Drinking from the faucet; crosspost from Cat Behavior

[Medusa]

Ok, you all know the trials and tribulations that my Puddy girl has had so I won't go into that but this drinking out of the faucet has me stumped. If it was just a little quirk, I could deal w/it but she absolutely refuses to drink out of her fountain or water dish. She'll wait for hours until I come home, then is frantic to drink out of the faucet. I bought a drip bottle for gerbils yesterday and attached it to her carrier thinking that she might like it. I tried to teach her how to drink out of it, which she should be able to do w/no problem, because she likes to lick the faucet but either she doesn't understand what I'm trying to teach her or she's being stubborn because she won't go near it and turns her head away when I try to teach her. She's keeping me up most of the night because she can't reach the faucet on her own, can't jump up on a small step ladder any more because she's too weak. Any suggestions? Have you had this experience w/any of your CRF cats?

[Taz_Zoee]

Maybe there is something in the water that comes out of the faucet that isn't in the bottles and fountain you have for her. Some kind of mineral or something. I don't know, I'm just taking guesses here.

I hope Puddy is feeling better (off to go check the thread in health).

[Medusa]

Maybe there is something in the water that comes out of the faucet that isn't in the bottles and fountain you have for her. Some kind of mineral or something. I don't know, I'm just taking guesses here.

I hope Puddy is feeling better (off to go check the thread in health).

I know, me, too. I asked Dr. Lee about it and he said "I seriously doubt it. If she was a horse, I'd say 'maybe'." (He used to be a horse vet.) A friend suggested taking one of my table fountains and putting it in her room, so I did that. She won't go near it. But maybe that's because I was watching her, I don't know. I'll give it some time. This fountain sounds more like a faucet running, so it may work. As sick as she is, I just know she's loving this. See Mom run. See Mom jump. See Mom collapse from exhaustion. LOL

[catmandu]

SOMEHOW SHE JUST GOT INTO THE HABIT OF DRINKING FROM A FOUNTAIN, AND JUST WILL NOT CHANGE!!!
OF THAT GIVES YOU SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT WHEN YOU TALKABOUT PUDDY TO YOUR FRIENDS.
AFTER ALL SHE IS A CAT

[Medusa]

Fountain I can deal with. Water faucet, not so much. LOL If she could get up there on her own and turn on the faucet, great.

[Emeraldgreen]

I'm wondering if there is a connection to her anemia and if she is seeking out 'iron'. Maybe from minerals in the water itself or from the faucet metal? It could be the combination of the water coming right from the tap that smells more like iron than when it's sitting in her bowl or in the gerbil water dispenser. I've heard of cats licking certain things when they are depleted of something in their bodies and maybe this is what it's about. This may not help one bit but you could try and find an iron cooking pot or pan and fill it with the tap water and place it near her.

If that doesn't work, could you create a ramp up to the sink? It might not be as challenging as a step ladder for her as long as it's not too steep.

Praying that Puddy begins to get better.

E.T.A.: My cat Jade who was also a kidney cat could be found on occasion licking our iron woodstove in the kitchen which is why I'm thinking it might be something similar with Puddy.

If you don't have an iron pot or pan, you could probably find one at a thrift store fairly inexpensively. :0)
__________________

[pomtzu]

I was thinking along the same line - perhaps a ramp up to the counter and you could leave the water running at a slow trickle without running up your water bill. My son has a perfectly healthy cat, who over the past year has refused to drink from any bowls, etc., and will only drink from the bathroom tap, and she has 3 baths and the kitchen to choose from but will only drink from the same one all the time, so the water stays on at a trickle all the time. Finicky cat - go figure!!!
Hope you can find a solution soon - I know you must be getting frantic with all that is happening.

[Medusa]

Just got home from Pet Supplies Plus; put the steps in the bathroom and put her on them. She was kinda shaky but she went up the steps and into the sink. Let's hope she can do it tonight when it really counts.

[Moesha]

If you have to leave the water running a little, could you try to catch some of it in a pan or something and then use that water for something else later on? I sure hope MsPuddy will cooperate with the efforts you are going through to help her.

[Medusa]

If you have to leave the water running a little, could you try to catch some of it in a pan or something and then use that water for something else later on? I sure hope MsPuddy will cooperate with the efforts you are going through to help her.

I leave it running at such a tiny trickle and if I try to catch it in something, I'm not sure how there will be room for Pud.

[aki]

here's a thought. maybe she likes her water cold, not room temperature? when it's really hot, i put a couple ice cubes in sig's water because i feel so bad knowing his water is all warm. he likes to lick the condensation off my water bottle too.

~aki

[kitten645]

Mary,
I think she's messing with your head 'cause she can!
I'm afraid I don't have any advice to give but the mental picture of you on all fours "teaching" Puddy how to drink from a gerbil bottle made me ROFL! The things we do for our furkids!
Claudia

[Medusa]

here's a thought. maybe she likes her water cold, not room temperature? when it's really hot, i put a couple ice cubes in sig's water because i feel so bad knowing his water is all warm. he likes to lick the condensation off my water bottle too.

~aki

Tried that already. She looked up at me as if to say "Silly human".

[Medusa]

Mary,
I think she's messing with your head 'cause she can!
I'm afraid I don't have any advice to give but the mental picture of you on all fours "teaching" Puddy how to drink from a gerbil bottle made me ROFL! The things we do for our furkids!
Claudia

I think you're right. She has such expressive eyes and she looks at me sometimes as if to say "Stick a needle in me every day, will ya?" I'm glad no one was around w/a camera when I was teaching her how to drink from the gerbil bottle. Talk about blackmail!

[critters]

Just got home from Pet Supplies Plus; put the steps in the bathroom and put her on them. She was kinda shaky but she went up the steps and into the sink. Let's hope she can do it tonight when it really counts.

There ya go--stairs and a drip! They would be my suggestions. Purrz wants his water fresh-on-the-hoof too.