Tap water or Other?

[laureen227]

mine drink tap water, just like me. but they also occasionally taste toilet water, which i don't care for.

i would use bottled water for them if i used it for me...if the tap water wasn't good for us. but they also have a pet fountain with a charcoal filter.

 

[g&g's mom]

Mine drink what comes out of the tap and so does everyone in our house. Well mom bottles it and freezes it but that's cause she can only drink water if it's extremely cold. We usually have to refill the water bowls three times a day so I don't think there's a problem with them drinking.

But then I've lived in South Louisville most of my life, and can't stand the taste of bottled water (I'm weird though)

 

[tuxedokitties]

Originally Posted by sweetiecat3

I use tap water--we really don't have enough money to buy tons of bottled water for the cats every week. Does anybody know if boiling the water beforehand would help and make it safer/healthier for them?

Boiling is only necessary if there's been contamination of your water source - if that were the case, there would be a water advisory in your area to boil water before drinking, and it would be all over the news.

If your tap water is safe to drink (if it weren't I'd certainly hope you'd hear about it from your local water authority!) but the cats just don't seem to like it, it could be the chlorine, as someone suggested earlier. Cats have very sensitive noses, and I'll bet chlorine smells very strong to them. To get rid of the chlorine, just pour a pitcher of water & let it sit out overnight before giving it to the cats.

 

[purrpaws]

Tap water has stricter laws than bottled water. Prego and Polly get Brita water, and they have a Petmate. They love it.

It makes sense to me that cats don't want to drink tap water that's been sitting out all day. Would you? No, you go to the fridge or tap and pour yourself a glass of water and drink it down. The fountain water tastes better to them because it's kept moving, which makes it taste cooler and also aerates it. If you leave a glass of water out long enough, you will see bubbles form and eventually rise to the top. Then the water will taste kind of flat. So of course your kitty doesn't want to drink it.

Toilet water is fresher (depending on how many times you flush) but also the bowl makes the water cooler. That's why they like the toilet.

 

[yangdemei]

Originally Posted by tuxedokitties

Boiling is only necessary if there's been contamination of your water source - if that were the case, there would be a water advisory in your area to boil water before drinking, and it would be all over the news.

If your tap water is safe to drink (if it weren't I'd certainly hope you'd hear about it from your local water authority!) but the cats just don't seem to like it, it could be the chlorine, as someone suggested earlier. Cats have very sensitive noses, and I'll bet chlorine smells very strong to them. To get rid of the chlorine, just pour a pitcher of water & let it sit out overnight before giving it to the cats.

I live in Taiwan where it is necessary to boil the water before drinking. I buy large bottles of "safe" water from a reputable company and this is what i feed Mitts.

Guess what he wants to drink? You got it, the yukky tap water.

There isn't any chlorine put into the water here AFAIK.

 

[tourmaline]

Me and the cats all drink tap water. None of us have a problem with the chlorine taste. Its tangy!

 

[bengalsmum]

To those who have got water fountains for their kittys~Do you mean the indoor types, i have just seen one at our local 'pets at home' for £39 (uk), it is by petmate, are they any good?
Also do you leave it running all day even when your out?

Thanks

 

[fwan]

my kitties drink tap water, when i was with my ex he never understood why..
They do also occasionally taste tap water and shower water

When teufel was a baby he used to be on whiskas, i then tried out several brands and he likes purina, There is also Felix purina and he likes that too, i only buy that when i cant afford purina one!

 

[xdx]

We give ours bottled water only.

 

[meowsersmom]

bengals mum-

yes, you leave the fountain running all day to keep filtering the water and keeping it cool. 39 pounds is quite a bit, I got my fountain on ebay for $15 US.

 

[bloob & valo]

I drink bottled unless I've run out. I used to give my cat tap, but recently when I have bottled they have bottled. The cleanest water is Penta.

 

[nebula11]

My cats gets brita filtered water....or if I am out of filters for the water, they get bottled...I would think of drinking nasty tap water...so my cats arent gonna get it either....Tap water in Mass is exceptionally dirty and nasty smelling...

 

[lisalee]

Sash only has spring water.

 

[laureen227]

Originally Posted by bengalsmum

To those who have got water fountains for their kittys~Do you mean the indoor types, i have just seen one at our local 'pets at home' for £39 (uk), it is by petmate, are they any good?
Also do you leave it running all day even when your out?

Thanks

yes, leave it running. i agree that 39 pounds sounds like a lot...mine was direct from a pet store, & it was only $30.

 

[touro1979]

I started with only bottled water but it became inconvenient so I started using tap water again. I am thinking of going back to bottled but not sure. The tap water in NYC is pretty good and it comes from the catskills from resovoirs but I am not sure what they put in it.

 

[purrpaws]

Originally Posted by bengalsmum

To those who have got water fountains for their kittys~Do you mean the indoor types, i have just seen one at our local 'pets at home' for £39 (uk), it is by petmate, are they any good?
Also do you leave it running all day even when your out?

Thanks

I leave my fountain running all the time. I have a Petmate Fresh flow which I purchased at Petsmart for around US$40. It's worth every penny, especially since Polly has recently developed FLUTD. I'm thinking of buying another for her because of her diagnosis.

 

[lisakmusco]

Tap water tends to have chlorine and other chemicals in it from its treatment plants, and cats are especially sensitive to the chlorine. They don't like it one bit! So mine get their water from the refrigerator filter. I have requested a kitty fountain for christmas.

 

[rose2015]

Hi all, just wondering if it's safe to leave tap water in the bowl and for adding to canned food. Does it change the PH levels and lead to urinary crystals? I live in Sydney, Australia -the tap water here is fine for human consumption. I think the plant that processes our water has a PH of approx 7.6 (but then does this change when left out in a water bowl?). Thanks in advance - such a confusing topic