“Ever marvel why your cat prefers to drink out of your glass? Or from anyplace apart from the water bowl subsequent to his meals? Instinctively, cats want to drink water that’s positioned away from their lifeless prey which, in nature, could contaminate their water with micro organism. To honour their survival intuition, separate their ‘lifeless prey’—which on this case is their store-bought meals—from their water”.—Excerpt from Mieshelle Nagelschneider’s feline conduct science e book, The Cat Whisperer.
Many cat homeowners I’ve labored with during the last twenty years have at all times been considerably proud that their cats love ingesting water out of the kitchen or toilet faucet. “He should actually be half wildcat to need that recent working water!”, they inform me.
This might not be extra correct.
Extremely, the genetic variations amongst African and European Wildcats and home cats are not any better than the distinction between any two home cats. Home cats differ genetically from their Wildcat cousins nearly solely in hair color and, in some breeds, in a number of different superficial bodily variations that consequence from selective breeding.
I’m additionally informed by cat homeowners that changing into a slave to their cat’s “faucet fetish” a number of occasions a day isn’t all that unhealthy, however many are anxious their cats will not be ingesting sufficient water (or any water in any respect) when the cat is house alone, and nobody is manning the “watering gap.” Some say their cats will go so far as utterly ignoring their water bowl and wait till somebody activates the sink faucet.
Sure, cats love recent, working water. They’re clever creatures that possess developed wildcat survival traits that embrace ingesting clear water that’s not contaminated with micro organism—therefore the recent working kitchen faucet water might be safer than the stagnant water of their water bowl. This micro organism fear is very distinguished if the proprietor has positioned the cat’s water subsequent to their meals supply. Once more, this survival intuition in cats means they are going to innately assume their water is contaminated with micro organism by their “lifeless prey,” which on this case is the cat meals that was delivered by Amazon.
Picture by AssiaPix/bigstock.com
I’ve even seen cats which might be so discouraged with ingesting water out of their very own water bowl that they are going to gravitate to the canine’s water bowl as an alternative. As unappetizing as which may sound to most of us cat homeowners, to a cat, the canine’s water is more energizing as a result of it’s not subsequent to the cat’s meals supply. That is much more true if the canine’s water bowl is away from his personal meals supply.
Cats will generally get hold of clear and secure water sources which generally embrace your glass of water (many cat homeowners have an “aha” second proper right here), any sink or bathtub faucet within the house, the bathroom, or the water on the bathe ground.
A easy answer to all this, as with remedying so many different cat “behaviour points,” is to offer for the cat’s instinctual wants. Prepared? Transfer the water bowl away from the cat’s meals bowl. Not only a few ft away (nonetheless, this could be higher than nothing), however 10 ft away or extra, and even towards an reverse wall of the identical room.
Attempt working a mini cat experiment by putting a number of water bowls stuffed to the brim with recent water in several places round your private home and watch what occurs. You’ll quickly be taught your cat’s favorite “watering holes” by taking note of the water ranges. I’ve seen many cats want a water bowl over a cat water fountain as a result of the fountain was positioned subsequent to the cat’s meals space and the water bowl wasn’t. Cat homeowners have even come to consider their cats are afraid of the newly bought water fountain when in all actuality, the cat simply didn’t like its placement subsequent to the meals useful resource.
Multi-Cat Households: Different Benefits of Separating Meals and Water Assets
One other technique to keep away from making a water consumption situation is to have a number of water stations for a multi-cat family as an alternative of only one. Are you able to think about the problems which may come up if seven human roommates had been pressured to share one water glass on daily basis? Cats are territorial over sources to various levels and much more territorial than canines as a result of claiming essential sources like meals and water areas are how cats construction their social hierarchy.
“As with the meals bowl, all it takes is one cat sitting subsequent to the water bowl or on the pathway to it to intimidate one other cat. So unfold the water wealth.”—Excerpt from Mieshelle’s e book, The Cat Whisperer.
Canned Cat Meals:
In case your cat already eats canned cat meals on daily basis, combine in a small quantity of water into every meal. In case your cat solely eats dry meals, communicate to your veterinarian about including canned meals into his weight loss program. There are essential well being advantages to not feeding your cat solely dry cat meals.
The subsequent time you see your cat try and drink out of your water glass, you’ll now perceive and hopefully respect the little “wildcat” that shares a house with you.
Workers favorite! Cats are naturally interested in working water. The Catit LED Flower Fountain comes with a triple-action filter and the petal prime permits your cat to drink even when the fountain is off! Beloved by employees cats Rosie and Nuit. ($38, catit.ca)
