Cat drinking habits ...

[catfancier]

Hi everyone!

I need to learn about different cats drinking habits (water specific that is). Can you please share your experiences of your cat and its drinking habits - where they drink, when they drink, what your cat eats and whether there is a difference in how much it drinks if it is fed primarily dry food or wet food, what they drink out of and how much they drink? And if your cat has unusual drinking habits, I would love to know!

Thank you all so much!

& scritchies to your furbabies

[RICHARD]

My cat takes his water dish, a plastic, vertical sided bowl and uses alternating paw swipes to splash the water onto the floor and the sides.

IF it's a fresh bowl of water, he drinks from the bowl, if the water sits for a few hours or over night he'll do the splashy part. He'll move the bowl clear across the tiles, 3-4 feet at times.

I have to be careful at night, I have stepped into/onto the bowl, almost falling or turning my ankle.

When he wakes up from a nap he grabs a dry food snack and then goes to the water.

As far as the amounts, it's hard to say, most of the water ends up on the floor.

[Laura's Babies]

All the ones I have now drink from the waterer.. I have had one that dipped his paw, and licked the water off his paw, I also have had Chester who only drinks from the faucet. They all do prefer fresh water.

[catfancier]

Which waterer do you have Laura's Babies? I've looked around and there are definitely a few on the market.

Unfortunately, including this eyesore:



(No offence to anyone who has one, but who would do that?!!!)

[moosmom]

Buddy liked to drink out of a Tupperware container filled to the brim in each of the sinks.

Everyone else uses the Drinkwell Fountain. They love it!

[RICHARD]

(No offence to anyone who has one, but who would do that?!!!)

I have been to people's homes where they have a swimming pool and a sign that says-

"I don't swim in your toilet, So don't pee in the pool"

I guess you might say,

I don't drink out of your toilet, so don't pee in my water dish!"

[KitCat]

Cocoa has an easy to clean glass dish. He likes ice cubes, and tries to lick the outside of my soda bottle for a cool drink.

[carole]

Hey there great to see you about on PT again, well my four are much the same, they drink more if on dry food for sure, i have six water bowls, three inside and three outside,four are ceramic bowls and two are stainless steel,one is positioned by the food bowl, one is on the stairwell, one outside on the verandah by the cat shelter, and the other two further around the front of the verandah one's and one upstairs in our bedroom where lexie mostly resides, one of my cats Ash, tends to drink right on the edge often spilling the water on the floor,the others are much more diplomatic about it,not making any mess, they also enjoy puddles, little monkeys, even though they have a good supply of fresh water daily.
Lexie seems to enjoy cold water out of the fridge.

Ash drinks alot because he has CRF, the other older cat drinks quite a bit, lexie also as she is on complete dry food, the youngest does not drink as much as the other three from my observations.

[catmandu]

I GOT SOME METAL MIXING BOWLS FROM THE DOLLAR STORE AND THEY DRINK OUT OF THOSE AND THE DRINKWELL MACHINES.
THE METAL MIXING BOWLS ARE LARGE AND EASIER TO KEEP CLEAN THAN THE PLASTIC ONES ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE SOME OF THOSE TOO.

[Freedom]

I have 2 Pet Mate water fountains. I fill those nightly. They just about last for the 15 pets here. Who drinks when an dhow much? You must be joking, I have NO idea!

My vet says the cat should be fed twice per day. I reply, "my cats haven't read your books. They eat at least 3 times per day and Sparkle eats 5 times per day.)

[cristy]

Jasper is finicky...aren't they all?? He def prefers fresh water and seems to know when I fill my glass...within minutes his head is pushed inside "sharing" with mommy! My husband and son tend to drink out of a cup with a lid, so that there is a "jasper-deterrant" between their mouth and his....chickens!

I have a fountain for him because he really likes to drink from the faucet, but I can't stand to waste that much water. the vet told me to switch to stainless steel bowls because he was getting kitty acne on his chin. He will drink from the bowl for about an hour once it is filled, then he reverts to the fountain and the moving water! Guess the acne doesn't bother him much.

I keep Nutro Naturals dry food out for him all the time because he tends to graze. He is always a normal weight, so he isn't a glutton...wish I could listen to those signals so well!

[GILL]

Our LUCKY likes to lay on the floor with one arm in the fountian. He will lick the water from his arm. He also likes to splash and you or anyone is in range, you will get very wet. He's got a real good side shot and ame.
Roz has attacked from the rear Lucky just swings around with a paw full of water.
If you go into the shower he will follow.
Wit 13 in the house we free feed, but in the mornig they get thier wet food. Most are very polite. Like BART as big as he is he will let Boots ( one of the smallest) eat unless she takes too long then he will try to eat with her.

[Don Juan's mom]

Don Juan, who eats only dry food, likes to drink out of a coffee mug on the coffee table. He will also drink out of MY cup of water or milk! Zerlina prefers the Petmate one-gallon "Bistro" waterer.

Liz

[cassiesmom]

Cassie (age 13) and pink plastic Petsmart water dish: "Lap, lap, lap, lap ... swallow" (repeat) She likes an ice cube in her water in the summer and will use her front paw to fish it out of the bowl. (btw, she's a righty) I change the water daily, and I'm a little hyper about keeping the bowl clean.

She's a little bit of a fussbudget. Breakfast A is served between 3 and 4 AM (1/4 of a 5.5 ounce can of cat food); breakfast B around 7:30 (second portion of can - about half of what's left) and supper around 6 PM. She doesn't do leftovers, so sometimes I end up throwing most of supper away. Depends on how fussy she's feeling.

Dry food ... there's always a little dry food out for her. She eats her wet food from a porcelain sauce dish that was one of a pair from my grandmother's house. Her dry food is in a little Corning glass sauce dish.

[sirrahbed]

Mine all drink from their Petmate fountain. Two of them use their paws to scoop and drink their water (and splash & play) Emily likes to drink from the bathroom sink drizzling but since she one of the paw drinkers - she swats the stream and drinks from her paw - still loves the running water. I don't use standing water anymore because they all so prefer the fountain and I like the fact that it has a filter on it to keep the water fresher and cleaner. All five are free fed dry kibble.