Running water for cats

[cloudyday2]

You know how there are hands-free sensor faucets for washing hands? I wonder if similar technology could be developed to run a trickle of water in a bathtub or shower on-demand for a cat.

 

[DaisyDay]

Depends on the cat - some are pretty clever at getting what they want while others are dumb as rocks. I would think a bathroom faucet would be your best bet as I have seen cats play with the running water.

 

[jacks]

I don't think the sensors care if it is a hand or a paw. Just train the cat to activate it. Actually sounds like a good idea, our neighbor went through 100's of gallons of water, leaving a trickle on for the cat.

 

[LaSorcia]

There are cat fountains that recycle the water, so the water is essentially running. I used to have a cat who would not drink still water at all.

 

[Michie]

You know how there are hands-free sensor faucets for washing hands? I wonder if similar technology could be developed to run a trickle of water in a bathtub or shower on-demand for a cat.

There is a waterfall bowl for cats that does it.

 

[Aussie Pete]

You know how there are hands-free sensor faucets for washing hands? I wonder if similar technology could be developed to run a trickle of water in a bathtub or shower on-demand for a cat.

Easy. Set up a facial recognition system. Hook it up to a solenoid valve in a tube. Irrigation systems have this sort of thing. You could use a water bottle instead of connecting into the plumbing. Everything you need is available. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend.

A simpler system would be proximity sensors. They would activate if anything came within range, not just the cat. If you just want drinking water, you can buy them ready made. If you want to keep the cat out of the bath, that's different.

 

[cloudyday2]

There are cat fountains that recycle the water, so the water is essentially running. I used to have a cat who would not drink still water at all.

I had one of those for my cat, but he stopped using it. I thought at first that I wasn't cleaning it thoroughly enough, because I found some tight passages with bacteria build-up. But even after cleaning it better he wouldn't use it. Maybe he no longer trusted it after it started getting dirty.

So anyway, now I run a trickle of water in my shower. He wakes me up every hour or so through the night for another sip of water. LOL Sometimes I forget and leave it running for an hour until I remember.

But he is 13 and starting to get kidney problems, so I want him to drink as much water as possible.

I also give him wet food twice a day, but he only nibbles it and licks the sauce.

 

[cloudyday2]

I don't think the sensors care if it is a hand or a paw. Just train the cat to activate it. Actually sounds like a good idea, our neighbor went through 100's of gallons of water, leaving a trickle on for the cat.

Yep, that happens to me too.

 

[cloudyday2]

Depends on the cat - some are pretty clever at getting what they want while others are dumb as rocks. I would think a bathroom faucet would be your best bet as I have seen cats play with the running water.

I was thinking of a sensor faucet that automatically turns off after a minute and only runs a trickle rather than a full stream.

Ideally I would like it to attach to a tub or shower faucet like a hand-held sprayer, because cats seem to like drinking off the tub floor.

 

[DaisyDay]

I had one of those for my cat, but he stopped using it. I thought at first that I wasn't cleaning it thoroughly enough, because I found some tight passages with bacteria build-up. But even after cleaning it better he wouldn't use it. Maybe he no longer trusted it after it started getting dirty.

So anyway, now I run a trickle of water in my shower. He wakes me up every hour or so through the night for another sip of water. LOL Sometimes I forget and leave it running for an hour until I remember.

But he is 13 and starting to get kidney problems, so I want him to drink as much water as possible.

I also give him wet food twice a day, but he only nibbles it and licks the sauce.

You might try taking a large plastic bottle with a cap, poke a hole in the bottom (hot nails work), fill it with water. Then set it in the shower and unscrew the lid just enough for a slow drip. That might work well enough so he stops waking you up. Of course, if your cat is anything like mine, he may just enjoy the fuss of waking you up.

 

[jacks]

How about something like THIS? I think Lasorcia and Michie mentioned these fountains.

 

[Richard T]

I had one of those for my cat, but he stopped using it. I thought at first that I wasn't cleaning it thoroughly enough, because I found some tight passages with bacteria build-up. But even after cleaning it better he wouldn't use it. Maybe he no longer trusted it after it started getting dirty.

So anyway, now I run a trickle of water in my shower. He wakes me up every hour or so through the night for another sip of water. LOL Sometimes I forget and leave it running for an hour until I remember.

But he is 13 and starting to get kidney problems, so I want him to drink as much water as possible.

I also give him wet food twice a day, but he only nibbles it and licks the sauce.

If your cat progresses with their kidney problems, be sure to ask your vet about using water packs, (Ringer's solution) that you put under the skin with an IV. I do that about twice a week for my cat. It is pretty inexpensive and does seem to really help.

 

[rhawk]

I have been using fountains for my cats since about 1999. I have tried several fron different drinkwell fountains to catit to a drs foster and smith unit. I have stayed with the drinkwells in the end. This is the one I use mostly and now: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000L3XYZ4
I give it a complete cleaning every 2 weeks with hot water, soap and water and use special cleaning brushes from Drinkwell that cleans the corners and right spots. But my cats love the fountains over a standard water dish (except Apollo, he uses both).
As long as you properly clean the fountain every 1 to 2 weeks and replace the filters every 2 weeks (and rinse them out every week) you should not have a problem and your cats will thank you.

 

[cloudyday2]

You might try taking a large plastic bottle with a cap, poke a hole in the bottom (hot nails work), fill it with water. Then set it in the shower and unscrew the lid just enough for a slow drip. That might work well enough so he stops waking you up. Of course, if your cat is anything like mine, he may just enjoy the fuss of waking you up.

I've wondered about the possibility that my cat just enjoys the attention. I have a bowl of dry food always available for him, but he usually acts like the bowl is empty until I go through the ritual of getting a few pieces from the cupboard and sprinkling them on top of the others. So yeah, maybe that is part of the water issue.

 

[cloudyday2]

If your cat progresses with their kidney problems, be sure to ask your vet about using water packs, (Ringer's solution) that you put under the skin with an IV. I do that about twice a week for my cat. It is pretty inexpensive and does seem to really help.

My previous cat developed skin cancer on her nose which I didn't detect soon enough. I did something similar for her final weeks of life until I finally found the courage to have her put to sleep. It didn't seem to hurt her even though the needle seemed pretty big.

 

[rhawk]

But he is 13 and starting to get kidney problems, so I want him to drink as much water as possible.

I also give him wet food twice a day, but he only nibbles it and licks the sauce.

In addition to a fountain like the one I showed, I also only use distilled water with my cats. I started that around 1999 when one developed FLUTD and just always did it after.

On the food, if your kitty is not eating much, ask your vet about Mirataz. Most cats won't take it as a pill as it is pretty icky, but you can get it as a topical. Andromeda has renal failure and does not eat a lot, so she gets the Mirataz as a topical ear rub once every 3 days. It helps a lot. Also talk to your vet about a kidney diet. We give Andromeda dry Royal Canin Renal Support S (she hated A) AND Hill's canned K/D.

 

[cloudyday2]

In addition to a fountain like the one I showed, I also only use distilled water with my cats. I started that around 1999 when one developed FLUTD and just always did it after.

On the food, if your kitty is not eating much, ask your vet about Mirataz. Most cats won't take it as a pill as it is pretty icky, but you can get it as a topical. Andromeda has renal failure and does not eat a lot, so she gets the Mirataz as a topical ear rub once every 3 days. It helps a lot. Also talk to your vet about a kidney diet. We give Andromeda dry Royal Canin Renal Support S (she hated A) AND Hill's canned K/D.

Is distilled better than ordinary drinking water for cats? I tried bottled drinking water, but he didn't like it.

I switched his dry food from the kidney diet to Meow Mix grain free. It probably isn't as healthy as the kidney diet food, but at least he eats some of it. Before he would only eat the little treats, and that was probably even less healthy.

 

[rhawk]

Is distilled better than ordinary drinking water for cats? I tried bottled drinking water, but he didn't like it.

Firstly, remember that I am also using a fountain, so the water is always flowing, which most cats seem to like.
That said, I went to distilled water because of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) is also known as Feline Urologic Syndrome (FUS). Since the urinary tract was getting crystals, many vets will suggest distilled water so there is less impurities in the water that can turn into crystals. Beyond that, I think it is better to not have the crap found in tap water (which can range greatly depending on where you live, the source, etc) BUT no tap water is as pure as distilled water. Now I continue to use only distilled, but then again we have well water that is VERY hard (265 grains!) and we won't even drink it. So if you decide to get a fountain, try tap distilled water (not to be confused with spring water or purified water which have more impurities than distilled).

I switched his dry food from the kidney diet to Meow Mix grain free. It probably isn't as healthy as the kidney diet food, but at least he eats some of it. Before he would only eat the little treats, and that was probably even less healthy.

It may be that he did not like the brand kidney food used OR that he would prefer canned kidney diet. Check with your vet on the dry types. I know Hills makes 1 (K/D) and Royal Canin makes 2 (Renal S and Renal A) and there are other prescription ones by Purina and more that other vets carry. Then you have canned types you can try. And if he likes a canned type over dry, perhaps you can mix a bit of canned renal with a dry renal to get him to eat it. OR ask about the Mirataz I mentioned above. Renal issues can give your kitty an upset tummy and the Mirataz solves that so they suddenly WANT to eat. ​

 

[cloudyday2]

Firstly, remember that I am also using a fountain, so the water is always flowing, which most cats seem to like.
That said, I went to distilled water because of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) is also known as Feline Urologic Syndrome (FUS). Since the urinary tract was getting crystals, many vets will suggest distilled water so there is less impurities in the water that can turn into crystals. Beyond that, I think it is better to not have the crap found in tap water (which can range greatly depending on where you live, the source, etc) BUT no tap water is as pure as distilled water. Now I continue to use only distilled, but then again we have well water that is VERY hard (265 grains!) and we won't even drink it. So if you decide to get a fountain, try tap distilled water (not to be confused with spring water or purified water which have more impurities than distilled).

So I assume you buy distilled water in gallon jugs and then poor some into the cat fountain? How often do you change the water in the fountain, and how much water do you use each time? I had a Cat-It fountain, and I usually put about 1/2 gallon of fresh tap water in it every day. It seems like it would take a lot of gallon jugs each week.

 

[rhawk]

So I assume you buy distilled water in gallon jugs and then poor some into the cat fountain? How often do you change the water in the fountain, and how much water do you use each time? I had a Cat-It fountain, and I usually put about 1/2 gallon of fresh tap water in it every day. It seems like it would take a lot of gallon jugs each week.

The fountain I put that link to has an external holding talk. I use the 1 gal. jugs as you said and I fill the fountain and tank every Saturday (I think it holds a total of 128oz). I have 5 cats and it takes them 6-7 days to empty it. I rinse it on the off weeks and every other week it gets a full washing. So about 1.2-1.5 jugs a week, and each costs about $0.95 at the store. I actually buy 8 to 10 a week since the cats AND people use it for drinking.