Cat and drinking from the faucet

[JayGee]

My older cat is 16 years old. She's happy, healthy, and active. BUT, she will only drink running water. All night long, she meows at the foot of our bed for one of us to turn on the faucet so she can get a drink. We've tried shutting her out of the room, but she just meows and scratches at the door. We've shut her in a separate room, and she scratched the heck out of the door to that room too (we're trying to sell the house, so scratched up doors won't do). Is there some kind of kitty water fountain? Some way to get her to drink from a bowl? I was up 5 times with her last night, getting her a drink. Not fun. Or restful.

[Spiralshell]

Your cat and my cat sound like the same cat!
You could try something like this http://www.amazon.com/Petmate-Deluxe.../dp/B000084F2Q
Or (I know this is terrible, but I've done it to get sleep) leave the faucet on at a tiny trickle all night.

[lifeguard]

We just turn the tap on really low with a cup or something underneath so we can use that water for something else.

[nd_deadhead]

I'm pretty sure that no creature will let themselves become dehydrated if there is fresh water available (in a bowl!).

"I was up 5 times with her last night, getting her a drink."

It sounds like your cat has you very well trained. Put her in a crate at the opposite end of the house at night, put in earplugs, and give her access to fresh water during the day - at YOUR convenience. She won't die.

My DH made the mistake of getting up early and taking the dog for a walk a few times when we visited my Mom (something he never does at home). The dog figured he should get up early and go for a walk EVERY morning at my Mom's house - no way! It took a few weekend visits where we completely ignored his efforts to get us up, and he figured out that it wasn't going to work. It was annoying for those weekends, but well worth the effort.

[Princess ConsuelaB]

Cats really prefer running water, that's why there are several types of cat water fountains like the one Spiralshell posted a link to. Most pet stores carry them too.

[Princess ConsuelaB]

Originally Posted by nd_deadhead

I'm pretty sure that no creature will let themselves become dehydrated if there is fresh water available (in a bowl!).

"I was up 5 times with her last night, getting her a drink."

It sounds like your cat has you very well trained. Put her in a crate at the opposite end of the house at night, put in earplugs, and give her access to fresh water during the day - at YOUR convenience. She won't die.

Um, but that's mean...cats are NOT like dogs; plus they are active at night and need to roam...No need to "Ferberize" the cat And I've known many a cat who would dehydrate before drinking bowl water, it's their nature to prefer clean, fresh running water...that's why they make the fountains. Many cats do end up with kidney problems because they don't like to drink except for running water. It's not a "spoiled cat" thing, it's the nature of the animal.

[lonegirl]

I have this http://www.hagen.com/usa/cats/addinf..._fountain.html
Oh....has her drinking increased recently? If so I would get a blood panel done to check kidney function and glucose levels.