Conference misery::feline

    
    For a long time Merlin and Wabbit drank bottled water.  When Wabbit
    started spending a lot of time at the vet during her last days, Merlin
    refused to drink the bottled water and would only drink tap water.
    It was as if he thought the bottled water was responsible for Wabbit
    getting sick and, much worse, smelling like that terrible place the
    cats are taken to to be poked and prodded and generally annoyed.
    
    Since then he will only drink tap water, and it's got to be fresh out
    of the tap.  I think in Merlin's case, with his tired nose, if the
    water doesn't smell familiar he won't drink it, and bottled water is
    too "clean" for him to smell.
    
    If this theory is correct, distilled water (which is probably even
    more odorless than bottled water) will probably not be a hit.
    
    BTW, there's nothing in tap water that I'm aware of that might pose
    a threat to a cat with kidney failure.  It's nitrogenous substances
    (especially protein) that puts the load on the kidneys, and that's the
    real leverage factor.  It's more important to have the cat drinking
    adequate amounts of water than super pure water.
    
    len.
     

    I have found out the same thing in my house.  I have a huge bowl
    of tap water and a huge bowl of spring water...and most cats
    drink out of the tap water bowl!!
    
    Sandy M

    
    
    Maybe tap water has more flavor due to the dissolved minerals,
    dirt and chlorine ;-(. What is in the tap water that the vet
    thinks is not good for Marvin? 
    
    Distilled water is pretty much tasteless. 
    
    Maybe you can try filtered tap water if you know what to filter
    out.
    
    
    Eva 

    I guess that the reason why I became concerned was due to the
    fact that after a while the water dish becomes blue green when
    I use tap water.  Even if I change it everyday.  I have not
    noticed this with the spring water.  What is the green blue
    stuff and can this hurt their little systems?
    
    Arlene

    
    The blue green color comes from the copper tubing which is used in the
    plumbing.  Dissolved copper compounds are usually blue green in color.
    
    I don't think copper is implicated in kidney problems.  I don't think
    copper has been implicated in any human problems either.  Copper
    plumbing has been used for a very long time.  Lead plumbing, however, is
    known to be dangerous.
    
    The blue color appears because evaporation at the surface dramatically
    concentrates the copper salts in the water, especially on wet but not
    submerged surfaces.  If the water had a lot of iron in it, the same thing
    would happen but the color would be rusty. 
    
    len.
    

    
    re .4
    
    .5 is right about the copper. You can get counter top size
    water filter to remove the minerals in your water. Places
    like Home Depot have charts showing what kind of filter
    removes what stuff, if you want to do something about the
    tap water.
    
    
    Eva

    Two European cents.
    
    I do not know what tap water you have. We here never use any other
    water to drink or to give to kitties either. I think if it's perfect
    for humans to drink it should also for Pussie.
    
    I scour the waterbowl every day and change water dayly twice or three
    times. Nevertheless, Smokey loves to drink directly from the tap.
    Perhaps she likes 'hunting' the water before drinking it? I also saw
    her drinking from her bowl, though.
    
    Distilled water is not good. First, it tastes loathsomely disgusting
    (ever tried?). Second, it misses a lot of minerals normal water has
    dissolved, and we animals (walkink either on two or on four legs) are
    built to make use of those minerals.
    
    If there is some poison or any other thing in your tapwater that makes
    it undrinkable or even doubtful for humans (check out with the local
    medicine care what it recommends if it is drinkable for children etc.)
    then use bottled water, but no special mineral water! (Check out
    ingredients on bottle). Do not use rain water, rain is (or can be) very
    heavily polluted. Especially for purebreed and indoor-only cats - they
    are much more sensitive.
    
    (My Smokey does drink even red wine...)
    
    Nat

    hi nat;
    
    my kitties also enjoy their occasional sips of red wine.
    
    jeane
    

    I'm curious about something. Can cats see water? Shadow prefers water
    running directly from the tap. Sammi often sits by the bowl and dips
    her paws in and licks the water off. But all of them when actually 
    drinking directly from the bowl tap the water or the bowl to make the
    water move before drinking. It's as though they're afraid they're going
    to soak their faces or something, and it's caused me to wonder if they
    can't see it to judge distance unless it's moving. Any ideas?
    
    I also recently read that cats prefer a water bowl at least as wide as
    their whiskers - which makes a lot of sense, but not having whiskers, I
    don't know that it would ever have occurred to me on my own. (But they
    lucked out and have a big water bowl anyway.)
    
    Rebecca
    

    
    That's interesting. I put some water in a clear plastic bowl the
    other night, and the kitten dunked her whole face in the water as
    if she couldn't judge how much water is in the bowl. Mean me had a
    good laugh.
    
    
    Eva

    I have a few cats that will tap the water with their paw first
    prior to sticking their face in the water bowl!!  And then I have
    one cat who's paw has to be in the water bowl while he drinks.
    My guess is..they can't judge the water line!!
 
    I did notice that when I changed my water bowl from a small plastic
    bowl to a huge silver bowl...everyone was interested in drinking more
    water!!!  I never thought it had anything to do with the whiskers...
    but it kind of makes sense. (no wonder some of them like the toilet
    bowl!!)
    
    Sandy
    

    On a tangent, but if one of my dogs drinks (HORRORS!) from the cats'
    water bowl, the cats refuse to touch the water until I change it. The 
    cats NEVER drink out of the dogs' bowl.  They are identical glass bowls. 
    Must have something to do with dog-germs : )
    Sarah

    Tigger used to drink out of the toilet, too til I started keeping the
    cover closed.  When he drinks from his bowl, he also taps it with his
    paw first.  Then, when he drinks, he laps, then puts his head up to
    swallow, like a bird will do.  The way he flies around the house, maybe
    he does think he's a bird.  If he is a bird, I'm sure it's a cuckoo!!
    
    Marilyn

    Hmmm - mine would ALWAYS drink from the dog's bowl - they'd never use
    their own bowl!  Religiously I'd keep both cleaned and filled, until
    finally I just said the heck with it and took up the cats bowl.  They
    don't seem to mind.  I think it was just another way for them to assert
    dominance over the dog.
    
    Dana

    re: -1
    
    could the dog's bowl be wider? I have cats that won't drink out of
    something that touches their wiskers.
    
    Deb

    I usually change Abby's & Vinnie's water a couple of times each day. 
    Abby prefers "stale" water; that is he would drink from a bowl that was
    sitting overnight instead of drinking from the other fresh bowl that I
    put down.  In fact, he prefers rain puddles to a fresh bowl of water! 
    Go figure....
    
    Faith
    

    Deb -
    
    Might be.  Sherry was a Maine Coon with grand whiskers.  Spunk however
    has no excuse - his whiskers are always so tatty he'd fit thru a
    mousehole!
    
    'Twas so much fun tho to see our big dog back away from the water bowl
    when Sherry came to sip.
    
    -dana

    RE: cat liking "stale" water
    
    I've noticed that my cats will drink fresh water only if it isn't cold;
    they will wait for it to warm up if they think it is too cold. I guess
    they like it to be "room temp".
    
    deb

    All of these responses have been quite interesting.  I have noticed
    that Marvin prefers the distilled water over the tap.  I also notice
    that he shakes his head ofter while drinking.  Perhaps the water is
    touching his whiskers.  I will try a larger bowl.  I am trying to 
    get Tigress to drink again.  She used to drink tons of water when
    I only served up tap water.  I will continue to make both tap and
    distilled available in order to keep everyone happy.
    
    Marvin goes in for his screening on Thursday.  I should have the
    results back on Friday or Saturday.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
    
    Take care all!
    
    Arlene

    I have kitties that drink from anything and do!
    Ruby prefers to lick the drips off of the kitchen faucet,
    Blueberry sits and stares at the drips into the kitchen sink,
    Tubba, Duke and Josette drink out of the denture cup filled with 
    water in the bathroom.  Then we have the huge ceramic bowl on
    the floor in the kitchen and one in the bedroom.  Chessie and
    Ruby also like to drink the drips from the tub, while Blueberry
    dips her paw into the drain hole. 
    
    Smeadge, my rex, always uses his paw to test the water firstand
    then drinks from it.  They must be different just like people in
    the style they prefer.
    Karen