Doesn't Seem to Be Using New Water Feeder

[sivyaleah]

We purchased an automatic water feeder for Casper, because we'll be leaving on vacation for the first time we've had him next weekend.

We also got an automatic food feeder, which has worked out pretty good.  No problem there.  But, I don't think he's been using the water feeder.  With his regular water dish, I see him drink periodically throughout the day.  I think I saw him use the new one once, although my BF said otherwise. On the other hand, said BF has short term memory loss ROFL.  So, I don't trust what he says he sees.

I tested this the other day, by putting down his old dish.  He came right over to drink out of it.  First time I saw him drink in days.

We will be having our neighbor come in to check up on him, but I am concerned that if for some reason she can't make it in, and he isn't drinking from the automatic one, that could be a problem.  I don't want to leave his regular dish out for that reason - don't want to depend on her having to remember to give him anything if possible.  We'll only be gone for 4 full days actually.  We leave on Saturday very early afternoon so that kind of doesn't count and return very early in the morning the following Thursday. So, he's only really alone Sunday through Wednesday.  

I guess, we could leave a few bowls of water around as a back up plan?  But I am curious why he wouldn't be using the new one. We did see him drink out of it a couple of times but seriously, not more than that which I know of.  Of course, I work all day and he is using the litter box as usual (peeing so he must be drinking I guess?), but I know some cats don't like certain types of dishes because of their shape, depth, smell, whatever.

Ok, any clues you can give me will be helpful! Thanks!

Laurie

 

[p3 and the king]

It might be the material its made out of (the new water dish, I mean)?  Sometimes, the "new" smell and taste of it will throw them off and they won't want to use it.  Or you could try washing it out a few times because sometimes the stuff they spray on it in the factory to keep it "new and shiny" taste bad to them.  Also others may have touched it or whatever.  You could try washing it a few times and see if that helps.  If not, he could just be stubborn, like a lot of cats, and only like HIS water dish!!  So, I always just leave extra water dishes out when I leave town anyway because cats are strange creatures and you never know what can happen... Better safe than sorry!!

 

[sivyaleah]

Thanks for the suggestion P3.  Actually, I had no idea that there may be some kind of coating applied to it in the factory.  We'll try washing it a few times and see if that helps at all.  

He's not known to be stubborn in general - in fact, he's pretty easy going about changes.  Any time we've changed his routine (litter box, types of food, etc.) or even when we had a lot of people working in and around the house he was totally unfazed.  Even when we got him (we adopted him from a friend who could no longer keep him) he arrived in our home and within minutes felt "at home", suffered no trauma that we ever noticed.

Hopefully that's the only reason but we'll put out a few bowls of water in his food area just in case.

 

[p3 and the king]

I didn't know either until I started veterinary school... They recommend washing up to 5-10 times to get the spray from factories off new water and food dishes... Some animals have even died or gotten terribly ill from it, they believe.

 

[sivyaleah]

Wow. Unbelievable.

/runs to sink!

 

[cheddi]

The cat who lives with me is picky about his water bowls.  (The white ones are too reflective, for e.g., and he acts like he's afraid of them.)  Yes, bowls -- I have 3 - 4 around the house all the time now.  When my Dad was dying, I abruptly left for 3 days.  When I returned, I found my neighbor had made sure my cat had food, but forgot the water bowls -- 2 at that time -- and they were bone dry.  Luckily, my cat goes outdoors, so he likely found water elsewhere.  But I bought a water jug which empties into a bowl (the "self feeder" type).  The first was rejected/ ignored.  I tried a "fountain" -- cat looked at it, heard it, and ran away as if saying, "I don't know what that is but I'm outa here!"  The newest jug has a charcoal filter between the water and the bowl ( which is blue).   This is a big hit!  Very simple, no electricity or sound, but the filtered water seems to appeal more than any other.  I keep the other bowls around (and fresh), tho -- the cats just seem to like finding water in different places, none of them next to the food. 

 

[sivyaleah]

The one I got has the filter in it.  We use filtered water anyway for him, so the quality of the water is the same.  

So, either its that the unit has an odor or he just really likes his old dish.  When I saw him drinking out of it, he didn't seem all that enthusiastic about it.  I thought perhaps it was more the shape of the bowl itself, that his whiskers might be hitting it (the bowl has a rather large "lip" and is much bigger than his old water bowl).  

Anyway, thanks for pointing out all the other possibilities. 

Cats.  Always a mystery and potentially challenging lol.