Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Need help encouraging kitty to use fountain

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
Home » Discuss » DU Groups » Home & Family » Pets Group Donate to DU
 
riona Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-30-08 03:43 PM
Original message
Need help encouraging kitty to use fountain
I have been told that BratKat needs to increase her water intake and that a fountain would help. Well, I bought her a good one and she won't use it. Now what? Please, someone help!
Refresh | 0 Recommendations Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
bicentennial_baby Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-31-08 07:28 PM
Response to Original message
1. Is she drinking from anywhere else?
Eating wet food?

Our kitteh insisted on drinking from the faucet, but I didn't want him to, so I got the fountain and banned drinking from the faucet, while supplementing with more wet food until he got into it. He likes it fine now. :)
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
riona Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 10:18 AM
Response to Reply #1
3. She was three when I adopted her
and I've had her about two years since. So far she has had three urinary tract infections. She has never shown an interest in faucet drinking. Her bowl water is filtered or bottled. She also came with the problem of not liking any wet food. So, trying to get more fluids in her, I have tried all the really good wet brands recommended by DU'ers, and others prescribed by the vet. Finally I gave up, and tried Fancy Feast. She will eat some of that. (Thankfully, she does like the good dry food.) I don't know if I dare take away her water bowl. She's pretty stubborn.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
BrklynLiberal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-31-08 11:28 PM
Response to Original message
2. Which one did you get? I just bought a Drinkwell today. I hope there will not be a problem.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
riona Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 10:23 AM
Response to Reply #2
4. I bought the Drinkwell Platinum
I can only conclude that she doesn't like the sound of the motor because she will drink from it if it's unplugged. She does like to watch it flow - maybe an interest will develop?
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
BrklynLiberal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 06:51 PM
Response to Reply #4
7. hmmm That is the exact one I bought.. Oh well. Here's hoping for the best.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
huskerlaw Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 10:48 AM
Response to Original message
5. Give her some time...
cats are weird (I'm sure this is not news).

I got an automatic scooping litter box and had one that refused to use it (I'm assuming it was a motor problem as well), so I left the old litter box next to it. Within a week, the cat realized that the new box was much cleaner and that it wouldn't kill him. He uses it happily now.

If she's interested, that's good. In all likelihood her curiosity will get the better of her and she'll figure out that the thing won't kill her and the water's actually pretty tasty. ;)
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
riona Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 03:03 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. Thanks. I hope you're right.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
demnan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jun-02-08 03:15 PM
Response to Original message
8. Your cat may want a glass bowl
Everything tastes better from glass. I figured this out because I had one of those changing light mood fountains, it has a large shallow glass bowl, very pretty blue. Well even though I have the drinkwell fountain, Lily and Charley both love drinking from that bowl, so I fill it for them. I guess they like the glass and the way it keeps the water cool.

Another thing you could try is to put ice cubes in the drinkwell. I do this, especially on very hot days.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
riona Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-06-08 02:08 PM
Response to Reply #8
10. So far she hasn't really shown a preference for glass or ice cold water.
She's still "interested" in watching her fountain, goes right up to it when it's running, but can't seem to drink from it.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
badgerpup Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jun-02-08 04:26 PM
Response to Original message
9. Here's an idea...maybe.
There's a cat rescue/no kill shelter here in town...and about 40 of the cats live in the house*.

The ladies who run this operation O8) have several of those cute little decorative 'waterfalls' set about here and there on tables where the cats can easily access them
http://www.discountfountains.com/desktop-fountains.html
I has teh dumb when it comes to posting images...

The cats use these as well as waterbowls for drinking. I was told that several of the kitties had 'need to drink more' issues, and this seemed to do the trick. The fountains do double duty...as decoration and drinking fountains.


* place did NOT smell like 40 cats lived there, BTW. Only way you tell there was that many cats was that you saw them. No catbox odor, if you get me drift. Happy, mostly healthy, friendly, and beautifully socialized kitties.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
riona Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-06-08 02:17 PM
Response to Reply #9
11. Wish I had known about these before
At the rate we're accumulating kitty paraphernalia, we're going to need a larger home.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Sat May 04th 2024, 11:25 PM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » DU Groups » Home & Family » Pets Group Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC