cat sudden love for the tub

[meow464]

My 19 year old cat used to be terrified of bathrooms. Even walking by one holding him he would clutch for dear life. Now he spends most of his time in the tub (over the past year) drinking and soaking himself off of the drip. He walks around sopping wet and seems to enjoy this. What could account for this drastic change and his apparent enjoyment of it?

 

[sugarcatmom]

Has he had a check-up at the vet recently with a senior blood panel and urinalysis? It sounds like maybe he's attracted to the water, which can indicate excessive thirst. At his age, kidney issues, hyperthyroidism and diabetes tend to be more common. If he hasn't been to the vet since this behaviour started, that's the first thing I'd suggest. 

 

[livy90]

My kitten for some reason loves running into the bathroom every chance he gets and loves jumping into the bath tub and some times likes drinking from the tap if i have it running low. He seems to be drinking water just fine and doesnt seem like excessive thirst or anything but i do admit lol he loves to drink from anything else other then his water bowl whenever he gets the chance, unless i pick him up and put him in front of his water bowl then he drinks it -_- 
I think he could just love water in general and likes to drink it too. Mine keeps wanting to jump into the shower with me every time i shower or bath. 
But i would probably take him to the vet still or at least ring them just in case because as you have mentioned, your cat only just now has decided to become very attracted to the bathroom/water. 

 

[meow464]

Yes I have taken him to the vet a few times for check ups and nothing bad has come up.

This is why I find this odd.

 

[maureenl128]

All 3 of my kitties love the tub. They know when I get out of the shower there will be water to lick up in the tub! No idead why, they just love it.

 

[g-reg]

Our cat hides in the tub when the vacuum is running..  I turned the water on once just a little while he was in there, kitty was definitely not amused by that.

 

[rollie]

Every cat I have ever owned likes running water over that found in their bowl. I don't know why exactly, but it dawns on me that I should research it. My last cat would drink rain water outside and ignore his bowl for the most part. Maybe it has something to do with the bowl. 

 

[callista]

Every cat I have ever owned likes running water over that found in their bowl. I don't know why exactly, but it dawns on me that I should research it. My last cat would drink rain water outside and ignore his bowl for the most part. Maybe it has something to do with the bowl. 

They like it being fresh, I think. Water that's been running probably tastes better to them. Even if it's rainwater or toilet water, it hasn't been standing around for a while. There are kitty water fountains that circulate the water a bit, for cats that like that sort of thing. It's a luxury, sure, but the cat may like it so much that the cost is worth it.

But if you have a cat who likes running water, for heaven's sake clean the toilet with cat-safe cleaners (plain bleach works just fine, if you flush twice afterward). You can't depend on the family to always keep the lid down, and Kitty will have his head in the toilet eventually. I know; Tiny will happily drink out of the toilet if I let him. He'll have to content himself with daily bowls of fresh water, because kitty water fountains are way out of my budget!

 

[maxkitteh]

My cat loves the empty tub. He jumps around, bats at any dot he sees, runs around...it's a strange environment that stimulates him somehow. Wait till I put a live cricket in! LOL. He doesn't know about the connection to water yet...or maybe he does! Could be he loves baths and I just don't know it yet (got him at 4 months though the breeder never said anything about baths heh). 

 

[ritz]

In the past four or five months, Ritz has been coming in the bathroom, going behind the toilet, and then in to the bathtub while I used my own Litter Box.  She was also really interested in the toilet, so one day I opened it and just let her explore.  She's not longer quite so interested....

Recently, I put a cricket in the bathtub to see what Ritz would do with it.  First time I did it, I had to make the cricket jump so Ritz knew what it was and, eventually, what to do with it.  Nice satisfying CRUNCH.  Second, time she caught on quickly. 

And as an added benefit, crickets have a fair amount of taurine.