Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five funny cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.
Zelda has a really annoying attitude, and I’m ashamed to admit how long it took me to realize she was trying to tell me something.
Several times a day I hear his paw raking over the ceramic water bowl saying ‘clink clink clink’. He will do this 10-20 times before settling down to drink, leaving a trail of black fur and cat litter in his wake. The sound isn’t annoying, it’s the contamination of the water he leaves, meaning I have to change the water several times throughout the day.
It wasn’t until I was talking to a client about why her cat preferred to drink from her toilet than her water bowl that I realized what Zelda was trying to tell me.
The Message is clear
Okay, so I might be anthropomorphising a bit by saying that Zelda was trying to send me a message, but I should know why she insisted on paddling in her bowl, sooner than I did.
When people ask “How Can I Get My Cat to Drink More Water?”, or “Why Won’t My Cat Drink From the Bowl?”, there are a few key things to consider:
1. A Beautiful View:
A cat likes to keep an eye on his surroundings when he’s drinking, so an area with a good aspect will be appreciated.
2. A Quiet Place:
Cats don’t want to quench their thirst in a high-traffic area.
3. The Right Thing:
Ceramic and stainless steel are in, plastic is out.
4. Proximity to Food and Toilets:
No one likes to eat and drink where they poop, and while you want their water bowl near the food, you don’t want to put them next to each other. Why? All come from their wild ancestors.
In the wild, an old carcass lying in or near water can indicate contamination, so a feral cat will look for another source. In the domestic world, water that is too close to the food bowl can contaminate the food, so it is undesirable.
5. Movement = Freshness:
As a general rule, a moving body of water is fresh, stagnant and less likely to be contaminated, which is where water fountains can really help, and so I realized I was missing.
I Corrected My Mistake Quickly
With the initial embarrassment of realizing I had completely dropped the ball on my cat water supplies, I went straight online to look for a high capacity drinking fountain, and was lucky enough to find one that looked good too!
In addition to the various water bowls already found throughout the house, I now have one that is knocking each box:
Previous Bowl | New Fountain | ||
A Beautiful View | ✅ | ✅ | It doesn’t get much better than this! |
A Quiet Place | ✅ | ✅ | The office is a low traffic, dog-free zone. |
The Right Thing | ✅ | ✅ | The fountain is ceramic. |
Close to Food and Toilets | ✅ | ✅ | Food and litter boxes are on the ground. |
Movement = Freshness | ❌ | ✅ | Multiple levels keep the water constantly moving. |
Things to Remember
- Make sure you buy a water fountain designed for pets: ornamental and garden fountains cannot be made from materials suitable for drinking.
- Keep electrical cords safe: This is especially important if you have a cat that likes to chew things. You might want to think about investing in a power cord protector.
- Keep them above: if the water level drops below a certain level, the motor can burn. It’s also something to keep in mind if you’re leaving.
- They still need to be cleaned: although moving water means you can often get away with just putting them on top, you’ll still need to give them a proper cleaning at least once a week.
So now I have a nice, decorative fountain that all the cats enjoy drinking from, Zelda doesn’t have her paw around the bowl anymore, and I know that all the cats are drinking enough fresh water.
The only problem now is that the gentle sound of the drip makes me have to pee!
This article is part of a series by Dr. Karyn with her five funny cats.