My cat only drinks water by putting his paw in the water and licking his paw!?

Question

I am afraid he is not getting enough water this way. Is he a mental case?

Answer 1

This isn't actually that uncommon. Often times, cats have a difficult time seeing water in a bowl. If it bothers you, you can try a couple of options - get a pet fountain for his water to see if he'll drink more out of that, or put some food dye (blue dye in a white bowl or something) in the water so he can see it better). Really, though, if the cat looks healthy enough, I wouldn't worry about it!

Answer 2

I agree with the two above: your cat is NOT a mental case; some cats have trouble guaging the depth of water in a bowl; and some cats just like pawing at water. Whether or not your cat is drinking enough water depends on what you feed him. If you are feeding him dry food primarily, then of course he is not getting enough water. Giving a cat dry food either as a treat or to supplement a canned cat food or raw diet is OK in my book; but I wuld never advice feeding a cat on a primarily kibble diet for amny reasons (best expressed by Dr. Hodgkins). If you are feeding your cat a primarily wet food diet, then most likely your cat is well hydrated becuase wet food is about 75% water.

Answer 3

No, he's not a mental case. I have a cat that does that. Actually a couple of them. They do that and they actually drink. You can't possibly be around 24/7 to monitor your cat so I'm sure she drinks a lot. Make sure it's cool & fresh daily. But if you want an alternative, try turning on the cold bath water faucet to a trickle. Keep it on all the time or at least when you're not around. That way it has the bowl & faucet to choose from.

Answer 4

Cats are incredibly intelligent animals they will do something when they are dehydrating. If he has been doing this for a long time(1 year) then don't worry, my cat does it with water when the water is in a cup. It is just his way of doing things (unless he has only just started doing it or if he is a kitten?)

Answer 5

Like everyone else has said so far, lots of cats do this... mine both do, and they're fine. I wanted to add to the discussion though, in response to the person that said dry food should only be a supplement or treat, and that the primary diet should be wet food. This is simply not the case. Wet food has a higher fat content in many cases, which is never good, and it does not help clean cats teeth or stimulate their gums like dry food. Excess tartar build up on the teeth can lead to periodontal disease, which is firmly linked to heart disease in cats. That is often fatal. Your cat will not let himself get dehydrated as long as he has a steady supply of clean fresh water to drink/play in as he so chooses. Wet food is not going to improve his water intake in a way that is healthy for him. Besides, if he's anything like my two, he may very well turn his nose up at wet food... mine look at me like "are you kidding mommy?" and try to bury it if I try to give them some for a treat. :-)

Answer 6

My cat does the same thing, except he also likes to drink running water, I put the tub just on a drizzle and he likes to drink it that way, but he won't drink directly from the bowl. He's a cat....they are finicky!!!!

Answer 7

My cat will do that also. My cat will drink her water that way and she will also pick up her food like that also. Cats will do that at times. It is cute when my cat does that. You cat is ok.

Answer 8

One of our cats does the same thing. Our vet says lots of cats do. He also said ours is nice and healthy and not dehydrated. So enjoy watching and don't worry.

Answer 9

i'd say its pretty normal, mine does that on occasion. now if you see your cat drinking out of the toilet bowl then you know you've got a problem. she also did this before we tried a different water bowl.

Answer 10

Hey, that's what makes cats so cute and funny. It's normal.