Can Cats Drink Tap Water? Is Tap Water Safe For Cats?

We are all aware that water is beneficial to our health. Being hydrated aids in the removal of toxins, the cushioning of our joints, and the maintenance of a healthy weight.

Our pets are in the same boat. They want to consume the purest water possible and are sensitive to pollutants in tap water.

To answer your question, yes, cats can drink tap water. However, to a certain extent the answer depends on where you live.

Simply put, if the tap water isn’t fit for human consumption then it shouldn’t be given to pets. Tap water that has passed through a treatment facility should be much safer. Worries arise because processed water frequently contains high quantities of chemicals such as chlorine or ammonia.

If you live in a region where the water is severely chlorinated, a good suggestion is to let it sit in the bowl for an hour before feeding it to your cat. As a result, the chlorine in the water dissipates and the water becomes more attractive to your cat.

If you want to learn more about tap water and cats, keep reading!

Is Tap Water Safe For Cats?

Yes, tap water is safe for cats to drink. The tap water should not create any health problems for your feline, according to most experts. Minerals like calcium, iron, and magnesium found in tap water should not be hazardos to your pet.

However, holistic physicians advice against feeding your cats untreated water to drink because of the chemicals added to the water during the treatment process by the municipality. Chlorine and fluoride are two of these compounds.

Contaminants can also be found in unfiltered tap water. Check the quality of your water with your municipality or have your private well tested once a year to ensure it is safe for your feline to drink.

Pollutants that damage people can harm a pet’s body as well. Pets rely on their humans for drinking water.

The chlorine stench in tap water is particularly irritating to cats. Strange as it may seem, one of the primary reasons why pets drink from the toilet is that the water is generally colder and less stinky to them.

Pets can detect the odor of chemical disinfectants applied to our water at the treatment plant since their sense of smell is much greater than ours.

When tap water stays out for a long time, it loses its chlorine content. And, if the chlorine in the toilet bowl water has evaporated sufficiently, it may be more attractive to them than a fresh cup of chlorinated tap water.

Is Tap Water Bad For Cats?

The most serious issues with your cat’s water are frequently caused by the cat, not the water. Your cat consumes her meal, then licks her hair, paws, tail, and every other part of his body before heading to her water source for a drink.

The water picks up every live bacterium on her tongue. Chlorine is very effective in killing bacteria. Chlorine makes almost all forms of watery bacteria less dangerous.

It’s for this reason that it’s utilised in drinking water. It aids in the purification of water and significantly decreases the number of dangerous bacteria that might dwell there.

Filtered water or water that has gone through a Reverse Osmosis system is very beneficial to us. We drink from a glass that has been filled. The water in our cats’ bowls, on the other hand, stays in the dish for days, and chlorine helps keep the water safe.

Filtration systems are beneficial, and if you have one placed at the sink where you fill your cat’s fountain, you may want to supplement it with some chlorinated water from another source.

So, if you have a decent water supply at your tap, and you drink from it, your cats should be okay as well.

Can Cats Drink From The Faucet?

If your cat prefers to drink from the faucet, it’s an indication that she needs access to flowing water. That is useful knowledge, because keeping your cat hydrated is essential for his long-term health.

In fact, renal failure is common in cats, and increasing their water intake may help them avoid it.

However, if you don’t want your faucet to be turned on all the time, consider purchasing a water fountain for your pet.

Why Is My Cat Obsessed With Water Faucet?

Your cat is obsessed with drinking water from the faucet due to the following reasons:

• Cats prefer drinking flowing water over stagnant water in general.
• They don’t always have a good view of the calm water.
• They are terrified of being ambushed when sitting at the bowl and drinking.
• They’ve been programmed to avoid standing water, which is more likely to be stagnant and bacterially loaded than moving water in nature.
• The sound of flowing water attracts cats since it is simpler to locate than motionless water.
• Cats instinctively avoid stagnant water, which poses a far larger danger of hazardous pollutants in the wild than a moving stream.

Cats prefer to utilise their acute hearing to detect the familiar sound of rushing water rather than depending on sight to find a still pool. Although there aren’t many predators waiting to ambush your cat in the kitchen, they have a natural instinct to avoid being surrounded.

The tap water is colder, cleaner, and more oxygenated, which improves the flavour for our picky felines. Many cats are also irritated by the way their delicate whiskers brush against the rim of their bowls.

Apart from all of these practical considerations, some cats just like playing with running water.

Why Does My Cat Drink My Shower Water?

Your cat drinks your shower water for the following reasons:

1. Water Temperature

Because your cat does not enjoy room temperature water, it may seek out alternative water sources. A cat who jumps in the shower with you or drinks leftover bathwater may like warm water. However, a cat who licks condensation off the windows or drinks directly from the faucet may prefer chilly water.

2. Bowl Shape And Size

Your cat may avoid drinking from their water bowl because it is unpleasant. As their delicate whiskers rub up against the sides of deep or narrow bowls, some cats refuse to drink from them.

3. Taste

Depending on the material used to make your cat’s bowl, the water may taste different. Your pet may prefer ceramic or stainless steel, just as many humans do when drinking from a glass or aluminium can. You could discover your cat’s head in the porcelain toilet bowl or bathtub if they’re seeking for flavor.

4. Freshwater

When water sits in a dish for too long, it picks up odors, dust particles, and other contaminants. Running water is more aerated and fresh, so it tastes better to your cat.

5. Hearing

Cats have a keen sense of hearing, and moving water attracts them more than stagnant water. If you’ve ever wondered why cats like to drink flowing water, it might be because they have a stronger hearing sense, as well as the fact that flat water soon becomes stale.

6. Play

It’s entertaining to play with dripping water. Your cat may like swimming about in a tub rather than drinking water from a bowl.

Should I Let My Cat Drink Water From Faucet?

No, you should avoid letting your cat drink water from the faucet. The trouble with cats drinking straight from the faucet is that our tap water contains minerals and heavy metals that can cause urinary tract infections and kidney problems.

These diseases are not only uncomfortable and costly to treat, but they can also put your cat’s life in jeopardy.

It may be entertaining to watch your cat drink from the tap. However, it might have significant health consequences for your cat.

Tap water often has a high concentration of minerals and metals, which can lead to urinary tract infections and renal problems. These are distressing problems for your cat, and their treatment is costly.

Why Do Cats Like Drinking From The Tap?

Your cat’s habit of drinking from the faucet might be due to the location of her water bowl. A faucet with a view may be preferable to a dish on the floor for cats who like elevated areas.

If her watering system is in a loud or high-traffic area of your home, she may choose to refresh herself in the sink, which is calmer and safer. Your cat may be deterred from drinking from her dish if she shares her area with youngsters or other pets.

Remove or reduce any stresses that are preventing your cat from drinking from her water bowl.

We recommend that you experiment with different settings. For example, if your cat loves to be up high, try placing her dish on a counter that is easily accessible. If you have several cats in your house, consider having multiple drinking stations.

Also, keep your cat’s water and food away from the litter box, since many cats will avoid drinking near where they defecate.

It’s possible that your cat prefers to drink from the sink because the water tastes nicer. This might be owing to the fact that the sink is usually devoid of the residue, odor, or taste that can accumulate in a bowl that is either not cleaned frequently enough or cleaned with a substance that the cat hates.

Cleaning your cat’s dish using a non-scented, residue-free cleanser on a regular basis will help her water taste better and encourage her to utilise it.

Another reason she might like the sink is that porcelain is less likely to have the foul odor that some water dishes, especially ones made of plastic, can have.

The looks and noises of your cat’s bowl may also irritate her, especially if it is made of bright metal. Experiment with various types of bowls to determine which material is best for your cat.

How Do I Get My Cat To Stop Drinking From The Tap?

You may try a number of methods to make get your cat to stop drinking from the tap. To chill the water down a little, try putting a few ice cubes in the bowl. You may also play with the form, size, and material of the bowl as a whole.

Distinct bowls impart different flavors to the water. If your cat has a plastic bowl, switch it out with one made of metal, ceramic, or even glass.

Keep an eye on your cat’s drinking habits. An abrupt shift might signal sickness.

Allowing a cat to drink from the faucet is not the best method for allowing them to consume water.

If your cat is a problem when it comes to drinking from the faucet, you’ll need to discover strategies to keep them from doing so.

Here are some of the ways you can use to stop your cat from drinking from tap:

1. Water Fountain

There are several cat water fountains available on the market. Some of them are even programmed to operate just when the cat is nearby. It encourages drinking and can even deter cats from drinking from a tap.

2. Refreshing Water Regularly

If a cat is drinking too much from the faucet due to poor water quality, make sure their water dish is refreshed more frequently. You may also experiment with bottled water to see if it makes a difference.

3. Wet Cat Food

Giving the cat moist food is an option that might be more costly. This is a fantastic alternative if you can afford it, as wet food contains considerably more moisture than dry food.

4. Lock Doors

You can close the door if the cat continues to drink from the bathroom faucet. In the kitchen, this may not be as simple. When closing the door, be cautious since it is typical for a cat to follow its owner into the bathroom.

How Can I Encourage My Cat To Drink From The Bowl?

You may encourage your cat to drink from her bowl by doing a few things.

Try placing her water dish somewhere other than next to her meal. It’s possible that your cat is fussy about having food and water close to one other.

Try putting a few ice cubes in the dish if you suspect your cat doesn’t enjoy the temperature of its water.

You might want to try using a different bowl completely. The water will taste vary depending on the bowl you use. If your cat has a plastic bowl, switch it out with one made of metal, ceramic, or even glass.

If your cat is prone to tipping over bowls, go for a larger bowl with a rubber base. Even the most devoted of cats will be defeated by this.

There are also cat drinking fountains that either flow water in a continuous loop or activate when your cat approaches. Because they require energy to operate, you’ll need to locate them near a socket outlet.

You may leave the tap dripping for your cat to sip from on occasion. If your cat is thirsty enough, she will drink from any source, but you may want to reward her with water from the tap every now and again.

How Do I Encourage My Cat To Drink More Water?

Here are a few easy ways to encourage your cat to drink more water:

• Use a bowl made of glass or ceramic. Plastic bowls may contaminate water.
• Fill a big, shallow bowl with water and a broad surface area. Some cats don’t like it when their whiskers brush up against the bowl’s sides.
• Ensure that your cat’s shadow does not obscure their view of the water’s surface.
• Some cats are sensitive to the chlorine in tap water, so provide filtered water.
• Place the water bowl in a secure location away from other cats and dogs.
• Place many bowls of water in various locations.
• Keeping your cat’s water away from their meals is a good idea.

Can My Cat Drink Water From A Cat Fountain?

You may utilise a cat fountain, which is suggested by veterinarians all around the world.

Nothing encourages a cat to keep hydrated like a fountain, especially a ceramic fountain, which does not get scratched, house bacteria, or build up biofilm as plastic brands do.

The fact that only flowing water is safe in nature attracts cats to fountains. Stagnant water is home to a variety of potentially dangerous germs, which cats are instinctively aware of because they are still very much in the wild.

This is why so many cats agitate their water bowls or push them around. They want to be able to observe the water move.

It provides them with visibly flowing, audible water that is really fresher and recirculates and oxygenates.

Activated charcoal, which is available in various filter media for most cat fountains, is another technique to assist enhance the quality of cats’ drinking water.

Activated charcoal, also known as carbon, has the ability to interact with and absorb a variety of poisons, medicines, viruses, bacteria, fungi, and chemicals present in water, as well as enhance flavour and eliminate smells.

Minerals, salts, and dissolved inorganic components are not removed. It is used to detoxify patients in emergency departments of both hospitals and veterinary clinics. It has no negative side effects when consumed and can be highly helpful in eliminating a wide spectrum of pollutants.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Words

If you drink from a decent water source at your faucet,  it should be okay for your furry friend as well.

 If your cat refuses to drink from his fountain after it has been cleaned and refilled, you may need a carbon filter. Chlorine’s noxious odour and taste are likewise eliminated by carbon.

The supply of water for your cats is perhaps the most essential aspect of their digestive health. Your cats’ health will benefit from clean water, a ceramic cat fountain, and maybe a carbon filter and a sponge filter.

Drop down your queries regarding your furry friend’s water drinking habits in the comment section below.

References

• https://www.7×7.com/ask-a-vet-should-i-let-my-cat-drink-from-the-tap-1781507557.html
• https://amp.hillspet.com/cat-care/nutrition-feeding/why-cat-tips-over-water-bowl