Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
I have a three-year-old cat named Benny. I resuced him about a year ago and he is fitting in nicely. Recently he has taken up the habit of licking the faucet in the bath after somebody has taken a shower. I am worried that he will make himself sick doing this. Should I be concerned or is this normal behavior?
~ Megan
Siouxsie: Drinking from, or licking water off, faucets is actually a fairly common behavior among cats.
Thomas: Unless your tap water is really nasty, we don’t think you have to worry about Benny’s newfound behavior.
Kissy: It’s precisely because drinking from faucets is so common that the pet drinking fountain was developed.
Siouxsie: Generally, cats prefer moving water to standing water, and this is why many of them enjoy drinking from faucets.
Thomas: Is your cat actually licking soapy residue off your faucet instead of drinking the water that’s dripping out of it? If so, the soap and shampoo residue could give your little guy an upset stomach, but the odds are pretty good that it won’t hurt him.
Kissy: Since your cat does like hopping in the tub for a drink, we’d say that if you’re using one of those automatic shower-cleaning foaming spray products, you should stop. That stuff will make Benny sick if he gets it on his paws and then ingests it when he grooms himself.
Siouxsie: If you want to see if you can redirect Benny’s licking behavior to a more appropriate source, we’d recommend purchasing a pet drinking fountain.
Thomas: Drinking fountains come in all sizes and price ranges. We recommend a stainless steel or ceramic variety because plastic tends to harbor bacteria which, in some sensitive cats, can cause acne breakouts on the chin.
Kissy: We have a Pioneer Pet raindrop-shaped stainless steel drinking fountain, and even though I haven’t gotten to drink from it yet — *sniffle* — Thomas says it’s very nice. It sells for about $38 US on amazon.com, and the ceramic version of the same fountain sells for about $32 US.
Siouxsie: And Mama says the fountain is good feng shui, too. Whatever that means.
Thomas: So, Megan, we’d say don’t worry about Benny’s newfound love affair with the bathtub faucet. Just be sure that when you clean your tub, you rinse it out very well afterward in order to avoid problems.
Kissy: I like the tub. Maybe once I get brave enough, I’ll drink from the faucet, too. Tee hee hee!
I have a water fountain and two Sink Drinks and the cats love the Sink Drinks and I am still able to use the faucet for human use, hahameow! Check them out here: http://www.sinkdrink.com/
Wow, that’s cool! We’d never heard of that before! *purrrr*
Mama Lorri’s typing this for me ‘cuz I wanted to throw in my 2 fishes’ worth on this subject. It’s really quite simple, see: faucet water’s frrrrrresh! If the drip hits the sink or tub, it’s stale. Hoomans may like stale water, but we kittiehs don’t. Nor are we so uncouth that we’ll drink from the hoomans’ potty bowl like those crass canines do. *YUCK* Pre-drip water’s fantastic! If everybody drank pre-drip water, the whole world would be a happier fresher place! Nummy num nums!
Thanks for the tips- I shall try both ideas out.!
@Willow’s Lorri G.
I find it heavy offensive that you would call an animal uncouth. I love cats and I love dogs too. I’ve never met a dog that drinks from a toilet and I have had lots of dogs. Please don’t project your prejudice on others. Dogs are animals too and deserve our respect. If you can’t fathom that then I suggest you see a councilor.
I’ve just discovered your blog because we met at BlogPaws. I even have a picture with you in my blog.
We have a drinking fountain, but my sisfur Candy still drinks from faucets and licks the tub. She seems to enjoy it, so no one cares that she does it.
Hello,
My name is Steven Chalmers and I have created a solution for cats wanting to drink
from falling water. I call it the AquaPurr. See http://www.AquaPurr.net for details.
It is a platform that the cat stands on which triggers the flow of water through a spigot. It attaches to a faucet in place of the aerator. The faucet attachment includes a quick disconnect to allow regular use of the faucet.
It requires no electricity and never needs cleaning.
Thanks so much and let me know what you think!
Steven