Lily taking her morning shower
Who says cats don’t like water? I guess those people who have never seen a cat obsess over water.
Sally, a calico living in Ohio, enjoys having her face washed in the morning—with water on a wash cloth. And Sally, like many cats, loves drinking water from the spigot. Have you ever watched a cat drink water from a spigot? It’s difficult for them to do without getting somewhat wet. Today, I’m sharing a picture of Lily enjoying a bit of a shower while licking fresh water from the tap.
Lily is water-obsessed. Aside from being perfectly comfortable playing in it, walking in it and even, at times, sitting in it, she drinks a lot of it. I measured her sipping capacity once when she was only about 6 months old. She typically drinks around 3.5 cups of water in a 24-hour period from her multitude of water bowls. And the clumps in the litter box reflect this. Oh my, do we use a lot more litter since Lily arrived last May.
Winfield (the handsome white, odd-eye cat pictured at the top of this blog), was also water-obsessed. He could not leave water alone. You never left a glass of water unattended anywhere in the house, unless you didn’t mind sharing it with Winfield. While Lily will force her face into a vessel of any size in order to drink your water, Winfield used his paws. Even when he drank from his water dish, it was generally by paw. He would stick his furry paw into the bowl and then lick the water off of his paw. He repeated this sipping ritual until he had his fill of water for the moment.
Like Lily, he also enjoyed walking around and even sitting in a just-used shower stall. And, like Lily, he once fell into a bathtub full of water.
While cats have a reputation for not liking water, there are actually a few breeds that do: the Abyssinian, for example the Bengal and the Turkish van. Some of them will actually get into puddles or tubs of water. I’ve seen photos and videos of Persians swimming—but it is hard to tell if it is by choice or necessity. If someone just tossed them in the water, of course, they’re going to swim. But are they enjoying the dip? Most do not look as though they are.
Even though some cats enjoy getting a little wet or drinking a ton of water, this doesn’t seem to mean they want to be dunked in it. In fact, when Lily fell into half-full bathtub, her main concern was getting out as quickly as she could. Same with Winfield. And neither of them ever purposely jumped in a tub of water.
But turn on the spigot for Lily, Sally and other semi-water kitties and they may enjoy a splash and a sprinkle at their own paws.
I know of one cat of unknown breeding, who took a shower with his owner. Yes, he actually got inside the shower stall each morning to enjoy a warm soaking. From what I understand, he stayed pretty much on the outskirts of the droplets–getting only a refreshing spray. I would be concerned, however, about the kitty getting soap suds on his feet, etc. and then licking them off.
There seem to be bathroom kitties and those who won’t step foot inside the bathroom door as long as there are people in there. Winfield loved to share a bathroom with us, with guests–it didn’t matter. And Lily also prefers to be inside with someone than outside alone. I am very careful, however, that I keep the toilet lid down (especially when she was a kitten), that I rinse soap from the tub after a bath, that I keep the cupboards closed–no chemical items exposed–and that either she leaves the room or I do anytime I use hair spray.
Is this something you think about in your household–overspraying cleaner or hair spray, etc. when the cat is around? I hope that you do.
Be sure to order your copy of Catscapades, True Cat Tales today. http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html. I think you’ll find the 40+ stories and vignettes and 46 cat/kitten photos entertaining, charming and just plain fun!
