He’s thinking about food and she’s entertaining a million conflicting crazy thoughts, some of which are about bugs and ghosts and doorknobs and newspaper shreds, but most of which are about creative ways to bust into the bedroom at 6 a.m. during my second REM cycle.
Is it possible that cats can be born without the gene that allows them to learn how to drink out of a water bowl? Or is that just called “being a cat”? I only ask because my cats cannot drink out of a water bowl. They can’t do it. I hear them constantly scooting the damn thing along the kitchen floor with their paws (they’re doing it right now!!!), spilling water everywhere, stepping in the water, and then licking that water off their paws. That’s how they freaking drink water. That or they jump into the shower once I’m out, and lap up the water off the bottom of the tub. Or jump into the sink and lap up whatever nastiness is in there.
But they can’t just stick their heads into a water bowl and drink water like a normal animal. Like Tigers drinking out of streams or some shit. Can’t do it. Will not do it.
It might be worth noting that their mother — my mom’s cat Sophie — only drinks from a running tap. In fact, here’s a picture of her doing just that. Is it possible that my cats were born with only the desire to drink water out of a freaking running tap? (They never actually drank out of a tap when they lived with their mother; they were outdoor kitties.)
Because otherwise I’m going to have to confront the fact that they may be too dumb to use a bowl.
My parents have a special pet water fountain for their cats that cycles the water through a filter and then spits it out in a constant stream. The cats really like the running water, but the silly thing has to be plugged in and makes a constant humming noise. So maybe you should look into one of those things.
FWIW, my orange kitty, Nemo, will only drink out of a bowl that is wide enough that his whiskers don’t touch the sides when he drinks. As a result I have two massive salad bowls full of watter position on either end of my kitchen…
The kitty fountain is a rather brilliant invention. My cats (even the one who insistently bogarts my bathroom sink to drink while I’m trying to brush my teeth) adores the thing, and it only annoys me slightly sound-wise when the water gets low. I recommend it highly.
Maevis has trouble as well. She believes the water dish is for moistening her toys, especially a little yellow duck which now looks like I dug it up from the backyard and gave it to her.
Maybe it’s instinctual to stay away from still water because that’s where mosquitos plant malaria. Just a guess.