Prefers to drink water in shower pan?

[christinaroo]

My darling Dutch is a wonderfully mannered girl, with a really odd habit. She likes to drink out of anything BUT a water bowl. I've tried different materials (ceramic, metal, plastic) in locations all over the house, making sure the water is sparkling clean at all times, adding an ice cube, setting up a pet fountain, etc.

Hands down (paws down?) she wants either water from the toilet or her latest favorite - little puddles left in the shower pan after a shower. I have even put a fresh water bowl in the shower pan, and she'll ignore it to lick at drops elsewhere. 

She may have been doing this since we got her 1-1/2 years ago, but she's oddly furtive about drinking.  Maybe she was disciplined for it in her pre-rescue home, or had competition for water. 

1) Does anyone else have a persistent shower/toilet drinker? What did you do, if anything?

2) Should I care that she's getting her water this way? She's not suffering any ill effects that I can see, and she's well hydrated, at least. I know there are potentially dangerous chemicals in cleaning agents, but the water she chooses to drink isn't after we clean the shower, just after one of us uses it - and the soap and shampoo has all been rinsed away. 

 

[mani]

If the water in the shower is clean and you're really careful there are no nasties, I'd let her keep going.  Mine love to drink out of the shower bay too (I draw the line at the toilet

) but they'll also drink from their dishes.  But it there is water to be had elsewhere, they love to 'find' it.

Also, make sure you keep her water away from her food.. cats much prefer it..   If you persist in having water in some in 'flat' things, like a saucer, and hide it a bit, she just may come round..

 

[minniesunshine]

Hi, im new to this but my cat will ONLY drink water from the kitchen sink. I think b/c its colder. I change her water everyday but she refuses to drink from her bowl on the floor. She just loves the sink

 

[nuts4cats]

One of my three cats is a toilet addict lol 

She is just hook on that darn toilet, nothing to do!  I guess it's like us, some like mineral water and other like bottled water hihihihi

 

[matts mom]

Matt is a Toilet and tap drinker too.....and since we got the fish tank, he uses his claws to pry off the top of the filter so that he can lap up the water out of the filtration system as it comes out clean.

We thought he'd stopped over the winter but with the onset of warm weather he's appearing with a soggy head 3-4 times a day again 

He also likes to drink after a shower and will wait in the bathroom for you to get out and turn the water off....apparently he likes it warm