Why won't she drink from a cat fountain?

[Jkat.z]

My cat Maisy refuses to use the expensive cat fountain I got her, won't drink from a bowl and only wants to drink from the tap around twice a day. Any tips to entice her to use her fountain?

Thanks

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Have you tried placing it in different locations?
Is it noisy?

My boy is the same regarding loving his (filtered) kitchen sink tap water. I tried to find a pet fountain that would mimic that, but he wasn't impressed.

 

[Jkat.z]

Good point...I'll try moving it around. If that doesn't work, it looks like my brother's Bengals will have a gift lol! Thanks for your reply furballsmom

 

[Furballsmom]

Hang in there! Hopefully she's a little more open minded than my Poppycat LOL

 

[LTS3]

What are you feeding? Canned / pouched / tinned foods are high in water content so a cat won't necessarily drink from a bowl or fountain. You should still keep a bowl of fresh water out regardless. If your cat will drink from the tap but not the fountain, the fountain may just be too noisy. I don't know if there are any fountains that are fairly quiet. Most run on a small pump similar to that used for fish tanks. Try this thread:

Looking For A New Quiet Water Fountain

Hi guys! So I recently had to move into a studio apartment with my 2 kitties and although it is just temporary, I need to make a few changes.. starting by getting a new water fountain! They currently have the Drinkwell Pagoda Pet Fountain which is great and looks very nice but it is super...

thecatsite.com

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake - TheCatSite

The need for cats to consume plenty of water cannot be emphasized enough.Marginal chronic dehydration over a lifetime - Stresses the kidneys. Kidney failure is the most common cause of illness and death in cats. Creates an environment ripe for urinary tract and bladder issues, termed “Feline...

thecatsite.com

 

[IndyJones]

Some cats just don't like them or see them as playthings to make a mess with from my experience.

 

[Jkat.z]

Thanks! I'm feeding pouch (am) and dry (pm). It isn't the quietest of machines actually. That could be the problem!

 

[MissClouseau]

Feel lucky that she drinks from SOMETHING. Not only my cat has not drank from her (quiet) fountain after the first two days, it's extremely rare she drinks from anything and she has several different bowls of fresh water in bowls from different materials.

Anyway, did your kitty use the fountain at all? If she did and then stopped but still drink from other places, maybe the other water is more fresh and she prefers that. And if it's plastic, there might be a slimey residue that cats don't like (and apparently that can get dangerous we had a recent thread about that.

I feel guilty about not cleaning my pets fountain as often. Biofilm.

 

[katycat1190]

Honestly, mine took almost 6 months (!!!) to drink from it properly. She played with it by dipping her paws in the water when the fountain first arrived, then promptly ignored it for almost half a year. Right before I was going to give it away, she decided to drink from it in front of me. I was so excited and shocked there is photographic evidence of the moment.

These days it's hot where we live, so she is drinking from it semi regularly!

She seems more interested when i switch it off and it comes on again, so i don't leave it running all the time.

So maybe wait till the weather warms up (if it's cold where you are) or... give it time?

 

[tutubean]

Oh no I hope my cat doesn't take 6 months so drink from the fountain we just bought her!
We're fostering a deaf senior and she is so attracted to the sink and bath faucet, drinking from drains and mid-stream as well, so I thought I'd get a fountain for her. All she did is nuzzle up against it so far. Will see if she figures it out...

 

[Krienze]

I tried it with mine.

Jasper drank out of it because he has no fear and will do whatever he wants anyway.
Mia thought it was a play toy (just like she thinks the big water dish is a play toy -- by the way, have you EVER seen a cats swim in a water dish? I have)
Sammy & Isabel would NOT go near it though.

I had a "what did I spend money on moment" myself XD

Let me know how moving it around works!

 

[tutubean]

Oh no I hope my cat doesn't take 6 months so drink from the fountain we just bought her!
We're fostering a deaf senior and she is so attracted to the sink and bath faucet, drinking from drains and mid-stream as well, so I thought I'd get a fountain for her. All she did is nuzzle up against it so far. Will see if she figures it out...

I was so happy that my girl finally realized what the fountain was for. While she was looking at it, I flicked the gentle water stream with my finger then booped her nose with said wet finger. Immediately after the boop, her ears perked in that way cat ears do when something catches their interest, and she approached the fountain. A minute later she was drinking for like 5 minutes straight, then after a break drank for at least 5 more minutes LOL. she still knew what it was for this morning but wasn't as thirsty. can't imagine why!

this girl is SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD and deaf, so she can't hear the water trickle. i have no way of knowing if she has used a fountain before, but she is now.

 

[basscat]

While she was looking at it, I flicked the gentle water stream with my finger then booped her nose with said wet finger.

I bout' lost a finger that way