Why does my cat prefer to drink from my water glass or the toilet instead of her own bowl of fresh water?

Question

Her water is changed multiple times a day and the bowl is washed daily.

Answer 1

she probably think that the water that is in her bowl isn't clean. she is also probably right. Clean her bowl and put a good amount of water in, not a little.

Answer 2

This is just my theory, but I think that the freshness of the water in the bowl is probably an issue. Do not take offense to this, because my cat does the same thing. I freshen their bowl once daily, but my cat insists on drinking fresh drips right from the sink. In fact, this morning, I was soaking in the tub... and he was actually lapping up my bath water (yuck). So, I have come to the conclusion that he just doesn't like stagnant water. And if I wanted him to drink out of his bowl, I would probably have to change the water 10 times a day or more.

Ohhhhh Symba, he's a little pain sometimes!

Answer 3

Usually it's because the water doesn't smell "good" to them for some reason. It could be the material of the bowl. Is it plastic? Don't ever use plastic. Use anything that is non-porous and clean it with baking soda and rinse very well. Detergents leave a film even with good rinsing, so she could be smelling this, also, in addition to drinking it. Cats develope "adversions" to food and drink very easily if it makes them the slightest bit queazy. Trial and error and common sense. Also, if she's being fed dry food, then she has a huge artifical thirst that is not natural for cats, anyhow, so be sure to get a bowl of ceramic or steel and clean it every day and keep it filled with fresh water, preferably water from a filtered souce, like a Brita. You can also try to move the location of the bowl if you think it might be near a source that smells bad to her, like too close to the kitchen garbage or the litterbox or the laundry room, etc.

Answer 4

Most cats will assume that the water in the toilet is fresh, as is the water in your glass. It is also cold. The water in her bowl may not be fresh or cold.

The water bowl often will collect mildew or gather sediment at the bottom if it isn't rinsed and washed out ever 2-3 days.

Quickest way to stop the toilet routine is to close the seat and cover, so they cannot reach it. She will go back to her own bowl quickly enough. Break her of the habit as soon as possible, or it will be harder to stop.

My previous cat did the toilet bowl for years, even meowing at the water to make it move so he could see it, and finally putting her paws in the water when his eyesight started to fail near the end.

Answer 5

All of my cats have always had a preference to drinking water straight from the sink, either as it drips into the sink or right from the running tap, or they love to drink out of our glasses of water or bottled water. There are two reasons - (1) Freshness ... and (2) Cold.

Three of my 6 cats over the course of 20+ years of owning cats have enjoyed ice in their water dishes - they will play with the floating ice and will drink from the icy dish and enjoy it more. But all of them have enjoyed the fact of having it "fresh" from the source.

You can try changing their water dish each day - and adding ice cubes every so often to get it and keep it cold. This may help. The other idea is this - either leave a sink running (which can be expensive depending on water in your area) or go purchase an auto-watering system from a local pet store or pet chain store. These sell for $40 to as much as $100 and work wonderfully to "fool" your cat into thinking the water is fresh because as they drink, more is added.

But please - close the toilet lids in your house! Drinking from a toilet is not healthy at all. A friend of mine had a cat pass away at an early age because of this habit. I've never had a cat do this - just heard it from a friend. But I believe her and would not want to see any animal suffer.

Answer 6

I'm not sure, but I have heard that the reason for drinking from the toilet is because the water is fresh, and oxygenated. As for drinking out of a glass-please let your cat have one-my cat likes to do both things too. She also likes to lick pots and pans after they have been used, before being washed. She also drinks out of her water bowl. It apparently is "normal" and okay with me. Take care, and enjoy! It apparently is part of the cat's personality!

Answer 7

My cat will do the same thing. He had a bowl that recycled the water constantly and he would play with the water but would not drink from it. I started putting ice in a bowl of water during the summer and he started drinking from it. I add ice twice a day to his bowl and he drinks from it all the time now.

As a side note he also will drink my coffee when it's hot if I let him.

Answer 8

There really isn't a problem with the cat drinking out of the toilet. Just make sure its flushed all the time! :-) The other thing you can do if you really do not want her drinking out of it is keep the bathroom door closed or keep the toilet seat closed. And always make sure you have clean water in her bowl.

Answer 9

my cat would only drink from a glass for the longest time...
so i'd set out a glass of water for him & he'd drink from that, then i switched to a glass bowl (was using stainless steel) and he didn't have anymore problems.
so, it may be what the water bowl is made of. try glass or porcelain.

Answer 10

I might just pass along something I've heard on TV, a documentary on domestic cats.

Cats, especially if taken in as kittens, tend to feel like human beings within years (or even a year maybe). Mainly because they only get to see and watch the family members at home makes them feel like they gotta act like humans too. Example, our cat always preferred to sleep under the neatly-made bed of my parents, tucking herself up under the blanket! She loved watching us eat on the kithcen table (and we were not really a fan of that one.), or simply being with us when everyone gathered around to watch TV and like you said, drinking form your water glass, plates etc.
Frankly, I don't know if your cat has other cat peers at home to know that they are actually not human; and if they act differently. But again, that's just a thought...

**OH AND :) of course this thesis would not apply with the toilet-drinking =))

Answer 11

Because the water in your water glass and in the toilet are "refreshed" more often than the water in her bowl, which stagnates.