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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Cat doesn't drink water

44 replies

Tenten12 · 26/09/2019 15:32

Hi, I have a problem with my cat. He doesn't drink any water, like never. I feed him with wet food so he gots a bit hydrated but I don't think it's enough. What do you think I should do? I've read already a bit about it on the internet but people have different opinions. I am wondering if the cat water fountain is worth buying? I liked particularly this one miaustore.com/uk/ but I'm not sure if it will solve my problem. Do any of you also have it and can help me?

OP posts:
Mentounasc · 30/09/2019 00:02

If you do decide to get a fountain, just don't get the Miaustore one you linked to. I bought one last year and it's been awful - didn't work properly, sent back the motor part, the replacement cable didn't fit through the ceramic hole and the helpline people told me this was fine - I should carve a bit of a larger hole myself or just feed the cable under the fountain at a weird angle (guaranteed to break the cable). The thing has just given up now altogether and I'm just too tired with the hassle to fight for another repair.

HerRoyalFattyness · 30/09/2019 00:13

My cat will only drink out of a ceramic cup, placed on the fire surround. Hmm
Not helpful when the other cat is an arsehole and purposely tips it over.

LimitIsUp · 30/09/2019 00:23

Op this is also a dog thing. I got my dog to drink clean water (rather than manky water on his walks in the Forest (which we're giving him the runs) by making 3 parts tap water with 1 part lactose free milk. It seems this makes it so much more palatable.

Don't know if this would work for your cat but worth a try?

Davros · 03/10/2019 22:38

Mewler has always drunk from the kitchen tap. She used to jump up and sniff the tap so you knew to turn it on but now she is 12 she mews until we pick her up and put her by it. However she won't drink if you watch her and you have to pretend to do something else while she wanders around, eventually returning to guzzle from the tap. Many times we have left late to go out while we wait for her to finish on the tap. I bought her a fountain last week but we've hardly seen her drink from it but nor has she been asking for the tap. I'm not sure whether to leave it on permanently though or switch it off if I'm not there or the opposite Confused

LizB62A · 03/10/2019 22:50

I give one of my cats one sachet of the Felix cat soup a day as well as wet food, because I wasn't seeing him drink much water inside and he was having kidney problems. He basically licks all the soup up and his sister comes along later and eats the tiny bits of meat.

And then I saw him drinking some stagnant-looking water outside so he clearly does drink, just not much of the filtered water I give him - filtered as we live in a very hard water area.

(for clarity, this is soup made for cats, not soup made with cats !)

chocolatespiders · 04/10/2019 17:03

My cat used to drink rain water that I collected outside and she liked it in a glass. Not sure if this is a no no but she lived till 21!

Bluesheep8 · 05/10/2019 13:01

Mine never drinks water from his bowl. Has been seen drinking from the birdbath and muddy puddles though.

Bluesheep8 · 05/10/2019 13:03

One thing you could try is buying tuna in spring water. Drain the water and give them that. My cat loves this.

Original poster
Tenten12 · 22/10/2019 13:11

Thanks to everyone for the asnwers! I'm a bit calmer now:)

OP posts:
Gingerkittykat · 22/10/2019 13:23

I add a fair bit of water to gravy food, the cat goes wild for it.

Otherwise the bathroom tap is the only place he will drink from.

CouscousEvaporator · 22/10/2019 13:27

I second the cat milk suggestion! I mix with water just to give it flavour and she meows now to remind me it’s empty. 🤨

InOtterNews · 22/10/2019 13:30

My cats only drink out water bowl when there are no other options:
1 prefers drinking directly from the toilet bowl (or bath tap if it's accidentally left trickling)
1 prefers the birdbath/dirty puddles
1 prefer next door's fountain

LongtimeLurker29 · 22/10/2019 13:33

My cat will only drink out of the dogs water bowl. I'm sure that's because he likes to wind the dog up 🙈

Moominfan · 22/10/2019 13:37

Ok so mine never drank from her bowl. It was a mystery. Then one day I walked into her sticking her paw in my glass then licking the fluids 🤮 now I know never to drink from unattended drink

Srictlybakeoff · 22/10/2019 13:41

@moominfan same here. Never saw the cat drink until I left a glass of water on the floor and she drank that. Now she has her own cup - left on the floor in front of the tv and she’s happy with that

BibiBlocksberg · 25/10/2019 00:13

Sounds like you’re owned by one of my cats twin Davros :) Makes me laugh they way they clue you in when it’s tap time w the staring at & licking underneath while it’s not yet on etc.

Especially charming when you get woken up at 4.30 am to turn the bathroom tap on for his lordship & having to stay awake for the 10 mins it takes him to achieve watery satisfaction......

My lot (3 in total) never used to drink at hime, then read somewhere that some don’t like too small a dish & prefer a rim wide enough so their whiskers don’t touch the edge.

An old baking bowl has done the trick here, their royal highnesses are frequently found supping from it now so maybe worth a try for you too OP?

Davros · 25/10/2019 12:16

Mewler does like her new water fountain but I miss putting her on the tap Sad

Original poster
Tenten12 · 25/10/2019 16:25

Thank you all, you were very helpful!!!

OP posts:
MikeUniformMike · 25/10/2019 18:53

Put the bowl somewhere away from the food.
CharlieAlphaTango drinks water outside and drinks quite a lot. He hardly drinks anything indoors. I try to sneak in a few drops of water in his food.

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