Cat afraid of drinking

Hi, my family has a blue british shorthair named Albert.
Our problem is that he doesn't like to drink water from his bowl.
He only wants to drink water from the tap, or from the shower floor after someone has taken a shower. We have tried not giving him water straight from the tap, but he won't drink from his bowl then either. Can anyone help?

 

Would you consider getting him a Drinkwell cat fountain? Its a filtered water bowl that has flowing water. It might be a nice alternative for him since he does'nt seem interested in drinking out of a regular water bowl.

 

Lol. That's what I was going to say, Nern. Here is a picture of what it looks like. A lot of cats just love running water. You just have to be sure to change the water once a week and scrub the fountain out.

 

I have a Drinkwell fountain (thanks again to Chessmind and others here). It works wonders on Rene, my bengal who loves water way too much! She liked to go in the kitchen sink and drink left over water and I feared she'd pick up bad germs. I plug in the fountain only when she's in the mood to drink so I don't burn out the motor. I change the water twice a day because the carbon filter only filters out food particles, not germs and I have 4 cats that drink from the same source. Do you ebay? You can get cheaper deals on it than the regular web sites or your local pet store if you decide to buy it. I bet Albert would love it! :m27:

 

First, I do think the fountain is a great idea. I never tried one, but I bet my cats would love it.

But, for now, where do you keep the water? My cats don't drink water by their food bowls. We have a water bowl in the bathroom and one on our coffee table. I heard that in nature, cats don't drink where they eat. They eat their pray and then go off for their water. So, have you tried moving the water bowl around and maybe having more than one of them? Maybe the cat would like the water bowl to be in a different location .

Also, I would try and keep the water very fresh.

If the cat likes to drink from the tub, maybe you can put a bowl near that?

Just a possible idea. Good luck.

 

I've never heard of a drinkwell. That seems like a great idea.

My one daughter had a cat that only drank out of the faucet. She just let him do that. My cats will drink out of a bowl but usually not the one that is by their food. I have another one up in the bathroom and they usually use that one. Good luck in working out your problem.

 

Sounds like your cat would love one of those fountain thingies! I got a Fresh Flow for mine, it's a bit different from the Drinkwell in that the water flows down a ramp into the bowl rather than falling into it, making it a bit quieter. Other than that, they're pretty similar. Cats love the sound of trickling water and it makes them want to drink more often, which helps protect them against urinary tract infections and the formation of crystals. These pet fountains cost between $20 - $30 in the US, and they are well worth the money. It also makes replenishing the water dish much easier because of the reservoir tank that lasts for several days depending on the size. The filters are good for up to 90 days and are sold in pet stores and dept. stores. I encourage you to get one for Albert, it sounds like he'd like it!

Here's what the Fresh Flow looks like:



By the way, in the US, Target sells their own version of the Fresh Flow and is sometimes cheaper than the original (it's made by the same company and Target just puts their "Boots 'n' Barkley" trademark on it.

Good luck and happy drinking, Albert!