Colored Water

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 17:07:17 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
wrote:

For a while now I've suspected that Natasha is having trouble seeing
the surface of the water in her water bowl (recently diagnosed with
developing cataracts). I sort of think this is partly why she's always
putting her feet into her water bowl (it's white), because there have
been a few times I've seen her lean in for a drink and end up with a
nose full of water!

Anyway, I'm trying to think of cheap and easy ways to help her find
the surface of the water. I really can't afford one of those
"watering systems" that creates a disturbance on the surface because
it's constantly moving water into and out of the bowl. So what came to
mind is coloring the water so she can see the surface easier.

Has anyone here ever tried adding food color to their feline's
drinking water? - you all know what I mean, the colored liquid that
turns food interesting colors when you add a drop or two to the mix.
If you have, how did it work out? Did your kitty drink it? Did s/he
end up with an oddly colo(u)red tongue or urine?





Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha

============
http://www.jhedge.com

I can't answer about the food coloring for the kitties, and you've got
a lot of good responses, but I just wanted to say I think it's fun to
add food coloring to my bathwater on occasion. Blue and green are
especially nice, and it kinda makes you feel like you're bathing in
the ocean.

I suspect drinking a lot of food coloring wouldn't be the best thing
for kitties. And I doubt kitties would want to bathe in it ;-)

Ginger-lyn

Home Pages:
http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/
http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats)
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb....mmer/index.htm (genealogy)
http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against
Animals in Movies Website)

I do not suggest using normal food coloring in cats water. I do suggest
bluing, no more than a drop at first and see if that helps. I use bluing in
my horses water to help prevent bacteria growth. My horse likes to wash his
mouth into his water and by the end of the day it would be very sour. So
bluing helps slow down the growth of the bacteria so I can get there and
dump and refresh it. Its great for bird baths as well, keeps the water
fresher for the birds.

http://www.mrsstewart.com/pages/otheruses.htm

Try this link and see what else you can use bluing for.

Gina


"Jeanne Hedge" wrote in message
...
For a while now I've suspected that Natasha is having trouble seeing
the surface of the water in her water bowl (recently diagnosed with
developing cataracts). I sort of think this is partly why she's always
putting her feet into her water bowl (it's white), because there have
been a few times I've seen her lean in for a drink and end up with a
nose full of water!

Anyway, I'm trying to think of cheap and easy ways to help her find
the surface of the water. I really can't afford one of those
"watering systems" that creates a disturbance on the surface because
it's constantly moving water into and out of the bowl. So what came to
mind is coloring the water so she can see the surface easier.

Has anyone here ever tried adding food color to their feline's
drinking water? - you all know what I mean, the colored liquid that
turns food interesting colors when you add a drop or two to the mix.
If you have, how did it work out? Did your kitty drink it? Did s/he
end up with an oddly colo(u)red tongue or urine?





Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha

============
http://www.jhedge.com

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 20:12:34 -0600, Ted Davis
wrote:

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 17:07:17 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
wrote:
snip
Anyway, I'm trying to think of cheap and easy ways to help her find
the surface of the water. I really can't afford one of those
"watering systems" that creates a disturbance on the surface because
it's constantly moving water into and out of the bowl. So what came to
mind is coloring the water so she can see the surface easier.

snip

I wouldn't use food coloring - over time it would amount to a lot per
pound of cat.

I have use an aquarium pump to bubble air through the water, but
lately I have noticed that most of the cats prefer to drink from a
particular side of the bowl. The bowl is located a couple of feet to
one side of directly under the always-on ceiling light - the side they
usually drink from is the one from which the reflection of the light
can be seen. I haven't had any problem with the cats dragging the
bowl around and spilling the water since I started putting it where it
is now, and not much paw-in-water dirt either.

I moved Natasha's water bowl over a week ago, and there's been a big
difference. There is still a bit of "foot-in-water" drinking going on
(including actually *standing* in her water bowl!), but she's walking
up to the bowl and taking a drink in the normal fashion a lot more
than she used to.

It just never crossed my mind that overhead lighting would make such a
big difference!





Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha

============
http://www.jhedge.com

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 14:18:18 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
wrote:

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 20:12:34 -0600, Ted Davis
wrote:

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 17:07:17 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
wrote:
snip
Anyway, I'm trying to think of cheap and easy ways to help her find
the surface of the water. I really can't afford one of those
"watering systems" that creates a disturbance on the surface because
it's constantly moving water into and out of the bowl. So what came to
mind is coloring the water so she can see the surface easier.

snip

I wouldn't use food coloring - over time it would amount to a lot per
pound of cat.

I have use an aquarium pump to bubble air through the water, but
lately I have noticed that most of the cats prefer to drink from a
particular side of the bowl. The bowl is located a couple of feet to
one side of directly under the always-on ceiling light - the side they
usually drink from is the one from which the reflection of the light
can be seen. I haven't had any problem with the cats dragging the
bowl around and spilling the water since I started putting it where it
is now, and not much paw-in-water dirt either.

I moved Natasha's water bowl over a week ago, and there's been a big
difference. There is still a bit of "foot-in-water" drinking going on
(including actually *standing* in her water bowl!), but she's walking
up to the bowl and taking a drink in the normal fashion a lot more
than she used to.

It just never crossed my mind that overhead lighting would make such a
big difference!

Well, it took me only about thirty years of struggling with cats and
water bowls to figure that out, and then it was pure accident that the
current bowl location is in just the right place for my cats to show
me that something about the position was of critical importance. Then
I noticed the reflection one day when I was looking from an angle that
was about the same as the one the cat I was watching had.

--
T.E.D. )