My cat doesn't drink...

[FirstSeemItThenBeIt]

I've just got my first cat. He's eating ok, but as far as I can tell hasn't had anything to drink since Saturday.

There's always water out, but I've never seen any sign of him having a drink. I tried milk today, which he had a little bit of.

I'm not sure what's normal. Should he be drinking more? Enough for me to be able to see that the water in his bowl is lower?

My old girl would only drink out of a half pint glass. I haven't got water bowls down for current two. They drink out of the dog's water bowl as she always has fresh water or I leave the kitchen tap dripping and they sit on the windowsill, have a play and a sip of the drips if they fancy . They are fed wet food though. With the odd bowl of dry for a snack.

Pint glasses do seem to attract cats. Flies in the face of normal advice but try "maturing" water for a while rather than constantly replacing with fresh. Mine much prefers water with a bit of ... character.

Cats are of desert animal descent. They gain a tremendous proportion of their liquid intake from wet food - particularly from the slightly cheaper varieties which contain more water. (Don't look at the ingredient list unless your cc is lying down in a dark room.) In addition, if they drink from a bowl, they don't make a big slurpy song and dance about it as dogs do. It's a few quick laps and you might not even notice.

Trust me to have one that's different cozie - Harry's slurping sounds like there's something wrong with the drains!

His bowl is in the living room in front of the TV so he can watch DH and I trip over it but he was happy to drink out of it when it was in the garden. I bought him a fountain after reading how good they are but he refused to go in the kitchen until we got rid of it!

I think he might be a little strange...

Mine make that plumbing noise like they are about to puke when they drink. It was quite disconcerting at first.

Maybe so, Pink. (Or maybe he feels so secure and loved that he lets it all hang out!)

Making the 'plumbing noise' is just weird though.

Yep, one of my cats only drinks running water too. Constant climbing into sinks got really annoying, so I bought her the water fountain. That works and she rarely licks taps now.

Try a glass

Try putting glass away from food

Try rain water

Failing that, a cat fountain

Both of mine only drink from the fish tank, or sometimes rain water. I keep having to top up the tank every few days.

Have you ever watched a slow motion video of a cat drinking? They don't curve their tongue towards their nose and lap upwards like a dog, they curve down towards their chins and sort of dab the surface of the liquid, which then magically levitates in a column to their mouths! Cats have super powers

Some cats like drinking from running water, as suggested by other leaving a tap running a little bit. We have a catit water fountain for our cats which they love and I notice them drinking out of it lots more than just a bowl of water. I think the colours on it attracts them aswell. And the water filters too, so I know they won't get hair balls or anything.

They have like 'fish-hooks' all over their tongues, Weeds. They trap some water on each lap. (I believe.)

cozie , it's telekinesis! As a species they are working on being able to move heavier things than water, with just the power of their minds. Have you never caught one practicing on a closed door or window?

Our cat has wet food and apart from the occasional treat of cat milk we have never seen her drink anything. She is @8 years old and has lived with us for 2 years.The vet says she's perfectly healthy.

I recall that Seniorboy used to only eat Felix AGAIL and never seemed to drink. When he was moved to Country Hunter (very very high meat ratio) he started visibly drinking. Maybe not a whole lot but it was noticeable.

All of my cats drink water. I put their water in a wide top, medium sized glass, placed a little bit away from their food. Always works, as cats like to drink from glass vessels. I have water for them in very room, including my bedroom.

They also like to drink from the bath or shower, often after a human has been in it. I had a little visitor once who used to stand in the bath and shout until I ran the tap enough to coat the surface with water. I got a look of disgust and a theatrically shaken paw if I misjudged and got him wet.

I think his Highness must have been trying unsuccessfully to drink from a pond tonight. He's come in completely bedraggled and soaked through. It's not raining.

My oldest cat got cystitis a couple of years back, I was told to give her wet food, but she refused to drink water. I think she was also stressed because I wasn't spending much time with her. She had to have tablets, and I took her to my boyfriends house because he offered to look after her while I was away for the weekend. She never left, and now we live together and have another cat and a dog! The cat does now drink water (from the dogs dish), and the problem has never recurred.

She never left, and now we live together and have another cat and a dog! The cat does now drink water (from the dogs dish), and the problem has never recurred

Cat Psychology 101 ... If it's not the cat's the cat wants it.

Mine very rarely drink from their bowl. They prefer next doors pond, the chickens water, puddles, or if the dogs are there to see it, the dogs bowl. Sometimes the toilet.
A previous cat only liked to drink from a slow flowing tap, or your left over tea

Our cat never drinks. Apparently this is quite common in the wild and as long as they are having wet food they can get sufficient moisture from that

Mine never drinks either. She has wet food and seems to be fine...