It’s no secret that cats are full of quirky and fun behaviors that can be hard to understand. One of those quirky behaviors is your cat drinking from the faucet when they have a perfectly good bowl of water right next to their food bowl. This one is really rooted in your cat’s wild nature!

Cats haven’t been domesticated quite as long as other companion animals and it’s not at all uncommon for them to revert to their wild cat ways, resulting in some behaviors that can baffle, and this is one of them.  In the wild, a cat would look for a moving source of water as still water can stagnate quickly. In order to keep themselves safe, they’d look for moving water as it would likely be safer to drink from than a puddle that had been there for a while. Now, your cat at home certainly doesn’t need to make the decision between a puddle and a stream, but somewhere in their DNA, they remember the days when their ancestors DID have to make that decision, and they find themselves drinking from the most convenient source of moving water in the home.

It can definitely be annoying to have your cat constantly sitting at the side of the sink, lapping up water as it drips from the faucet. Rest assured, though, there are some things you can try to curb this behavior. The biggest, and often most successful, thing to try is offering your cat a water fountain. You’ll want to find one that’s as quiet as possible and that refreshes the water constantly. It’s also important to continue to provide a water bowl for them until they’re reliably using the water fountain, as some cats can be nervous of them. This is often just the thing your cat needs to dissuade them from the faucet. It’s also important to remember that your cat’s water bowl needs to be rinsed out and refilled every day. Washing the bowl with soap and water every day before refilling it can work wonders for a cat who’s searching for a fresh source of water.

Overall, the benefits of making sure your cat is drinking plenty of water are huge, but adding a water fountain to your home can have the added benefit of keeping your cat off of the counters in search of running water! Check out this review of some fountains, it could give you a good idea of where to start!