Cat won't drink regular water

Hi Gang,

We let our cat drink from the tap thinking it was cute but she got
hooked on it. She started howling and we thought it was senility. We
thought she was supplementing her tap water with dish water. She get
very sick. We took her to the vet and the vet said she was dehydrated
and constipated. Now she's back and we have been watching her. The
howling is her demand for tap water. She will no longer touch water
unless it is running from the tap. We bought a cat fountain and she
just sniffs it and walks away. We can't turn on the tap every time she
wants water. Does anyone know what to do? She is quite old and I'm not
sure that she can take this much physical stress. Thanks for any ideas.

Steve

PS: Don't let you cat get into this habit.

In article .com,
says...
Hi Gang,

We let our cat drink from the tap thinking it was cute but she got
hooked on it. She started howling and we thought it was senility. We
thought she was supplementing her tap water with dish water. She get
very sick. We took her to the vet and the vet said she was dehydrated
and constipated. Now she's back and we have been watching her. The
howling is her demand for tap water. She will no longer touch water
unless it is running from the tap. We bought a cat fountain and she
just sniffs it and walks away. We can't turn on the tap every time she
wants water. Does anyone know what to do? She is quite old and I'm not
sure that she can take this much physical stress. Thanks for any ideas.

Steve

PS: Don't let you cat get into this habit.

I started a little ritual with my eldest cat. Every morning when I
shower, he insists on being in the bathroom with me, to the point of
walking between the inner and outer shower curtains.

And people don't believe me when I tell them that sometimes he actually
gets in the shower with me. All in a quest for running water.

Otherwise he'll drink from the kitty water fountain I bought them.

When I last took him to the vet they did a full panel and nothing showed
up. I mentioned the behavior to the vet and she told me it's quite
common.

So now I have to honor the ritual or pay the price, which is usually
dirty looks from my cat.

" wrote:

: Hi Gang,
:
: We let our cat drink from the tap thinking it was cute but she got
: hooked on it. She started howling and we thought it was senility. We
: thought she was supplementing her tap water with dish water. She get
: very sick. We took her to the vet and the vet said she was dehydrated
: and constipated. Now she's back and we have been watching her. The
: howling is her demand for tap water. She will no longer touch water
: unless it is running from the tap...

No bright ideas here but somewhat related: Do you feed her canned food
or dry food? Dry food is a major, major contributor to the dehydration
problem. With canned, she will be much better hydrated.

On 20 May 2006 14:58:54 -0700, "
wrote:

Hi Gang,

We let our cat drink from the tap thinking it was cute but she got
hooked on it. She started howling and we thought it was senility. We
thought she was supplementing her tap water with dish water. She get
very sick. We took her to the vet and the vet said she was dehydrated
and constipated. Now she's back and we have been watching her. The
howling is her demand for tap water. She will no longer touch water
unless it is running from the tap. We bought a cat fountain and she
just sniffs it and walks away. We can't turn on the tap every time she
wants water. Does anyone know what to do? She is quite old and I'm not
sure that she can take this much physical stress. Thanks for any ideas.

Steve

PS: Don't let you cat get into this habit.

Don't mean to sound insensitive but I laughed when I read your first 2
lines (until I got to the part where she got sick). We have one cat
that did the exact same thing...even tried the cat fountain which he
turned his nose up to. The way we solved it is we put a tall cup of
water on the table with ice in it. We showed it to him a few times
when he'd howl at the faucet and after that, he constantly drank from
it. The funny thing is we have 3 cats and now they all drink from
this cup that constantly sits on our coffee table with a paper towel
under it (they're sloppy drinkers). Now they howl if it's too low or
not cool enough..so we fill it up twice a day and add the ice and
they're happy. Just an opinion but I think they like it because they
don't have to lean all the way down to drink...the cup is at the level
of their neck and it's easy for them to take a drink. Give it a
try...maybe you'll get lucky. Good luck.

Thanks everybody. I'm going to try those things.

The Other Mike wrote:

Your post is most interesting on many points.

: Now they howl if it's too low or not cool enough...so we fill it up
: twice a day and add the ice and they're happy.

Never thought cats might want ice cold water. Heck, I try so har dto
serve it to her at "room temperature".

: I think they like it because they don't have to lean all the way down
: to drink...the cup is at the level of their neck and it's easy for them
: to take a drink.
:

Never thought of that either but it makes a lot of sense. I'll try
raising her water and food bowls and see if that is appreciated.

wrote:
Hi Gang,

We let our cat drink from the tap thinking it was cute but she got
hooked on it. She started howling and we thought it was senility. We
thought she was supplementing her tap water with dish water. She get
very sick. We took her to the vet and the vet said she was dehydrated
and constipated. Now she's back and we have been watching her. The
howling is her demand for tap water. She will no longer touch water
unless it is running from the tap. We bought a cat fountain and she
just sniffs it and walks away. We can't turn on the tap every time she
wants water. Does anyone know what to do? She is quite old and I'm not
sure that she can take this much physical stress. Thanks for any ideas.

Steve

PS: Don't let you cat get into this habit.

Wow... ****ing A-1-A weird. Our's likes an ice cube in his water bowl
from time to time, although he hasn't refused to drink because it isn't
there. I'll tell you what.... get one of those little plastic plungers
that you see protruding out of the tap in a dentist's sink. They stick
down from the tap and when you bump them, they let the water come out
(the water is just left on all the time). As long as they're held in
after they're bumped, water will flow. As soon as the pressure is
removed, the tap stops running. Your kat might be able to figure it
out. I doubt it unless she'z as smart as our boy iz, but it's still
within the realm of possibility. It sure sounds like she knows what it
likes! And when it comes to water, that may be motivation enough for
even the most brainless feline.


IBen Getiner

I think your cat is pretty smart -- I don't like to drink from
'standing' water either

Stan

http://Kitten-Pictures.com
Free Kitten Pictures

On Sun, 21 May 2006 05:38:28 GMT, Kiran wrote:

Never thought cats might want ice cold water. Heck, I try so har dto
serve it to her at "room temperature".

I still don't know for sure if they like it cold or if it's just that
it's different so they think it's like a treat. It's funny though
watching them when I put the ice in...sometimes it looks like they get
brain freeze and stop for a second...then go back to drinking.

My cat is the same way - he hops in the shower from time to time with
me to grab a drink or when I'm in the bath. He actually would stick his
hand into the dripping tap water and wash himself with it, instead of
licking his hands. Cute eh. They are pretty smart. He'll never ever
drink from his water dish. Only tall clear glasses of water and the
tap. Especially not plastic dishes, bacteria grows in there easier. I
too found that when my cats are on canned food they rarely ever drink.
They stay better hydrated.
Cheers,
Simba's Mom