for 7:15, 7:30 then the final alarm at 7:45. Amelia sleeps in my room. She gets up about 6am and walks up and down on top of me until she has me awake, then she stands on my face and purrs. When my first alarm goes off, she curls up and goes fast asleep. My mother put forth the theory that Amelia is waking me because she wants me to get up and do cat stuff with her, but when the first alarm goes off she knows that I will actually get up in 30 minutes, so she goes back to sleep!

RentDayBlues

Running water only here! Fussy cat, will sometimes drink from a glass but likes to sit at the tap until it's turned on!

VonVix

Didn't read all the posts, but I believe some cats won't drink water if it's near their food source and/or won't drink stagnant water because it's "contaminated" if it's near where they eat.

Shivi111

Yep, Mori drank from a glass for the first year or so of his life, point blank refused his water bowl for ages then randomly decided he didn't like to drink from a glass and went back to the water bowl.

Loki will only drink from a running tap, and only if its just dripping and not running to much... I bought her a cat fountain but she refused it too. Sometimes she will drink from my glass or cup but only by 'scooping' the water with her paw - no drinking directly from the glass!

Willow only likes to drink water that's in a puddle, so she will knock her bowl with her paw to make it shake and run around to lap up the water as it spills on the floor.

I've stopped questioning the ways of cats!