Is my cat being unreasonable

[ThrilledToTiddlyBits]

To insist on only drinking water out of the kids tumbler in the bath?

For context : DCat is 7 years old, neutered male. He has a split food dish but we stopped putting water in one half as he would crunch his kibble over the water, which would then get manky, so both sides of the bowl are for food, it has been this way for years. We also have a dog, who has a bowl of water down 24/7,cleaned regularly. DCat has always shared the bowl (will only drink it via his paw though, dipping the paw into the bowl then licking the water from his paw, very messy but whatever), again this has been the case for years.

Now, all of a sudden he will ONLY drink from the blue plastic tumbler that lives in the bathroom to assist with washing the kids' hair. To the point that he miaws outside the bathroom door if it's shut, and will race us upstairs and straight into the bath to alert us if his cup needs filling. This water, he will lap up directly, no needing to use his paw. He would apparently die of thirst if the tumbler was not available to him.

Is he BU? Why will he not drink from the dog bowl anymore? DCat and DDog don't appear to have had an argument, they both ignore each other to the same extent they always have. The water hasn't changed that I'm aware of. Does bathroom water taste better than kitchen water? Is it possible there is a faint residue of shampoo that is tempting him to the tumbler?

Is my cat an arsehole BU?

This is all so reassuring. Our dcat will only drink from a specific small plastic tumbler with a dinosaur on it, left over from a MacDonalds happy meal many years ago back when Ice Age was the theme of the meal. It is really several years old but I pray it will outlive dcat because if it cracks I fear she will die of thirst before she drinks out of anything else.

YABVU the cat is a God and must be obeyed and he knows it. Probably doesn't like the taste of dog slobber.

Toilet - I know this as I frequently find paw prints in the bowl. I blame the males in my house for not putting the toilet lid down. Second choice is directly after I’ve had a shower.

Of course your cat overlord is not being unreasonable. I would go as far as to say you are being unreasonable for not more closely monitoring the level in his beaker and being constantly available to refill it without being asked.
HTH
TheBrockmans' cat.

Cats are always unreasonable, but it is perfectly normal for a cat to prefer a water source that is far away from both their food and (obviously) their litter. If you don't want the cat drinking this water try placing a small water bowl on a few window sills about the house and see which ones are appreciated.

Hi,
Our cat has decided that his favourite water source is a small pink watering can from the garden. He has commandeered this and it is now exclusively his. It sounds like your cat has done something similar with the bath beaker. Why not just make him happy and give it to him? Cats often don’t like to share bowls with dogs and as others have noted, they don’t like water source next to their food. Make him happy and let him have the beaker!

Well that's fitting. I wandered into the kitchen reading this thread and this is what greeted me. This is cat 1. She likes to drink from any sink in the house or anything I've left soaking (particularly when it's pans that meaty things have been cooked in for extra flavour).
Cat two never drinks at home but I do see her regularly drinking from next doors pond and secretly hope she'll overbalance and fall in

I think it's a positioning/eyesight thing, as for all their sharpness in detecting movement, cats can't see much up close - glasses in sinks, washing up bowls in gardens/pond's (complete with algae), are all easier to see if there is something inside.

In cat terms, your cat is being perfectly reasonable. My cat prefers to drink from my nighttime tumbler of water on the bedside table. My previous cat enjoyed the dregs of tea from my morning cuppa and drank little else (I used a wide shallow cup to facilitate this).

I have a dog who will only drink water that's been through a brita filter - pets are all bloody unreasonable things if you ask me

Cats have a really poor thirst drive as they are designed to get all of their fluids from their food. Cats will only drink when they are already dehydrated.

The best way to solve it is to switch to wet food.

I also note you haven’t been fanning your cat with a palm branch while they relax on a chaiselong.

Dear OPs cat

You are clearly being treated awfully by your staff, you need to remind them that you are in fact royalty.

My greyhound will only drink from the birdbath 🤷‍♀️
We have to make sure it’s scrupulously clean every day obviously so no harm done but she won’t drink from any of the fresh bowls of water out for the other dogs. DH thinks it’s because she is so tall it’s better for her, but I bought her a lovely expensive raised bowl that she ignores!

Oh that's

Mine drinks from my glass. Also from rain water that has accumulated in leaves, manhole covers and the kids toys in the garden. Oh. And the toilet.

My Cat1 can't have wet food. We have tried every brand going. They all give her the shits. And she is a strict litter tray only feline. No idea if the same applies to Cat2 as she is equally strict in only going outside. Nonetheless, it's grim for Cat1 and grim for me to have to clear up.
As a result, both cats are on dry food only. Which every vet I've been to has recommended anyway.
Bad luck to Cat2 if her bowels aren't similarly afflicted.

One of my cats will drink out of my bed time water glass but not DH's. For awhile I had a bottle by my bed but then I realised I could put my glass in the draw of my bedside cabinet.

They do both drink from a normal water bowl but only if it hasn't been recently cleaned and only when the water is not fresh from the tap. We keep a bottle of water to top it up with so they allways have a supply of not-fresh water!

One of my cats would only drink from the tap in the ensuite sink. If you got up to go to the toilet there, he would race you so that he was positioned correctly when you got there. If you had the temerity to use the main bathroom, he was very angry. He also liked to lie there with the water running over him. I bought him a fountain, but he never used it at all. I do miss him.

I'm currently in hospital reading this and its cheered me up so much. Theres clearly something very wrong with my cats as they both drink water from their bowl next to their food. However the oldest one sits in the bath so maybe shes hinting about a better water source...or just wants a bath. Who knows, Cats rule

One of my cats seems to only get feel thirsty between the hours of 2am and 5am. She has trained me to get up and follow her downstairs and run a tap at the right level of trickle for her to drink from.

My other cat likes to drink puddle water. And if it hasn't rained much and there are no puddles he might go for toilet water.

There is always a bowl of fresh water available for them but they aren't interested.

Well I didn't expect 3 pages of replies all telling me I am BU

I shall mend my ways, bow down to His Royal Highness and ensure the plastic tumbler is forever full!

Side note, the dog water bowl is next to the dog food bowl. DCat also seems to have developed a taste for dog kibble that far outweighs his own. So will eat dog food, but not drink dog water. I think this is his way of showing his dominance over both DDog and myself. Whoever said animals were dumb??!

My cat will ONLY drink from a glass of water thats on my bedside table. Ive tried moving it somewhere that means she doesnt walk over my pillow during the night. Nope.

Cats just are unreasonable

Omg my cat does this shit full water bowl but she will drink out of the dog bowl, sink, bath even sits waiting for the tap to drip what is this shit?

My 6 cats all desire water in different locations and from different containers. The looks I get if I give the wrong cat the wrong type 🤣. I have one who loves dog kibble too. Odd creatures, they are in charge in my house. I've given up

My cat prefers to drink from any outside source available to her - her outside dish which usually has leaves in it as well, a puddle, a puddle on an outside chair, a puddle in the drainage cover, the little fish pond...

She will drink from her inside bowl using her paw, if she can’t get outside, and has recently taken to drinking the water in the shower tray after someone’s had a shower. Which can’t be good for her, can it?

Tiny furry weirdo.

My kitten has decided she enjoys a drink from my bedside glass. Her prefered method is to dip her paw in and lick it off.
Last night she decided to try and stick her head in a tall slim pint glass to try and get some water, all I can say is it is a good job I was there as she nearly got her head stuck.