Cat has started drinking from the bird bath, how to stop him? (edited by MNHQ at request of the OP)

[WildFlowerBees]

This is a new thing, bird bath is cleaned daily and fresh water added twice a day.

He has a filtered water fountain and we’ve also put fresh water upstairs for him.

He’s only started doing this since his sister died a few weeks ago. I’m wondering if I should put a ‘bird bath’ in the kitchen and remove the current fountain.

My cat prefers to drink from an old washing up bowl that has got filled with rainwater and definitely has things wriggling about in it, or a bowl in the back bedroom that is a hangover from when I moved and that was his safe space.

Most cats don't like the chlorine that is added to tap water so prefer to drink from a non chlorinated source.

My cat will drink from absolutely anywhere other than his lovely drinking fountain, with clean filtered water.

TBH the bird bath is probably the next best option, I've found him drinking from far worse places than that.

Sorry about losing your other kitty, it must be very puzzling for them.

Ffs, I’ve only just noticed my epic bloody autocorrect. Idiot.

Thank you for the loveliness about my other cat. Absolutely heartbroken but we all know how that feels.

I have been cleaning his water fountain adding a new filter and filling it with already filtered water because I’m clearly an absolute tool and now his sister who was royalty is not around he’s reverted to a grubby little fella who wants to drink tap water from a bowl in the garden.

Sorry for your loss.
My dogs drank from a birdbath last summer and they caught Giardia. I think because you're cleaning the birdbath more regularly than I did, it should be fine, but I just wanted to flag it in case.

I was reminded of this. Hopefully there is a photo coming)