Why Does My Cat Keep Drinking From the Tap?
Many cats favor drinking water from the faucet. After all, running water is cool, fresh, and tasty, so much so that they’d entirely ignore their water bowl and solely drink from the sink.
As adorable as it is, you’ve likely wondered, “Why does my cat keep drinking out of the faucet?” Read on to know why your cat is drinking out of the faucet, including tips on how to get them to drink from the bowl.
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Reasons Why Your Cat Keeps Drinking Out of the Faucet
There are multiple reasons why a cat keeps drinking out of the faucet. For one, it ties in with their instinctive behavior to be wary of standing water, as standing water in the wild typically equates to a higher risk of harmful contaminants and toxins.
Furthermore, they might feel unsafe sitting at their water bowl because of their natural tendency to avoid being cornered.
Here are some of the most common reasons why a cat drinks out of a faucet or shower:
Water from the faucet might taste more “fresh” and refreshing than the water sitting in their plastic or metal water bowl
Cats have a poor ability to see standing water and would rather use their excellent hearing to locate the sound of running water
Some cats dislike the feeling of their whiskers brushing against the rims of their water bowls while drinking
Some cats like playing with running water. Instead of walking all the way back to their bowl, why not play and drink at the same time?
If you’ve noticed your cat drinking from odd places due to extreme thirst (polydipsia), it could be a sign of an underlying medical condition such as UTI, kidney dysfunction, and liver disease.
According to veterinarian Jason Nicholas, a cat needs to drink anywhere between 3.5 to 4.5 ounces of water per five pounds of body weight per day. Therefore, if you have a 10-pound cat, she needs to drink at least 7 to 9 ounces of water.
If your cat is used to eating wet food, she may not need to drink additional water. Wet cat food is said to contain approximately 70 to 80% water, which means that your cat might get anywhere between 3.85 to 4.4 ounces of water per single 5.5-ounce can.
Tips to Get Your Cat to Stop Drinking From the Faucet
If your cat is used to drinking from the faucet, it might be difficult to break her out of the habit. Regardless, no one wants to pay an unnaturally high water bill at the end of every month just because your cat loves drinking and playing with flowing water.
Plus, it can be quite inconvenient to have to manually open the tap every time your darling pet wants to drink!
Here are some tips to get your cat to start drinking out of the water bowl:
Keep the Water Fresh and Cool
One of the most common reasons a cat doesn’t drink from her water bowl is because the water doesn’t taste fresh.
Think of it this way: would you personally drink stagnant water with all kinds of floating debris on it? Likely not. The same goes for your cat. To remedy this, make sure to change your cat’s water bowl once or twice a day. You can also place several ice cubes in her drinking bowl to keep it nice and cool.
Also, before changing her water, make sure to wash her bowl even if it looks clean. This prevents the likelihood of bacterial or parasitic infection and may encourage your cat to drink from her bowl more often.
Move the Bowl to a Different Location
It’s possible that your cat doesn’t like the smell of cat food while drinking her water. Therefore, it’s a great idea to move her bowl to a different location. Try to keep it away from her sleeping area, playing area, feeding area, and litter box.
Alternatively, you may also increase the number of water bowls in your house so she has quick and easy access to water wherever she goes instead of drinking from the faucet.
Change the Material of the Water Bowl
If she absolutely refuses to drink from her water bowl, it might be worth buying her a new bowl.
It’s likely that your cat doesn’t like the plasticky smell the bowl might be made of. Instead, try buying her a metal bowl. If your cat already has a metal bowl, try ceramic or glass. The bowl should be large enough for your cat’s nose and face to reach the bottom.
The best material for cat bowls is stainless steel because they’re durable, robust, and easy to maintain. Glass and ceramic bowls, while aesthetically pleasing, are less durable because it has the tendency to break when dropped or tipped over.
Add a Little Flavor to the Water
Similar to how humans sometimes like the taste of lemon or cucumber water, cats may also like a bit of flavor in their water. Mix a bit of tuna water/oil in their water bowl; you never know, the allure of tuna may tempt and encourage your cats to drink!
Close off Access to Problematic Water Sources
If your cat realizes she doesn’t have access to your faucet anymore, she may start searching for alternative drinking locations. Therefore, make sure to close off any access to problematic water sources such as your bathtub, shower, toilet, or fish tank.
For instance, if your cat keeps drinking out of the toilet, always keep your toilet lid closed. The same is said for fish aquariums. Cover the mouth of your aquarium with a lid so your cat can’t drink or put her paws into the water and disturb or harm your fish.
When she realizes that she doesn’t have any other water source, she’ll have no choice but to return back to her water bowl.
Buy a Water Fountain
If everything else fails, you might want to try purchasing a cat-sized water fountain.
Pet water fountains are designed to keep water continuously flowing for your cat so she can have 24/7 access to clean water. When buying a cat fountain, make sure to purchase something with a large reservoir so you don’t need to constantly refill it.
The depth and size of the fountain’s water bowl are equally important. If your cat is but a mere kitten, you might want to purchase a fountain that has a lower bowl so she can easily reach it. The same is said for senior cats, as they may have a harder time reaching into the bowl due to their stiff joints. If you own multiple cats, it’s worth buying a fountain with multiple tiers.
Finally, a filter system is an absolute must. Filters help remove water impurities and make sure your cat’s water is clean, pure, and fresh.
Final Thoughts
There are several reasons why your cat keeps drinking out of the faucet, ranging from natural instinct to personal taste. Drinking from the faucet once or twice every few days is entirely normal. In fact, some animal experts encourage this behavior!
However, if your cat is solely drinking from a faucet, it might be time to make a few simple changes to her daily routine and living space. Lack of access to clean drinking water may cause an array of health issues, so providing your cat with fresh, cool water to drink every day is an absolute must.