Bottled water..

Boofy’s Mama

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i have been having issues with my tap water, so of course, i have stopped giving it to my cats. i’ve asked on a vet’s only page on facebook, if evian is okay to give my cats and their response was “if it’s good enough for you to drink, it’s good for them” but i have seen arguments online that say certain bottled waters are better/worse than others. I just want to be sure that evian is okay to give them, and that it won’t cause any issues down the line. Does anyone happen to have any knowledge regarding this issue?
photos of my babies for attention 😋
 

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Timewarpcat

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I don't understand all these bottled water controversies you read about. I agree with the vet. Tap water is safe in developed countries with rare exceptions. Just get the regular grocery store water if your local water supply is contaminated.

A lot of people who write articles with opinions don't have a good science education.

The kitties look properly spoiled!! Cuties!
 

Babypaws

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I don’t know what the issue is with your tap water, would it be possible to boil it first?
 

Furballsmom

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Hi -
For what it's worth, here's my take on the tap water situation :)

I'm in Colorado USA. Over the past few years, the media has been reporting that due to too much human medicines being flushed, along with fertilizer runoff from illegal plant growing in the mountains, neither of which are completely removed by the water treatment plant, there is an increasing amount of harmful contaminants in the tap water. Not quite like Flint MI, but not good either.

Setting that aside for the moment/discussion, Denver Water adds chlorine and Fluoride. I don't feel good about my cat drinking this. However, rather than buying bottled water for him (I recycle plastic bottles for water that we carry in the vehicle), I've been using a faucet-end filter to aid with removing contaminants, which has the added benefit of making our coffee taste better :yummy:

I admittedly haven't done the math regarding purchasing bottled water vs the cost of the replacement filters, and I haven't had any tests done on my tap water, filtered tap water or bottled water.
 
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PushPurrCatPaws

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i have been having issues with my tap water, so of course, i have stopped giving it to my cats. i’ve asked on a vet’s only page on facebook, if evian is okay to give my cats and their response was “if it’s good enough for you to drink, it’s good for them” but i have seen arguments online that say certain bottled waters are better/worse than others. I just want to be sure that evian is okay to give them, and that it won’t cause any issues down the line. Does anyone happen to have any knowledge regarding this issue?
photos of my babies for attention 😋
I think the thing to worry a bit about is that many spring and mineral waters have certain levels of electrolytes and minerals in them. Sometimes that may not be great for your particular cat's situation (like if you have a cat with CKD, for example). Also, I'd make sure that any bottled water is in BPA-free bottles.

But you can also use a water pitcher w/ filter system, like ZeroWater, or --a bit cheaper-- Brita.
 

PushPurrCatPaws

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Hi -
For what it's worth, here's my take on the tap water situation :)

I'm in Colorado USA. Over the past few years, the media has been reporting that due to too much human medicines being flushed, along with fertilizer runoff from illegal plant growing in the mountains, neither of which are completely removed by the water treatment plant, there is an increasing amount of harmful contaminants in the tap water. Not quite like Flint MI, but not good either.

Setting that aside for the moment/discussion, Denver Water adds chlorine and Fluoride. I don't feel good about my cat drinking this. However, rather than buying bottled water for him (I recycle plastic bottles for water that we carry in the vehicle), I've been using a faucet-end filter to aid with removing contaminants, which has the added benefit of making our coffee taste better :yummy:

I admittedly haven't done the math regarding purchasing bottled water vs the cost of the replacement filters, and I haven't had any tests done on my tap water, filtered tap water or bottled water.
Ugh, I didn't even think about the human medicines and fertilizer run-off. :eek2:

Zero Water, besides its other filter pitchers, has a filter pitcher dedicated to only filtering chlorine... if you're interested.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094Z2K9T2/?tag=thecatsite
 

LTS3

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You can request copies of recent water quality reports from your local water authority if you feel that your tap water is questionable. Sometmes the water quality is fine but the pipes leading to your home are old / problematic and are depositing minerals and other stuff into the water which you then notice when you run a faucet. You can use a Brita or other filter to remove minerals and impurities. Boil the water first and let cool before running it through the filtered pitcher. A whole house filter could also be installed by a plumber but that can be costly.
 

Antonio65

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neither of which are completely removed by the water treatment plant
[...]
I've been using a faucet-end filter to aid with removing contaminants, which has the added benefit of making our coffee taste better :yummy:
Just curious, but how can a faucet-end filter do better than an industrial water treatment plant at reducing contaminants?
 

Antonio65

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You can request copies of recent water quality reports from your local water authority if you feel that your tap water is questionable. Sometmes the water quality is fine but the pipes leading to your home are old / problematic and are depositing minerals and other stuff into the water which you then notice when you run a faucet.
Is it possible, in the US, to have one's tap water checked by a private lab with a full report on its quality?
We can do that here, so I wonder if it can be done in the US too, at affordable prices.
 

Antonio65

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I give my cats bottled water following advice from some TCS members a few years ago, when two foster cats of mine were having some poop issues, and the suggestion was to give them bottled water rather than the "unknown" water from the tap.

Water from my taps is great, good, I drink it no problem, and my previous cats used to drink it for 17 years, and never had a problem. But now I'm using bottled water, and not turning back, just in case.
A 2-liter bottle lasts two weeks, so the cost is next to zero (a 2-liter bottle is around €0.40).
 

PushPurrCatPaws

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There are microplastics in many forms of water these days, but I think there are more in bottled water than in tap water, generally-speaking. It could be that water filters could catch up some of those microplastics and produce cleaner water.

I don't think the small amount of studies on microplastics tell the whole story yet, though. Usually when I try to look into research studies, I read up on overall reviews of the multitude of current studies out there.
Microplastics in freshwaters and drinking water: Critical review and assessment of data quality
 

Timewarpcat

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In general, city tap water in developed countries is very safe. Bottled water can have problems too. Sometimes there is excessive bacteria. Many brands are just filtered tap water.

WebMD has a great article with a link to local water quality reports for those who live in the US and a discussion of effective filtration (reverse osmosis filters).

My personal opinion is that the fears of city tap water are overblown, very generally speaking. There are so many other more common environmental exposures of much greater risk. Radon gas (have you tested?), parasites that carry disease (ticks, mosquitos), lawn chemicals, E. coli and pesticide residue on your produce, car exhaust, tobacco smoke, etc. Obviously Flint MI was a terrible situation, but rare, and that's why it was in the news. There can be local problems. Look at your area's reports.
 

LTS3

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Is it possible, in the US, to have one's tap water checked by a private lab with a full report on its quality?
We can do that here, so I wonder if it can be done in the US too, at affordable prices.

Yes but I don't know the cost of having such a test done. If such a test shows contaminates in the tap water inside the home but the local water authority's system-wide report doesn't, then the contaminates must be picked up in the pipes leading directly into the home. Replacing the pipes is costly so it may make more sense to have a whole home water filter installed or just a small one for the kitchen sink.
 
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