I have a cat now

[Boudicca]

Such a handsome fellow!!!!

He's gorgeous!

[Boudicca]

My dumb cat is staring at his water dish like he expects something to happen.

He resembles a large, furry cockroach wandering around my apartment.

You really, really love your cat.  I know this because you grump aloud about him, the way my DH grumbles and complains about our cats and dogs.  Yet, come bedtime, we have to share our queen size mattress with usually around 4 or 5 of them, and he surreptititously pets them.  My son's even worse-totally disses the animals verbally but whenever he thinks I'm not paying attention he's all over them handing out treats and pats.

Sound familiar?

[Chris_]

I admit, I look forward to coming home most days.

He's still a little weirdo who runs away from me when I try to pet him.  The Big Scary Hand must bother him.

[Boudicca]

I admit, I look forward to coming home most days.

He's still a little weirdo who runs away from me when I try to pet him.

Well, that static electricity does kinda make them spooky.  Mine aren't happy with me when they get shocked either.  Cats are independent critters, so we're told, but I swear most of mine act more like dogs than cats.  Of course, I've had them for years in some cases.

Well, silly human, have you figured out what your kitteh expects you to do by the water dish?

[Chris_]

Hell if I know.  There's water in there.  What else does he want?

[Boudicca]

Hell if I know.  There's water in there.  What else does he want?

Some of my cats are very finicky about their water; anything over a few hours old is too stale for them.  Lucy even hangs out on my bathroom sink and bats her paws at me when I walk by so I'll turn the tap on for her to drink running water.  Last time I relented, I came back two hours later to a still running sink.  Water is cheap out here, thank goodness!

I've got some cats so dang lazy they sit in front of the cat door into their litter room until someone opens it for them.

[Chris_]

Yeah, I can see that.  I prefer fresh water as well.  I fill it up in the morning and sometimes at night. 

My brother had this fancy little water fountain for his girlfriend's cat that looked like a miniature water cooler.  It held about a week's worth of water.

[franksolich]

For dogs and cats, and probably all other animals, don't put water in a plastic dish or bowl.

I'm not sure why; it's not going to kill them or anything, but apparently it makes the water less palatable to them.  And cats of course usually drink far less water than they need, thus leading to kidney and bladder problems (and resultant high veterinary bills).  With cats, one wants to encourage them to dine on water as much as possible.

A big glass or stainless-steel bowl gotten from the nearest thrift store for a dime or something, is best.

When watering the cats here--who drink water like there's no tomorrow (and hence no high veterinary bills for kidney or bladder problems)--I always put in two drops of grapefruit-seed extract per gallon of water, or thereabouts.  I'm not sure why, but apparently it's good for them.

[franksolich]

If the cat prefers to drink from the commode, which is porcelain, that's the number one clue to get a glass or stainless-steel bowl.  At a thrift store, of course.  Save your money.

[debk]

I switched from a plastic water tower contraption that I had used for years, to a souffle dish that was only going to be temporary. That was at least 6 or 8 months ago. 

I put it in our bathroom, and refill it at least 2x's a day! The girls seem to drink quite a bit more water from it than they used to out of the other thing.

I quit looking for a new water tower. 

[thundley4]

For dogs and cats, and probably all other animals, don't put water in a plastic dish or bowl.

I'm not sure why; it's not going to kill them or anything, but apparently it makes the water less palatable to them.  And cats of course usually drink far less water than they need, thus leading to kidney and bladder problems (and resultant high veterinary bills).  With cats, one wants to encourage them to dine on water as much as possible.

A big glass or stainless-steel bowl gotten from the nearest thrift store for a dime or something, is best.

When watering the cats here--who drink water like there's no tomorrow (and hence no high veterinary bills for kidney or bladder problems)--I always put in two drops of grapefruit-seed extract per gallon of water, or thereabouts.  I'm not sure why, but apparently it's good for them.

Some animals are allergic to plastics , too. Our first dog would break out with little blister like things on her chin, but we switched the plastic food and water bowls out and the problem went away.  We've used small stainless steel mixing bowls since then.  They're fairly cheap and easy to clean.

[Boudicca]

Another way to encourage more water consumption in cats, feed them some wet food, which they love and which of course contains alot of moisture.  Mine get four cans a day to share, assuming each gets the same amount (not probable but oh well) that's half a can apiece.  They do like the stainless steel water bowls okay, and even condescend to share with the dogs.  No kidney or liver problems, thus far, with any of my cats.

The vet tells me some wet chow is good for their teeth.  I free feed kibble and once a day the wet chow, change the water dishes twice a day, three times in the blistering hot summer.  They enjoy ice cubes in the water bowls as well.

[seahorse513]

Jingles was upchucking quite a bit. I bought her an aqua tube it comes with a filter, and it rotates the water. Giving a commode illuisiion. She hasn't upchucked since.

[Chris_]

Figures.  My cat is afraid of the fan.

[Celtic Rose]

Hell if I know.  There's water in there.  What else does he want?

My cat won't drink from the water dish if there is so much as a hair floating on the surface of the water.  It gets changed on a regular basis.  I usually have two bowls of water for her as well, so that if one is contaminated, she has another to drink from.  She'll happily drink from the toilet as well. 

She also tells me when it time to go to bed by meowing loudly until I lay down, and then she curls up next to me.  She also recently learned how to flush the toilet.  She is a smart cookie 

[Chris_]

Still haven't named him.  I can't think of one.

[Karin]

   Oh for God's sake.  How about the all-purpose Max?  How about Dude, in honor of Stinky? 

That's a funny LOLcat up there. 

Hey those stainless or ceramic bowls discussed above can be found real cheap at the Dollar stores.  Another hazard of the plastic ones is that mine would overturn them constantly.   

Nature's Miracle  <----   Must-have product for anyone with a cat. 

[Chris_]

The blisters on his lower lip have cleared up since I switched to a stainless steel water bowl.  He does have some black spots on his mouth but it looks more like natural pigment than some kind of problem.

[Eupher]

The blisters on his lower lip have cleared up since I switched to a stainless steel water bowl.  He does have some black spots on his mouth but it looks more like natural pigment than some kind of problem.

 

hi5

[Karin]

Eupher, you gave Chris_ a H5 and a beer toast for the fact that his cat's blisters healed up? 

 

[Chris_]

Ouch.

Tough crowd.

[Wineslob]

Eupher, you gave Chris_ a H5 and a beer toast for the fact that his cat's blisters healed up? 

 

Mouth blisters..................

[Eupher]

Eupher, you gave Chris_ a H5 and a beer toast for the fact that his cat's blisters healed up? 

 

Yup! sure did.    I think it's cool that chris has morphed from a WTF! A CAT IN MY APARTMENT!!!!         to a guy that's a little concerned about the cat enough to worry about using plastic dishes instead of stainless - or even crockery.

Chris has been bitten by the cat bug, and he's got a really, really bad infection.   

[docstew]

Yup! sure did.    I think it's cool that chris has morphed from a WTF! A CAT IN MY APARTMENT!!!!         to a guy that's a little concerned about the cat enough to worry about using plastic dishes instead of stainless - or even crockery.

Chris has been bitten by the cat bug, and he's got a really, really bad infection.   

Are you saying chris got an infection from his *****?

[Eupher]

Are you saying chris got an infection from his *****?

that's one way of putting it, yeah.