Why does my cat drink dirty water?
by Larry Chamberlain
You know that cats should always have a supply of water, especially if you
are feeding them dried food. There on your nice clean kitchen floor is a
bowl of nice clean fresh water, in a nice clean bowl.
What does your cat do? Maybe gives the bowl a sniff and walks away from
it, or just ignores the bowl completely, as if water were the last thing a
self respecting cat would consider drinking.
"Okay", you think to yourself, "Kitty just isn't thirsty at the moment".
But then later, you happen to spy your cat busily lapping up stale water
from a puddle in your garden as if it was nectar.
Cats are self-reliant, independent creatures, but surely your cat is not
going to turn its nose up at the nice clean water you provide, just to let
you know it can survive without you? After all, kitty does not reject the
food you provide even though it is perfectly capable of catching mice.
No, the answer is not your mouser's independence. Tap water is usually
treated with chemicals, often chlorinated strongly enough for a cat to
smell it. Cats noses are far more sensitive than human noses and many cats
find this chemical odor very offensive. Stale water in puddles and pools
has a far more attractive smell are far as a cat is concerned. Puddles may
be full of rotten vegetation and microbes, but cats find this organic soup
very tasty.
As well as the off-putting odor of chemicals in tap water, cats find the
smell of detergents repugnant. So, because you diligently clean your cat's
water bowl in the interest of hygiene, the detergent that you use deters
your cat from drinking from it. You use the same detergent to wash your
cat's food bowl, why then, does your feline friend eat heartily from the
bowl, and not be repelled by the smell of the detergent? This is because
the aroma of the fish or meat is stronger than the smell of the detergent.
With the water bowl, the combination of the two unpleasant smells, the
chemicals in the tap water and the detergent, means that your cat will
only quench its thirst from the water bowl if there is no better smelling
option to be had.
So, what can you do? You need to rinse your cat's bowl more thoroughly
than you would a plate for a human. Remember feline noses are far more
sensitive than ours, every trace of detergent needs to be rinsed off.
Secondly, let the water from the tap stand for a while before putting the
bowl down for your cat, this will allow the chemicals to dissipate.
These two things should have kitty drinking happily from the dish, unless,
of course, kitty has got so used to drinking from puddles it just can't
kick the organic water habit!
Larry Chamberlain may be contacted at
http://www.best-cat-art.com
Larry@best-cat-art.com
Larry Chamberlain is the webmaster of
www.best-cat-art.com and a
lifelong cat lover. He lives in London England.
Want to find that perfectCat Gift?
|
