why won't my kitten drink from his water bowl?

Question

5 month old male- likes to drink from glasses and even *gasp* yes, the toilet ew. why the aversion to his water bowl? it's always clean and full.

Answer 1

Some cats prefer very fresh or moving water. I bought my cat a recirculating water dish with a filter - he loves it. Before, he preferred the shower or the sink. He would have drank from the toilet but we leave the lid down. He likes his new water dish now better than anything else.

Answer 2

I have a little guy who is exactly the same way. I take a glass of water into my bedroom every night before I go to bed and in the morning it's full of cat hair because he sticks his little paw in the glass and then licks his paw, over and over and over again....

My cats also drink from the toilet and the bathtub. I gave up on an actual water dish, they no longer have one.

Your kitten is totally normal. They just find other water to be more interesting than the water that is obviously put there just for them. :) I think they know it's their water and that's why they don't drink it!

Answer 3

Alot of times they do not like the "still water"
You will see (especially in wild cats) that they tap the water with their paw, or hit the bowl before drinking- this makes them see where the water starts so they dont dunk their nose in it.

If you want to keep him from drinking out of other things you can purchase one of those small "water fountain" bowls, that circulate the water...
Also the toilet and glass water may be colder then water sitting out in a bowl try putting a few ice cubes in the bowl if you dont want to purchase the fountain

Answer 4

The answer is probably that of the actual bowl being clean!
Often the smell of a new bowl can turn them away!
My cat was the same and only drinks rainwater..
What you can do is just put some water in a different old bowl outside.
Good luck,
J

Answer 5

Cats are weird. I've had them for all my life and currently have three. They just like the challenge. i keep my toilet closed or my Bengal cat will play in it. My large 17 pound, brainless orange and white 2 year old cat dips his paw in the waterbowl and licks the water off his paw. I've asked him not to do that, but he does whatever he wants anyway. My other cat is purrrfect. So just always close the toilet and make sure glasses are empty. Take him to his water bowl, and take a finger and splash it a little. See if that helps.

Answer 6

Buy a cat water fountain with filter. Because the water is moving it stays cooler, it feels more natural to them to drink from a flowing water source and the filter will keep the water tasting fresh. I had that problem with my two cats and they haven't come near our water glasses (or toilet) since I bought them one 10 months ago.

Answer 7

Have you tried using a different bowl? Maybe your cat doesn't like the taste of the water when it is in the water bowl. Try maybe using a glass bowl as his water bowl. If his bowl is plastic it may be giving water a different taste.

Answer 8

My two guys are exactly the same way. They love to drink from clear glasses or clear plastic cups. But their official water bowl? Won't touch it. You will find them up on the kitchen sink or in the bathroom or anywhere else. So my wife purchased a clear Lucite measuring cup, puts water in it and hides it on the floor in the den. We let them "steal" the water out of it.

Merry Christmas!

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Answer 9

Cats prefer fresh running water to stale water thats been sitting in a bowl. One of my cats loves to drink from the bathroom sink and will run in there every time I go in the bathroom. You may want to get him one of those fountain type water dishes that constantly run water. Some cats are just weird that way. You could also try adding ice to his water. I've done that with mine and they like it nice and cold.

Answer 10

Pet's must just like things that their not supposed to. My rabbit used to hate drinking out of the water bottles, she always had a bowl for her food and a bowl for her water. So long as he is still drinking, I wouldn't worry about it :-)