Cats and water?

Trust me on this one, our cat came to us the same way. We simply closed all the doors to bathrooms and kitchens, and gave her a bowl, dipped out finger and tapped her nose gently with it to show her this is water. Then we left her inside the house until she realised that that was water, she got the idea. It's like retraining the cat to use a littertray - just stick to your guns until they get it, it's like changeing a unhealthy diet to a healthy one, stick to it and they get it by the end of the day.

Fountains make a bit of a noise. The cats may just need time to get used to it. Don't try to rush them.

If your cats get wet food a couple of times a day, they really don't require much water. They get water from the food.

I would suggest putting a glass bowl of water near the fountain. Wash the bowl daily and put fresh water and ice cubes in it a couple times of day. (If the ice cubes draw the cats to the bowl of water, you might want to drop one or two cubes in the fountain water as well.) You can do away with the bowl once your cats regularly drink from the fountain.

Keep the water fresh in the fountain, too. Wash the container and change the filter as recommended.

Just don't turn the water on for them in the sinks or tub anymore. Cats are very smart and know what to do to get you to do what they want. If what they try doesn't work, they'll quit trying. Don't turn the water on and don't give in -- even once.

You can carry them to the water bowls and splash a bit in it to see if it will get their interest. Or, not. If they get thirsty, they have a choice of the fountain or glass bowl.

One of my cats was satisfied by just putting a glass bowl of water on the bathroom counter top. I keep it clean and change the water twice a day. She likes this nearly as much as the faucett.

I recently added a fountain but never tried to get the cats to use it at all. I keep it clean and fresh and gradually, one by one, they each learned to drink from it by themselves. Their natural curiosity and watching the other cats use it taught them. All six now use it regularly.

Our cat doesn't like drinking out of a bowl either. She likes drinking out of a glass of ice water. Also prefers glass over plastic bowls. Since most cats like running water I'd try to fill up a glass water bowl while they watch. Maybe that will get their interest. Also they like fresh water, so don't leave the water sit for a few days, change it often. Maybe also try putting a few ice cubes into the bowl to get their interest.

Also close the bathroom door so they can't drink from the bathtub faucet, they'll drink from the bowl if they're thirsty.

Most cats prefer to drink "fresh" water from a faucet, but when they get thirsty, they will drink from their water bowls. If it doesnt bother you, it doesnt hurt to let the kitty drink from the sink. If you want them to stop, just close the bathroom door when you're going to be running water.

As for getting them to drink from their bowl, they may be scared of the bowl with the fountain. Or maybe the filter in it makes the water taste funny to them. Leave a few bowls of water around the house in their areas. That way you can make sure that when the kitties get thirsty, there will be a water bowl they like nearby. It's important for cats (especially males) to get enough water and prevent urinary tract problems. Figure out what works for your cats and go with it. They won't rely entirely on the sink/tub faucet for their water as long as there are other acceptable options around.

I have a 1 year old kitty who has always loved to drink out of the sink. He occassionally uses the dog's water bowl as well, but his absolute favorite drinking spot is a drinking cup of water on my bedside table. He sits there at bedtime and slurps out of the cup (he has his own, we don't share), even sticking his head way down inside the cup. It works for him, so we go with it. But he still loves the faucet when he gets a chance, too.

I think it's so funny you mention this because my cat Jack insists on drinking from the kitchen faucet too! I worried about dehydration, like you, but last night when he thought I wasn't looking, he drank from the bowl in the kitchen floor. Then, when I came into the kitchen, he jumped on the sink and meowed signaling he wanted me to turn on the faucet. Honestly, it's been proven that animals prefer very cold water. Water in a bowl warms to room temperature after only a short time, so that is why our cats prefer the faucet water. It's very cold and refreshing. BUT, don't worry about your cat dehydrating. If you are not there to turn on the faucet, they WILL drink whatever water is available to them. They will not thirst themselves to death. They're way too smart for that. (^_^)

If you are worried about dehydration, put a small bowl of water right beside the fountain. They will sneak close to the fountain to drink out of the bowl. That will put them close enough to get used to the sound. Once they are used to the sound, they should explore it. Cats are curious, but they also hate change. It will probably take about 2 weeks before this procedure will help.

Many cats are attracted to running water, if you leave out the fountain the cats will drink from it when they are thirsty, they wont let themsleves go without water.

Is it a behavior you want them to stop, or are you just concerned with them becoming dehydrated? You may have to start shutting the bathroom door.

Hi

This doesn'tr quite answer your question as it has been answered but did you know that cats are nopt normally big drinkers and usually get their water from their foods? The problem is, that with dry foods 95% of the moisture has been removed during processing. Add to that, carbohydrates that are added along with other ingrediants that cats can have trouble processing and you have foods that may cause problems down the line. Please consider reading about cat nutrition and feeding a canned food w/o gravy

My cat is the same way! Cats love to drink 'moving' water. They sell a water bowl for cats that has a little pump, that is similar to your waterfall thing, that keeps the water moving. Give it a try!

my cat does the same i don't even bother trying anymore. i guess eventually they will get thirsty and go to their bowl.