my cat won't use his water bowl

I have a 2yr old domestic shorthair former stray named Matt. We adopted him from the shelter in February, and have been so preoccuppied with getting him set up with a food that didn't give him the runs that we let it slide that he doesn't drink out of his water bowl. He drinks plenty....out of the bottom of the bath tub, bathroom faucet, and toilet...just not his bowls (we tried putting others down around the house) I tried locking him out of the bathroom, and he cried and cried and didn't have enough to drink so I let him back in because I didn't want him dehydrated. 

Any suggestions?

P.S. his teeth aren't great, so the vet gave me stuff to put in his water....it's no good if he doesn't drink the water, though I do brush his teeth daily  so I guess the mouthwash isn't crucial(I asked for it, it's not prescribed)

I've always wondered why they would sell that water additive for cats.  Cats just don't visit the water bowl that much, especially if they are getting their moisture needs met with their food (i.e.something other than dry food.)  They don't have a high thirst drive due to the way their ancestors relied on moisture from prey.  I'd rely on other methods for cleaning his teeth (can't get much better than toothbrushing) and let him drink from the bathroom faucet (the toilet might be questionable.)  They do make water fountains that some cats like, but I don't have any experience with those.  My cats get their moisture from their food and seem to like their water bowls okay when they visit them occasionally. 

If he thinks he's getting away with something when he drinks out of one of your water glasses, put one of those out, perhaps in the tub or the bathroom sink. I also had a cat who didn't like water bowls, but LOVED to sneak water out of my glass. So he got his own glass.

What type of additive did your vet give you for his teeth? I'm curious.

I would suggest trying the fountain. Something about running water entices them to drink.

What is his diet like? One of my kitties rarely drank water and ate all dry food and she ended up with Cystitis. We switched her to a high quality wet food twice daily and give her kibble as a treat (6 pieces or so). We have not had a recurrence of the cystitis and I have noticed her drinking from the bowls of water we have available as well.

I highly recommend a water fountain. One of the best purchases I ever made for my cats!

txcatmom said:

I've always wondered why they would sell that water additive for cats.  Cats just don't visit the water bowl that much, especially if they are getting their moisture needs met with their food (i.e.something other than dry food.)  They don't have a high thirst drive due to the way their ancestors relied on moisture from prey.  I'd rely on other methods for cleaning his teeth (can't get much better than toothbrushing) and let him drink from the bathroom faucet (the toilet might be questionable.)  They do make water fountains that some cats like, but I don't have any experience with those.  My cats get their moisture from their food and seem to like their water bowls okay when they visit them occasionally. 

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I've wondered about the water additive too Tx. Can't figure it out.  I will say that all of my cats drink plenty of water but I attribute it to the water fountains I have for them and the dogs.  My cats get wet food as well as dry and the drink from the fountains.  I think the fountains, outside of the Feliway, is probably one of the best purchases I have ever made.

Putting the water bowl somewhere completely different to the food is said to encourage drinking.

Water fountains seem to work well with some kitties.  Make sure the plastic is free from toxins such as Drinkwell fountains.  This is also another great product http://www.safehomeproducts.com/shp2/sc/shopexd.aspx?id=161

Not sure if you are feeding raw but if not hopefully you are feeding quality canned and you can also add some water to the canned.  I use Penta bottled water and before switching to raw I added that to BooBoo's canned food.  Now that she is eating raw she simply will not drink water from a dish though I still provide water for her.  

   Thanks for all the feedback. the additive is called Oxyfresh. I am to use 6ml to 2litres of water, which I then use to fill his bowls (he has 3 in different places in the house) 2-3 times a day. He still prefers to drink out of the faucet though lol. every morning he follows me to the bathroom so I can turn on the tap for him, and if someone takes a shower he waits till they are done, then drinks from the tap as it drips the last few drops after being turned off. perhaps a fountain is the way to go, since it almost seems as though he has an aversion to standing water. It would make sense for a stray to have gotten ill from drinking standing water, and not want to drink it again....

   thankfully I know Matt is drinking enough.....I see him drink about every couple of hours, and he made it through two month's  worth of diarreah before we got him settled onto his gluten free diet and his insides were no longer bothered. he'd have settled sooner, if the vet hadn't wanted me to put him on dental food, which set him off all over again  Matt didn't get dehydrated through the whole ordeal, though, and it's dry food, too I have yet to find a wet food he can take, but I want to, because I know it makes kitties happy when you feed it to them. My last cat sang for her supper when she saw the whiskas pouches come out but Matt can't eat them.

The same thing happened to Midnight Sun. The vet recommended Oxyfresh for oral health. I used the prescribed amount and put in in the water bowls. Having 3 cats, I didn't realize that Midnight Sun stopped drinking the water and he came down with a UTI. I stopped using the Oxyfresh. It was hard to get him to start drinking again. He's the only one who won't use the Drinkwell Platinum fountain. He likes distilled water in a large bowl.

The point of this is that Oxyfresh is bad news. Please avoid it like the plague.

I've stopped using it, and he's drinking again.....from the bowls in the basement and the bathroom, just not near his food....silly finicky cat