why do my cats prefer to drink dirty water?

[Madratlady]

My cats have a nice, clean, fresh bowl of water available at all times. So why then, do they feel the need to go to the manky, dirty water outside? It is literally a few metres away from the clean water!

It's not to do with whether it's dirty or clean, it's because the tap water is too close to their food and/or not moving. Try moving the bowl away from their food source.

Ours always preferred "water with personality" too.

When he got older he used to drink from his bowl but only after he'd nudged it with his paw first.

It's a cat thing.

Cats are weird.

Cats like stealing water rather than taking theirs. My cat will drink running water in the bath. We have a ritual where, as I brush my teeth each morning, she has a drink from the bath tap.

The chlorine in tap water might be stronger to their noses? I sometimes fill her bowl with cool water from the kettle.

My cat meowed to be let out the other day, ran up the path meowing and turning to look at me to see if I was following. She led me out of the gate, along the pavement to the front garden of the house three doors down, where there is an old Belfast sink filled with rain water, which she proceeded to drink out of.

LeChat you realise that this is her way if telling you that she expects the same kind of sink in her own garden don't you?

Strange animals. I will try moving the bowl, although they do use it quite happily if they are shut in and can't use the manky water.

They like hunting for water in the same way they like hunting for food hence like their water away from their food source.

One of ours demands running water and has us well trained aka we can't stand the top volume yowing he emits!

Mine will only drink from the fish tank, and he perches on the edge of it. Luckily it's on the floor so he hasn't knocked it over yet.

GRW - surprised he hasn't gone for the fish yet!!!

My girl's favourite is my glass of tap water, and yes mine over anyone elses. First thing in the morning she is up to our room to see what I've left her from the night before

I leave a ceramic mug down on the floor in the en suite. They both sup from that little weirdies

The rescue centre told us to put our cat's water bowl away from his food.

As soon as they get any food in it they won't drink it. Ours also gets filtered water...

Madam here prefers to drink water out of a glass on my bedside table. She now has her own permanent glass there for this purpose which is refreshed each morning. There are bowls in the kitchen and living room but I get the feeling she thinks she's too good to drink from the floor.

I did laugh when an overnight visitor drank from her glass. He only did that the once.

My 'lodger' drinks from the birdbath. My daughter's cat has a pint mug.

Mine likes to perch on a freshly wiped down sink and steal drips from the tap, might tray moving his water bowl to see if that helps.

I read somewhere, many moons ago and not sure how true it is, that cats can smell the chemicals in freshly poured tap water that we can't so they prefer water that has been standing for a while.

My cat also has his own glass of water which is topped up twice a day so he doesn't put his head too far in and get it stuck! Any liquid is fair game though which is why there are always drinks in strange places in our house!

Cats are daft. One of my Mum's used to have a favourite drinking spot on the patio where a dip meant rainwater collected, so he'd go and sit right in the middle of this giant puddle while he drank.

Being a pushover I had several bowls around the house but still offered my boys a big plastic jug full of water to see whether they preferred that, and obviously they do, so that now clutters up my landing. They knocked it over once, probably while chasing a fly around the house, and it took ages for the carpet to dry. Making a rod for my own back or what...

My cat has a fresh bowl of water next to his food (nowhere else to put it) and a bowl of water outside but he would much rather drink from our neighbour's algae filled pond!

I even bought him a drinking fountain thinking he might like to have fresh filtered water but no, be backed away from it and hid!

My cat who likes too think of herself as The Princess will only drink out of the dogs bowl. The dog looks at me everytime she does with this a look of despair that she is touching his stuff!!

Apparently they like running water as its fresh. I bought Rollycat a beautiful hand crafted ceramic cat fountain shipped from US - he doesn't like it. We use it as a water feature.

Our girl will not touch fresh water but will drink anything that has been standing, dregs in the bath, swampy garden buckets. She's bonkers!

My cats drink boiled water.

Its a cat thing, cats are strange.

Get a cat fountain, they love moving water and most hate water from plastic bowls due to the smell. The cat fountain is loved in our house and is even preferred to toilet water and dripping tap water which used to be firm faves.