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Unplugging the Cat

December 15th, 2008 at 07:07 pm

My cat is a casualty of my frugality, my dh teases. Why? I am unplugging the electric water bowl that filters and circulates her drinking water. The vet recommended this special bowl for my old cat, MC, before he passed away from kidney failure at age 18. I loved MC so much that I would have done almost anything to extend his life... and this bowl was one of the things I tried. According to my vet, cats prefer running water (an instinct from the wild). So, many cats will drink more if the water is "moving."

Well, the fancy bowl wasn't intended for TC, but she inherited it when she adopted us last December. The bowl is a royal pain in the patootie to clean, but I do it religiously and meticulously, otherwise it gets very yucky. Since we will be gone for a few weeks I do not want the pet sitter to deal with the chore of the weekly water bowl cleaning.

So, it's getting unplugged... and TC will have to get her fresh water daily from a large porcelain crock. No doubt, we might save a few pennies on the electricity, but that is not my motivation for unplugging it. TC will probably miss the running water because she likes to play with it, but at least she stays out of the toilet unlike MC... that used to be his favorite place for a drink if we forgot to put down the lid. And, I can always give TC back the special bowl when we return.

Or then again, maybe I will donate it to

Text is Town Cats and Link is http://www.towncats.org/
Town Cats for their elderly guests.

6 Responses to “Unplugging the Cat”

  1. kdmoffett25 Says:
    1229368644

    LOL We have a TC too! "Terror Cat" for the long version. She is a trip. Jumps in the bath with kids, swats you as you walk by if you don't talk to her, or hides in closets only to get locked in accidently. But we love her and her "personality". She is really a loving cat and I woke up in the middle of the night when she swatted at me for cuddling her in my sleep, but she was snuggled to me first! Oh well, our house is her house really. We just get to live there.

  2. Koppur Says:
    1229369052

    LOL We had a kitty, Pagan, who LOVED the water. Would jump in the shower with you, sleep in the sink, drink from the toilet if we kept the lid up, etc. We got a running water bowl for her, too, and I swear she played in it more than she drank from it. Smile

  3. dmontngrey Says:
    1229370672

    Ha ha ha! Forget me ever unplugging the drinkwell fountain in this house! We have the extra reservoir in the back so the whole thing holds 100 oz of water. We bought this YEARS ago when they only had one version of the fountain available. Sure wish we had the large version with the large reservoir - total of 2 gallons. When we're gone, the dogs are with us, so our petsitters never have to fill it. It's a lifesaver when all mutts are home though!

    It's just a fancy aquarium filter and I figure with 7 filters running on my six tanks - what's 1 more filter?

  4. Amanda Says:
    1229379229

    We have a similar drinking fountain for our cats ... our outside cats.

    And get this, they drink out of our decorative fountain (it looks like a well) instead. I have to remember to refill the well, so it doesn't burn out.

  5. FrugalFish Says:
    1229381117

    LOL. That's cute. I have 2 elderly cats and have considered getting one of those. One is already in kidney disease and I fear the other may be in the very early stages. The one who is already affected doesn't seem to be turned on by running water, the other loves to play in any water source. From what I've heard, it may be a good habit to instill in a young healthy cat to possibly prevent kidney disease- something about keeping toxins flushed out of the system to keep the kidneys healthy. I'd plug it back in for TC when you get home :^)

  6. gruntina Says:
    1229381415

    When I adopted my cat when he was age 6 months, He did not drink any water from his dish. I was worried and saw that the only way he would get his water is trying to lap it up from the shower or stick his tongue in the bathtub water spout.

    When I got him a water bowl fountain, he drinks away. I worry for his health of not getting enough water so the water fountain stays.

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