Does your cat drink from the tap? Dog prefer the toilet bowl?

As strange as it may seem, there is a physiological reason why our pets like fresh water…even though we might not think that toilet water is fresh!!!

In nature, moving water is cleaner, has less bacteria than stagnant water. Moving water constantly breaks the surface tension of the water, drawing oxygen from the air to the water in a process called aeration. It makes water more appealing to drink, making it taste better. Running water also gets naturally filtered. Pets may instinctively be drawn to running water for all of these reasons.

Many dogs and cats will seek out fresh water sources, evidenced by the fact that so many cats seem to like water running from the tap, whether it’s in the sink or the tub, and the dogs who go straight to the toilet to drink when they have water in their bowl.

When out walking your dog, you may notice that he or she will choose streams and flowing water sources for drinking. Of course there are those that are puddle drinkers….even when they have fresh options nearby!

Dogs and cats fed raw meat diets will drink a lot less water than those on dry food. However it is still important that they be properly hydrated. Animals on kibble need to drink a lot of water so if you are feeding kibble it is important that your pet has a fresh water source and lots of it. We do recommend raw diets (see our previous Feeding Raw articles parts 1-4) but water consumption will tend to increase with warmer, drier weather so be sure to keep the water bowls full and replenished with fresh water several times a day.

One option to help solve the issue of “fresh” water being available…also eliminating the need to keep the tap running for kitty, is the Drinkwell Cat Fountain and Drinkwell Big-Dog Fountain. These products constantly circulate the water in the bowl and provide a falling fountain for those that really like their water fresh. These fountains also filter the water and provide the aeration we talked about!

Always make sure your pets have access to fresh, clean water, all year round but especially in summer when their need for hydration is higher 🙂