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We tend to think of water as a necessity. And indeed, it is. It is something functional, simple and indespensible. But for cats, water can be considerably more. It can be stimulating. It can be engaging. It can be play.
Water can even be a center of social interaction. Like the watercooler at work, the water source can be something that brings cats together in a multi-cat houshold.
Cats are observers and Investigators. They quietly analyze movement and changes within the environment. Everyone who lives with a cat knows this. We observe this behaviour all the time.
A still water bowl offers nearly nothing: There is no motion or sound or variation. No stimulus to engage beyond the basic need of hydration, and a still water bowl is not even attractive for that. Which is why so many cats don’t drink enough, as most everyone and all vets know.
But when we introduce movement—even a gentle rippl suddenly a cat takes notice. She stops and explores, A paw reaches out, the head leans forward, eyes and ears focus. What was being ignored now has become interesting. Everyone who has a cat fountain has seen this.
In nature, movement often indicates life and A dry leaf moved by a gentle breeze can engage a cat for some time. (It looks a great deal like a mouse). This movement makes the difference between something worth noticing, something interesting and something that isn’t. So the thing with no movement goes barely noticed and is left alone.
Moving water taps into that instinct. It invites interaction instead of passivity, and that interaction matters. That is what brings a cat to, not only take notice and engage with a fountain, but along with her natural instincts for wellness and self preservation, to use it.
We often think of enrichment as something we add—toys, climbing structures, scratch pads, and those things are also necessary and they’re great for cats health and happiness.
A cat water fountain goes beyond these objects by virtue of the fact that the water is moving, and to a cat, that gives it a living quality, stimulating a variety of the cats natural instincts, such as:
Moving water becomes for a cat an almosts living element within their living space. This is why the quality of the fountain is important and why so many cats will spend time near a well made, beautiful fountain apart from simply drinking. They often lie next to them and even rest their heads on the rim. Have you ever seen them do that with their water bowl? If you wish to see more on this go here.
