A cat drinks tap water: why should you stop it?

Continuing our discussion of pet behavior, it's worth taking a closer look at why cats happily drink tap water while ignoring clean water in their own bowl. This habit often raises concerns among owners: is untreated water harmful to their pet's health, should they be weaned from this behavior, and what is the safest and most effective way to do so.

Content

1 Why do cats prefer tap water?
2 Why is this habit dangerous for an animal?
3 What kind of water should I give my cat?
4 Ways to solve the problem

Why do cats prefer tap water?

For quite some time now, scientists have been trying to figure out why cats drink running tap water, even if they always have a bowl of water freely available.

As a result of the research, the following hypotheses were put forward to explain pets' addiction to tap water:

Instincts and genetic memoryCats instinctively understand that drinking running water is good, while drinking stagnant water is bad and dangerous. This knowledge was developed over the long wild life of our domestic cat's ancestors.
Food and water separateIn nature, all predators hunt and eat their prey far from watering holes. This behavior is also genetically determined to avoid contaminating the drinking water source with food.
Foraging behavior (In other words, hunting for water). The faucet attracts the animal, but this doesn't necessarily mean the cat is constantly drinking gallons of water. It may spend a long time catching the drops with its paw, then licking the moisture from its fur, or even trying to catch and bite the stream of water.
Taste and coolnessOn hot days, cats drink tap water for a simple reason: it's cooler than what their owner poured a few hours earlier and tastes better.
PurityWater from a bowl spoils very quickly. If a cat drinks after eating soft food (like canned food), a greasy film will immediately form on the surface of the water. Many cats dislike this and prefer what they consider cleaner water from their owner's mug, a garden bucket, or the tap.

So, it's not unusual for your cat, kitten, or cat to drink tap water. Many pets do this if they try it once and have free access to an alternative water source.

Why is this habit dangerous for an animal?

At first glance, there's nothing special about cats' fondness for running water. Many owners even enjoy watching their cat diligently lick water off their paws or catch it while perched on the sink. It's a fun video to post online, garnering plenty of likes. But that's where the benefits end, as unboiled water from the city water supply is equally harmful to both humans and animals.

There are two good reasons why you shouldn't let your pet do this:

high content of chlorine or other disinfectants, which are not beneficial for the animal and can cause problems with the gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract;
the likelihood of pathogens appearing in tap water (This shouldn’t happen, but unfortunately, history knows many cases of people becoming infected with infectious diseases through unboiled tap water).

That's why it's best to prevent your cat from developing a strong habit of quenching its thirst with running water in the sink or bathtub. If this mistake has already been made and your pet has realized there's an alternative to the bowl, it's worth considering how to wean your cat off the tap.

What kind of water should I give my cat?

To maintain your cat's health, it's important to provide them with constant access to clean, fresh water. Filtered water is ideal, and bottled water, if available, is also recommended. Many owners opt for special drinking fountains: they create the effect of running water, encouraging cats to drink more frequently while simultaneously providing a fresh supply of liquid, reminiscent of tap water. It's also important that the water fountain is convenient and doesn't cause discomfort to your pet.

If your cat prefers drinking from the tap and ignores the bowl, make the water more appealing. Ceramic or stainless steel bowls are recommended for this purpose—these materials don't absorb odors that can repel the cat.

The first and most important requirement is always fresh and clean water. Stagnant or contaminated water often causes cats to seek alternative sources, including the faucet or even the toilet. The reasons pets typically choose running water are as follows:

Water freshness. Cats find tap water cooler and fresher than water that's been sitting in a bowl for a long time.
Instincts. In the natural environment, running water is considered safer, so animals instinctively prefer it.
Interest and play. The movement of water attracts attention and makes drinking more fun.

To prevent your cat from reaching for tap water, ensure it has constant access to fresh drinking water, clean its bowl regularly, and use filtered water. Additionally, you can install an automatic water fountain—it will satisfy your pet's natural instincts and help develop a healthy habit of drinking from a safe source.

Ways to solve the problem

First of all, you need to figure out why your cat isn't drinking from its bowl and ensure that the animal doesn't have to look for an alternative watering place other than the one you, as the owner, have chosen for it.

To eliminate the problems listed above, try:

change the water several times a day;
wash the bowl thoroughly at each change, but without detergents (the smell may be off-putting);
change the water (buy water from a different manufacturer, for example purified baby water);
On hot days you can put a piece of ice in the water;
place a bowl of drinking water away from the food dish;
buy a different water bowl (perhaps the cat doesn’t like the smell of plastic, the color, size, or material of the bowl);
Offer your cat not a standard bowl, but a hanging water bottle or a special cat fountain, into which you will pour clean and safe water for your pet;
Make tap water in the bathroom or kitchen inaccessible to your cat.

For more information on the different cat waterers available on the market today and why it's best to buy a model with a disinfecting filter for your pet, watch this video:

If you love the idea of your cat playing with water and don't want to deprive your pet of the opportunity to drink running water, as nature intended, consider purchasing an automatic cat fountain.

The price of such a device on Yandex Market ranges from 3,000 to 10,000 rubles, depending on a number of factors: