How does your cat drink water?

[joeybee12]

I have two--sisters from the same litter.

Melanie drinks like you think, lowers her head into the bowl and uses her tongue.

Scarlet, however, dips her paw into the bowl and then licks her paw.

If you watch any nature shows, some big cats will also drink the way Scarlet does, although the other way is more common.

Anyone know why the difference?

[Fixated]

1. ...

Mine drink from the bowl the normal way, but when they are stealing my drinks from cups, and can't reach directly, they use their paw. Either way, it's downright adorable.

[Droopy]

2. It's a mystery in our house

She never seems to drink anything from her bowl and we never see her drink any water. I don't know how she does it.

[SiobhanClancy]

4. Hope you don't keep the bathroom door open

One of my cats,Crazy Clancy,will drink out of the toilet bowl when he gets the chance,even though he has multiple more pleasant sources for water.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

12. Reno the Faucet-Drinker Likes the Toilet Too!

He also doesn't mind getting wet.

Both Reno and Noah drink out of dirty dishes in the sink-this morning it was the bowl that we used for scrambled eggs. Sometimes it's coffee cups.

[Catshrink]

20. Ryno prefers the toilet, too.

I used to think it was weird and gross, but the vet assured me that some cats just prefer that.

My sister's cat Dennis will only drink from a dribbling stream -- either the sink or the bathtub. She bought him one of those fountain things and he likes that too.

My Sammy reclines next to the dish and leans his head over to drink.

Strange critters, these cats.

[pansypoo53219]

21. toilet water is tasty and fresh for cats.

my 1st 2 drank from the toilet, the next 2 didn't. will have to see with the nex t 2.

[Booberdawg]

8. I have one like that ..

he drinks from the few drops left on the faucet after water has just been shut off. He also licks a few drops from the sink and even the bathtub after use. I used to have one leaky faucet so it worked out well for him.

He really doesn't get enough fluid - some lab work earlier this year revealed a bit of a problem that wouldn't be so if his fluid intake were better. Not much I can do about it really. Can't tell a cat what to do, that's for sure.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

3. One drinks out of the faucet

the other out of a coffee cup.

[joeybee12]

6. When the faucet drips, mine will go for that also...

...but again, Scarlet will stick her paw under the water, won't go directly to it with her tongue!

[Birthmark]

5. Mine uses a straw.

However, he just slurps his brandy. No breeding, you see.

[havocmom]

25. Had a cat fond of Apricot Brandy

Got a snifter for mine, thinking it would keep him from getting into it as his head would not fit in the small opening of the snifter. HA! He switched to the dipping paw method! Also loved fresh grape juice, but not grapes... would spear the fruit on a claw, hold his paw up and catch the trickling down juiec. Pretty funny to watch a cat with a grape on his toe, paw in the air, patiently waiting....

[havocmom]

7. The old feline around here uses his tounge in his bowl

or anything else he choses to drink from: Havocdad's tumbler, the dog's bowl, the bath tub or toilet (thus, the lid is always left down. First time I saw him standing on hind legs with head down the toilet, I thought, 'good cat! Toss those furballs up where they belong'. Reading my mind as I passed the bathroom door, my daughter said "Don't get your hopes up... he is drinking, not hurling." She got him from a shelter and all evidence points to him being raised by wolves, well, dogs at least. Took the other two cats years to teach him how cats behave. Since their deaths, he has reverted to his canid behavior patterns.

He does spend a good deal of time grooming the golden retriever who has joined the family in the past few years. Best of buddies. Even took him camping with us, as at 17, Havocdad feared he would grieve and die if we left him in the care of a house sitter and took the dog away for two weeks. Old cat did well with camping. He and the hound stayed close to the tent/car but did sniff around together. The travel was easy and the dog was thrilled to share with the cat the fruits of the take out windows at fast food emporiums along our route. Now the cat sees why the dog is so enthusiastic about car bye-byes! "MMMM, burgers & chicken sandwhiches... hold the fries..."

[joeybee12]

9. It kills me when I see a cat in the car

Did yours need a cage or box? Most hate the car--opposite of dogs who will jump in at once.

[havocmom]

22. Hated the cage box. Was fine outside of it

We put him in it when opening the car so he couldn't bolt and become a statistic, and when in heavy city traffic, otherwise, he was jsut good as gold. Slept by the dog, stood lookout from atop the icechest, waved at kids in other cars. He was just great, once we were convinced he could come out of the cage!

[joeybee12]

26. Your cat must have been a dog in a previous life

That's the only explanation for that kind of behavior!

[scarlet_owl]

10. My cat doesn't even have a water dish.

She won't drink out of one. She likes the dripping faucet, so we make sure we leave it on just a little for her.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

11. Ours lap water out of the bowl

But they'll also jump at the chance to enjoy a little toilet bowl water if we forget to put the lid down. They absolutely LOVE cold water from the refrigerator icemaker; who can blame them? Our cat Fergus, who died in August, used to occasionally dip his paw in the water and lick it off, but Monty and Simba seem to never do that.

[NJCher]

13. goldfish bowl

Had a goldfish bowl about five inches in diameter. I put some flowers in it. Bitsey went nuts; knocked the flowers out of the bowl and began slurping.

Now at her dining station are four dishes and a goldfish bowl of water.


Cher

[scarlet_owl]

15. That's so cute!

Ah, what we do to accomodate our more particular family members. My kitty is so spoiled, she never has to jump down from the window ledge. She sits up there and goes "Mwaaaah" until I get her down.

[corarose]

14. Little Al

He put his paw into the water and tastes it first and then he places his head down in the bowl and drinks his water.

[joeybee12]

16. I should also point out that their water bowls are in the tub

It's one of their favorite places--there's a water bowl also next to their food bowl, but they will eat the food, then go to the tub for a drink.

[Philosophy]

17. My old room mate had a cat who only drank off the floor

She had a water dish, but before she would drink she would swat the side of it to make some water splash out onto the floor, then she would lap up the puddle. We also had to be careful about leaving full beverage glasses unattended because she would knock them over just for fun.

She was a bad kittie.

[joeybee12]

19. Melanie eats her food off the floor

She sticks her mouth into the bowl, and then drops it onto the floor, and eats it from there. They only gte dry cat food, so there's no mess.

[Paragon]

18. Some water can be too "clean"-smelling for cats

They trust what they can smell, and if you pour them filtered (or even sometimes from your tap) water, they may need to let the water "age" a little so they can smell it.

Sounds weird, but it's true.

[rbnyc]

23. Out of my water glass.

2 of our cats lap water from their dish. 1 of our cats waits til we're not looking and puts her paw in our water glasses. She loves to drink our water, and won't drink her own unless she's really thirsty.

[shimmergal]

24. Only from the faucet, unless he's really thirsty.

If he can't nab a stream of water that way, he'll drink out of the toilet bowl or from dishes sitting in the sink. Won't touch the water bowl I have out for the dogs.

He will drink milk from a saucer, though.

[ChewToy]

27. We have to put a dish in the bathtub for Boris

He's part Russian Blue, so he's obsessed with water. He uses both methods.

His sister, who doesn't have any Russian Blue, is strictly a face-in-the-kitchen-water-dish girl.

[undergroundpanther]

28. Drinks

My Cat Vinnie steals straws from drinking cups when you ain't looking even before you are done drinking!..All my cats drink the usual way with thier tounges lapping.