Conference misery::feline_v1

    Norman runs in place before he drinks water too! I feed him on a
    hardwood floor, and he runs for a couple of seconds before he starts
    to drink. It's really a riot when he just has a sip, and then goes
    back 10 seconds later for another sip and does the dance again!
    Also, if he looks up and stops drinking, he dances before he drinks
    again. When I feed him in the kitchen with my parents watching,
    they roar! 
    
    It's not just kittens, either. Norman is almost 2 years old, and
    has done it since he was a kitten. I don't understand it, but I
    love it!
    
    Michelle
    
    PS I think my boyfriend said that his/our kitten Opus is starting
    to do it too!

    I'm roaring...!!!
    
    aja doesn't dance, but she does *sing* a bit ("bbbbdddit") before
    she jumps up on the rim of the toilet...
    
    Edd

    Gonezo likes to sit on the bathroom counter when we brush our teeth. 
    This is his way of asking for water.  He likes it poured from the glass
    from above and he catches the water as it dribbles into the sink. 
    Then, I fill up a glass and put it on the counter for him to finish. 
    He ends up sticking his paw in the water (testing the temp?) before
    drinking.  This can be a pain - sometimes he knocks the glass over!
    
    Mary
    

    I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    None of mine sing or dance (no talent kitties).  But Lightning does
    do the run down the hallway, stand on counter with front paws in
    bathroom sink, and wait for someone to notice that she is thirsty.
    
    Of course there is all sorts of fresh water next to their food bowls
    at all times.
    
    Sandi
    
    

    Lucky will only drink water out of the bath tub drain. The drain
    runs very slowly, If the water is left dripping there is a little
    pool in the drain. He is an indoor/outdoor cat, and I don't think
    he drinks outside. Often when he has been out all day he is frantic
    to get to the tub for a drink. At least I don't have to worry about
    what he will drink when hes out.
    
    The worst thing about his love for the tub is that I have to put
    him outside when I clean the bathroom or he's up to his ears in
    comet. He loves the stuff!

    yyeeeeeehhhhhhaaaaaa!!!!!!
    
    ANOTHER TOILET FREAK.....! 
    i thought i had the only one!!!!
    
    phil
    

    Oscar is also a toilet freak.  He's always drinking from it.  One
    morning he fell in.  Of course it was the morning when I had an
    important 8:00 AM meeting, and was dressed in my best pendleton
    suit. . .
    
    	-Nancy

    Bitser doesn't dance in front of the water dish, but she does scratch
    the floor, first with one front paw for about 8 or 10 times, then with
    the other. I have never been able to figure that out either.  She
    also will sniff the water for several seconds, touch her nose to
    it, watch the ripples, sniff again, and then, if all meets with
    her approval, she will drink.  I'd love to know what is going on
    in her mind while she goes through this ritual.
    
    Bob is a toilet drinker.  He's only lost his balance once and did
    he ever HOWL.  So did we - he looked soooooo funny.  There is something
    very funny and pathetic about a soaking wet long haired cat!!!
    
    Ellen

    Thanks for the laughs and helping realize that Cho is not as strange
    as I thought she was.  She will drink only out of the bathroom sink
    in the morning while I brush my teeth and only out of the dogs bowl
    even though I keep fresh water in her bowl she never touches it.
    And--------speaking of strange she dutifully uses her scratch board
    and then sits on it as though guarding it from some one or something,
    the first time I saw her squat on the box I thought she had forgotten
    about her litter box, but found out quickly that she just like to
    sit on the box ----- wonder if it's the catnip?

    What a neat topic for the late winter/early spring blahs.
    
    Melody does the bit on the bathroom counter with the sink.  I turn
    the water on medium-slow.  First she sits and watches a minute.
    Then she gets her front feet down in the sink, sticks her head under
    the faucet and tries to catch the water in her mouth without getting
    her whiskers wet or having them brush either the sink or faucet.
    It took her a while to get just the right angle but now--no problem.
    She also likes to stick her paw fully into the water, get it 
    soaked, pull it out and shake it madly--getting me, the mirror and
    everything else nearby soaked.  Then she'll do the same thing with
    the other paw.  She can do this for 15 minutes without getting bored.
    
    Missy does the tub.  She often won't even wait for you to get out
    of the shower.  As soon as the water stops, she is in licking the
    bottom of the tup (yuck, soap scum and all) or catching drips from
    the faucet.  The only problem is that we take 3 successive showers
    in the morning and we don't always look in there--just reach in
    and turn on the water.  So, sometimes a very surprised, gray streak
    rushes past us.
    
    Brittany must be lazy.  She just drinks out of the dog's bowl.
    (The dog, however, drinks out of the cat's bowls so it's even.)
    
    Our family cat growing up was the toilet drinker.  He was riot.
    He always wanted the seat lifted up first so would sit and stare
    at you until you lifted it.  One day someone forgot to flush so
    my mother said, "Wait Muffy" and flushed it.  From that day forward
    you had to lift the seat AND flush the toilet before Muffy would
    take his drink.  Mom had her limits though.  On another day before
    she let him drink, she grabbed a sponge and washed around the rim
    for him.  Sure enough, the next time she lifted and flushed, the
    cat still sat and looked at her.  No, this time she stared back
    until he got the message and got his drink.
    
    

    
    
    	Gee, and I thought Sasha was strange....she drinks from the
    	bathroom sink faucet (and gets her head soaking wet in the
    	process) plays with the water, drinks from the tub...one time
    	she lay down in the tub right after a shower and got her belly
    	all wet...didn't bother her in the least.... drinks from the
        the kitchen faucet.....  but very seldom drinks from her
    	dish....
    
    	In the morning when I'm getting ready for work, it's a tradition
    	for her to jump up on the sink vanity and look at me until
    	I turn the water on ..
    
    	she's such a luv!
    
    	

Tsunami loves to sit on the bathroom counter and watch the water when I
brush my teeth or clean my contacts(when I can use the sink).  
She also likes to lie down in the sink while I'm getting ready in the morning.
She fits perfectly.
She doesn't even mind when the sink is a little wet.
I always put off running the water until I absolutely have to so I don't
have to make her move.  She always looks so put out when I move her that
I end up brushing my teeth in the kitchen.
Becky

    Another water-everywhere-but-the-water-dish freak is my Jasper.
    Although, I must say that in his old age (1 year) he's become
    less daring in the bathroom.  
    

    
    I'm glad to see all these bathroom waterbabies.  Both Brandy and
    Escho LOVE to drink out of the toilet. I think Escho taught Brandy.
    Brandy is a large kitty, he can stand on the floor, put his paws
    on the toilet, bend down and get a drink.  Escho on the other hand,
    needs to get on the seat, stick het two front paws on the in-sides
    of the bowl and get a drink.  I'll never forget the time I startled
    her (not on purpose) when she was in this position. PLUNCK, BLOOP,
    bewildered looking half-wet kitty came popping out of the toilet.
    
    Brandy also likes to sit on the edge on the sink and either head-buttt
    me while I'm on the toilet or he diligently watches me brush and
    rinse my teeth.  Many is the time I've come close to spitting
    toothpaste on his head because he quickly darted into the sink just
    as I was about to ...  I got these GREAT pictures of him playing
    with the running water in the sink.  He sticks his paws under the
    water then licks his paw dry.  If the waters not running, he puts
    his paw under the facuet then looks to see why his paw's not wet
    then shows me. As if to say "Mom, the water's not on. Pppplllleeeaassee
    turn it on so I can play with it.
    
    Our puppy Stark has now gotten into the act, too.  He HAS to have
    his drink out of the sink and the shower right after you get out,
    soap scum and all. YUCK.  If I run water in the sink (we have dual
    facets), Stark will bring his rubber toy and drop it in the sink
    then try to retrieve it. messy, messy, messy. Escho doesn't always
    wait for you to get out of the shower before she jumps in. She's long
    haired and doesn't mind getting wet. She'll sometimes join me in
    the shower. crazy kitty.
    
    Mind you, these kids all get bottled water which they do drink but
    I guess it's not as much fun as running water.
    
    Roslyn, Escho, Brandy and Stark puppy
                                                                    
    P.S.  Escho will even come a runnin' when she hears me watering
    my plants.  Has to see where that water goes.  But do they all
    disappear when I'm misting the plants with the (KAT-kid adjustment
    tool. Works well on the dog too.)

    Okay, I decided to go to the xepert about the water dance question.
    The expert being Kimi, the cat with an opinion on every subject.
    Kimi often talks of the good old days in Egypt (I believe he sometimes
    corresponds with Milo on the subject, but I don't ask too many
    questions; at least he doesn't use the phone), and according to
    him, the water dance has its origin in ancient Egypt.
    
    It seems that at one time there was a severe drought, and cats and
    people were suffering. A particularly wise cat (need I say it was
    an Abyssinian? I thought not) led a group of followers out into
    the desrt one day, and told them to dig in a certain spot. Being
    ignorant humans, they didn't understand the cat. So he performed
    a little mime, dancing on the spot where he wanted them to dig.
    Eventually they got the message, dug, and of course found a new
    spring.
    
    Ever since then, some cats have chosen to commemorate this example
    of the wisdom and superiority of cats by repeating the ritual when
    offered water. Kimi feels that, as an Abyssinian, he has no need
    to remind us deliberately of his intelligence, as it is obvious.
    
    Straight from the expert's mouth!
    
    Shayne

    RE:  .15
    
    I like that!!
    

    Tashti doesn't dance in front of his water dish, but he always sticks
    his paw in and shakes it off before drinking.  I always thought
    he might be far-sighted (he doesn't see bonker treats that well
    either closeup) and was testing the water level so he didn't stick
    his nose too far in.  Looks like there might be more to it than
    that!  (I like the "test the temperature" idea in one of the earlier
    replies...)
    
    Ruby/Tashti

    
    
    Baby just comes right up and drinks it.. but whats funny is she
    prefers the water on my bedside table..  (you know, take a glass
    of water to bed..)
    
    I think its cute when they play with the water coming directly out
    of the tap!  She sticks her head completely under it to get a closer
    look!
    
    F.

    re: .15
    
      That's quite a story!  Have you ever thought of putting Kimi's
    antecdotes on paper???
      Nancy DC
    

    Re -1
    
    Now there's an idea! Kimi has been muttering about the lack of good
    scribes these days...
    
    Shayne

Kittens knead when they are nursing to stimulate the milk flow.  This behaviour
is carried over into the kneading which some older cats do.  I'd guess that the
"Water Dance" is the best a cat can do at kneading in a standing position.  I
would think it would be quite hilarious to see a cat doing this.

					Larry
					  ~

I read somewhere (long time ago) that the "water dance" is a residual 
instinctive behavior to "clear the stream" of surface debis before drinking.
Apparently cats (wild types - that is) only drink from running streams
of water if possible and the paws are used to push surface debris away
from the immediate area before drinking.  Hannah STILL "dances" before
drinking and she is 2 years old....she was rescued from being "wild"
when 6 months old, though, so I figure she got some practice while out
roaming around.