Bengals and Angoras: do they ACTUALLY like water?

So, I've been reading about so-called "water-loving" breeds, and the bengal and turkish angora/van are at the top of the list. Do they really like water or is it just a myth?

Does anyone own a bengal or angora, with situations for/against the argument?? I'd love to hear them!

My Bengal, Anna, loves to play with and in water. She drowns her toys in the water bowls. Throwing them in and fishing them out over and over.

She also likes to dump the bowls and play in the water on the floor. She pats and dips the water with her paws - splashing in it like a little kid. I've tried bigger, heavier bowls but she just braces against a wall or the floor and pushes till the water sloshes over.

I have an angora. I wouldn't say he loves water, but he is fascinated by it. He gets very agitated when the tub or shower are in use, and one time he jumped into the half-full tub and waded around. But he doesn't seem to like the feel of the water when it's on him.

He does dip his paw into the bowl before drinking, but I think that's just to determine the water level.

My Penny doesn't seem to have a thing for water, nor does Max, really, although he gets a kick out of splashing water out of the fountain wish his paw sometimes.

Coco doesn't like water.

I think the "water loving" thing is like most other "breed specific" qualities. It's not that all or maybe not even most of the breed have that quality. It's just that more of that breed have the quality than those of other breeds. Like, maybe 30% of Bengals like to play in water where only 10% of other breeds do. (I made up those numbers, BTW). It could well that the number of a breed that has a certain quaility is quite high but it seems to be that it could be quite low also and only *relatively* high.

I just seems to me that there are always *soo* many exceptions that it might be a bit misleading to talk about how a specific breed has a particular quality.

I suspect it becomes a breed specific quality when breeders hear it from some other breeders and think it's a norm, thus introduce their kittens to it early enough that they don't fear it. In other words, more of nurture over nature.


I have one moggie who tolerates baths wonderfully, he isn't particularly afraid of water but then he came to me sick and had have poop washed off his back end a lot as a kitten. (Then there's the fact that he used to get into stuff and had a couple instances of ring worm)

Another moggie who likes to watch the toilet flush and play in his water bowl.

And a third moggie/possible ragdoll who seems very fascinated with running water and no common sense concerning a sink full of water...

So who knows!

I had a Turkish Angora - he really did NOT like water and baths! But my Ocicats and my Cornish Rexes loved baths and playing in water.