Funny Drinking Behavior

Hi, I'm new to the site! My 10-mo old kitty has a weird drinking fetish where he'll drink water from any source other than his water bowl. I clean his bowl, refill it with fresh water every day (sometimes twice daily), and have even poured bottled water into his bowl, thinking that he doesn't like tap. But no matter what, his favorite source of water is from a vase filled with rocks and a bamboo plant. He also loves a tall glass of water. He'd dip his paw into it, and lick off the water!!

I don't mind his behavior--I think it's adorable! But I just wanted to know if this behavior is common, and possibly an explanation. Thanks!

Welcome to the site.

No explanation about the drinking behavior here. Except maybe that cats sometimes have their own way of doing things.

One of my cats, Red Cat, used to drink out of a bowl beside his food dish on his placemat. But after I got Purdy and Purdy started drinking out of that bowl, Red Cat refuses to drink out of it. (Purdy refuses to drink out of a bowl on his own placemat, preferring to go to the one on Red Cat's placemat. So now I don't even bother putting one on Purdy's mat any more.)

So where does Red Cat drink? The ONLY place he wants to drink is from a bowl in the bathtub upstairs! Now that he has that cone collar on, I did convince him this afternoon to drink out of the bowl on the bathroom floor instead, so he didn't have to maneuver into the tub with that big cone on. But he wouldn't drink downstairs where I feed him. Silly cats, anyway!

You can buy aquarium rocks, rinse them out really well, add them to a glass bowl and fill the bowl with water, and I bet he drinks out of the bowl then

Well, yes cats do like to drink from places other than their bowl. My cat is almost 11 and I dont think she's ever drank from her real water bowl. My solution was just to set her a seperate bowl in another location...and she loves it. For example, she jumps onto the sink and drink the dripping water from the faucet (weirdo) so I put a bowl next to the sink and she happily drinks. Maybe you should put a bowl next to the plant and see what happens.

Yes, cat's are a little strange sometimes. I used to keep a water bowl, then a water fountain beside their food dishes and did they want to drink from it? Of course not, they wanted to drink out of the bathroom sink, so I just put a water bowl beside the sink (they never did adapt to the fountain, however I have one of those decorative fountains in the livingroom and Gandalf loves to drink out of it when it's turned on.) They both like to drink out of glasses as well, I have to watch them both carefully or they'll drink anything I drink and somehow I don't think Diet Coke is good for kitties.

Oj has never drank out of his bowl, he drinks directly from the faucet. Kind of bothersom when I am brushing my teeth and he decides he wants a drink... now he has a few more of the cats doing it too, we don't mind so much, at least we know it's fresh.

My kitty loves the water! She is always with me when I brush my teeth and prefers running water to the bowl. I have two separate water bowls in my house and it doesn't seem to matter to her. She used to drink from the toilet but it freaked my fiance out so we keep the lid down. She also drinks from the puddles left in the bathtub after a bath or shower and she drinks from water that is left in soaking bowls in the sink. When I am in the tub she sits right on the side and lets her tail dangle in the water.
When she is interested in the regular water bowl it is either to put one of her toys in it or to splash all of the water out with her paws.
Not sure why she does it and like the original post said it is cute so I don't mind.

Carly

My cats are freaks too. They will NOT drink out of their regular water bowl. I have to keep a small glass of water on the coffee table for them at all times lol. Saki will lick from the edge of it too, spilling water ALL over the place

Originally Posted by momogasuki

He also loves a tall glass of water. He'd dip his paw into it, and lick off the water!!

Click to expand...

My cat, Little Lane, does the same thing. It's soo cute!!

My kitty Gus will only drink from a bowl on my night stand. It doesn't matter where I put it, he won't touch it unless it's there.

Originally Posted by momogasuki

He also loves a tall glass of water. He'd dip his paw into it, and lick off the water!!

Click to expand...

That is just too cute when they do that isn't it?!

Kuce does the paw in the water and licks it off her paw business except she uses her water dish.

We finally broke her off trying the toilet by keeping the lid down.

Thanks for all the responses--I love hearing these funny stories!