Conference misery::feline

    Sounds like you need a plummer to come fix your leaky faucets. :-)
    
    Lori B.

    My oldest, Peanut, jumps up onto the sick when I'm in the bathroom and
    just STARES at me until I turn the faucet on with the *slightest* 
    trickle - he'll then stick his head under, doesn't *care* if the water
    is running down his head, and lap as long as I'll let him - seems he
    likes the water >fresh< outta the tap, rather than the standing stuff
    in the bowls, no matter how soon ago the bowls were filled !!!!!!!

    

    My Brute' likes to get into the tub after my shower.  We have one of
    those old cast iron tubs, and it really holds the heat after a hot
    shower, so I think he's just getting warm.  His fur is very short but
    VERY DENSE (a little like his head : ), so I don't think he notices
    the water.  Same thing with the sink after my husband shaves. The sink
    has been holding warm water, so I think he likes it.  Mind you, he's a
    very large cat (about 18 pounds), and seeing him curled up in that
    small bowl of a sink looks quite comical.  But he doesn't seem to
    care...
    Sarah

	Several of our pusses find water fascinating.  Scooter will dash
	through the house to get to running water and yowls with
	displeasure if someone is taking a bath and he's not
	invited.  He lays in wet sinks and will drink out of any
	faucet -- hot water or cold.  Scooter has even been known
	to leap to the top of the shower doors and threaten to
	jump on unsuspecting naked people.  Barry, the Maine Coon, 
	also loves water.  In his case I'm not always sure he *knows*
	he's getting wet, due to his luxurious coat.

	On the other hand, the slightest drop of water affects
	Boss Tweed like acid.  He leaps in the air and runs
	through the house, merping all the way, until he finds a
	safe place to stop and replace the hated water with
	cat spit.

	Ron

    I'd make sure the kitties were dry before I let them outside (as it
    might lower their resistance to respiratory infections--which are
    picked up from other kitties, not from the faucet!) and I'd learn how
    to change the washer in the faucet(s)!
    
    Ashamed to admit I haven't learned how yet, though I *have* replaced a
    shower head :-> ,
    
    Leslie

    Smokey, hawing her bowl full of fresh water, jumps on the bathtub
    sidewall, headbutts the tap as long that the water begins to trickle.
    If it is closed too hard, she YELLS as long until the slaves (Sue or me)
    come up running to open the tap for her. Then she drinks, then jumps
    down (she never turns OFF the tap again...). In winter time, after me
    or Sue having  shower/bath she lies into the tub (for it is warm yet),
    and in summertime she lies into it, for it is fine cool. But she does
    not like to be wet.
    
    Try to tickle the cats' stomach and head more. Perhaps they just need
    some more grooming/butting/stroking/cuddling/anything.
    
    
    Nat

    Jeanne,
    I have a little "Ashley" too and she loves any kind of water,
    except that in her bowl!! She waits for us to get out of the shower
    standing between the liners and jumps in as soon as the water 
    shuts off and licks everything including the person standing 
    in the shower.  She does the sink faucet routine also putting 
    her head completely under and using her paw to try to catch
    it!!  And she has since discovered the water in the X-mas
    tree stand but can't get her head into the base.  She'll
    find a way though.  The only time I've seen her drink out
    of....well near....her bowl is when she purposely tips it and 
    drinks from the floor.  
    
    Happy Holidays all!!
    Susan
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Happy Holidays to all!!
    
    Susan.

jeane,

I wouldn't worry too much about your kitties catching cold from this. They'd
have to get really soaked, I think, for it to be a problem.  Most kitties
have thick enough fur that it takes a _lot_ of water to get them wet to the
skin.

My Chester loves faucet water. (he also likes to lick my hair right after
I've gotten out of the shower)  In fact, I can't even go into the bathroom
without his hopping into the bathtub and looking at me with that constantly
surprised look he has on his face. "Well, Dad, are you gonna turn on that
water or not?" ;-).

-Patrick and the Gang (Chester, Farley, Jeremiah, and Mellie)

    
    	Augie the aby kitten loves water - sits in the bathroon sink and
    squeaks at me until I turn it on for him. I caught him standing in 2
    inches of water when I was filling the tub one night [he was only 10
    wks old at the time], and he was nonchalantly drinking away.. Strange
    cat he is.
    
    	Sherry

    RE: .7
    
    I'd be careful to not let your cat drink the water from the
    Christmas tree - I think I read somewhere that it can be
    poisonous (or at least make the cat sick).
    
    Try covering the exposed areas with tin foil.
    
    have a nice holiday!
    Pam

    Gee, I thought it was just my Max who had a water fetish.  He also
    likes to put his head under the bathroom faucet and drink.  To
    add to this though, when he is thirsty he will go to the sink and
    start calling.  I tseems if I have some kids over they think it's a
    kick to keep turning the water on and off for him.  For me, I only
    turn it on when I'm in the bathroom - or if it's real close to the
    holidays (and I'm close to the bathroom).  Maxwell knows that the
    first thing I do in the a.m. is to go into the bathroom, so he is
    always there waiting for this drink of water.
    
    The most embarassing thing is though, when I hae a guest using the
    bathroom and he pushes the door wide open and jumps on the sink, 
    waiting for his drink.

    
    Yes, I have 2 water babies also.  The Princess Panther Jane will take a
    bath with me.  (Honest!)  She is a heat seeker.  She has the softest,
    thinest fur that I have ever had the pleasure of petting.  She was
    pushed into the tub buy Spots one day when I was taking a hot bath, and
    discovered why I like to hang around in that funny place.  She will
    (very daintily mind you) walk out on to my knees and slip into the
    water and sit there and purrrrrPurrrrrrr until all the water goes down
    the drain!  But I must stay with her. She will not trust that tub
    unless I am in it.
    
    The CinnyMan likes showers.  He plays with the water that cascades off
    of the walls and the human and murphs and chirps and generally has a
    great time!  I don't think he notices that he is getting wet.  He also
    will ignore his nice clean water bowl in favor of any running faucet.
    
    Funny little fur people.
    
    Felines all wet!
    
    Sue & Furry Crew

    Carrie likes to drink water from a cup on the sink (now that I'm not
    at the place with the old leaky faucet).  When the water has gotten
    too low for her to get to she'll knock it over into the sink to 
    signal to me that it's time to refill it.  I try to always remember
    to top it off when I'm in the bathroom for anything because there's
    been a time or two when the 1/2 full glass didn't land in the sink.
    
    Jan

Butch is like the other cats.  When I take a shower he just sits outside 
the glass slider waiting.  When I finish and open the door he jumps in and 
drinks the water that's dripping from the faucet.  Sometimes he overdoes it 
and starts coughing, but he makes out ok.

Then the other day I noticed (after hearing him crying) that he likes to 
take a leak in the bathroom sink.  I guess he is replacing the water he 
took. ;-)

Crazy cats

    butch may have a bladder infection.  sometimes when the kitties do
    their business in the bathtub or outside the litter box and are crying
    they might have a bladder infection.  is he acting normal otherwise?
    
      
    

    
    	re .13 Jan,
    
    	I just read a horrible story in a cat mag about an Aby who liked to
    	drink out of glasses - one day while his owner was home, he stuck
    	his head into a half-filled glass and it formed a vacuum. His head
    	stuck in the glass, his nose was in the water, and he was running
    	frantically away from his owner in a panic. When she caught him,
    	she had a hard time pulling the glass off. The point is, her cat 
    	almost drowned in a glass of water! No more drinking out of glasses 
    	in my house...
    
    	Sherry 

    Thanks for the info on the glass hazzard.  This glass that my cats are
    drinking out of is actually too small for them to stick their head in.
    It's not much larger than a dixie cup...and, I've got cats with much 
    larger heads than that poor Aby.  I will keep an eye on them though
    for safety's sake.
    
    Jan  

    Several years ago, Ruby got herself in a similar situation.
    She stuck her head into an old fashioned glass jar.  The kind you would
    maybe keep dried flowers in.  Well, she ended up passing out with it
    stuck on her head.  Jimmy ran with her over to the vets as he could not
    get the jar off himself.  Our vet managed to work one ear at a time out
    of the jar and save all!
    
    Moral of the story: if a narrow head can fit into something, put
    something else in it or put it away!
    Karen and a thankful Ruby

	My cat K.D. will jump up on the sink, grab hold of the sponge with her
mouth, and bring it down to the floor. I had thought she did this because the
sponge was wet, but she does it when it's dry too. You'd think she would go to
her water dish if she was thirsty.


Glen

    Silver Lining, a beautiful Black Smoke Persian boy was caught in the
    act of swimming in the dog's water bowl.  Gretchen, a very large dog
    had a very large water bowl (of course) and Silver would just climb
    right in and sit down in the water.  He would stay there until someone
    came down the stairs and then he would run over and *shake all over
    them because he was so happy to see them*...  He still loves to get
    into the sink and doesn't mind the water running over his back, into
    his ears, over his face, etc.  His fur is so thick that he probably
    doesn't even feel it.  We do, though, when he is done in the sink.
    
    I have two other cats, Lightning and Thunder who always beg to have the
    faucets turned on, but they are much more delicate as to how they
    drink.  They don't like to get the water on their beautiful coats.
    
    Sandi and her crew of 7 (supposed to be 6)
    

    These stories amaze me because our very large Maine Coon cat, Houdini,
    very much dislikes water.  We got him from a shelter almost a year ago,
    he was abused and then abandoned.  It has taken him all year to calm down
    and start to relax with us.  Whatever happened to him must have been 
    terrible because every now and then we do some very usual thing, and
    find it causes him a TERRIBLE trauma.  I found out very quickly that
    trying to give him a bath is one of those... I put a very small amount
    of water in the kitchen sink, got him in a very snuggly mood, purring
    loudly, and talking all the time to calm him, carried him to the sink. 
    The vet suggested this approach,  so I tried it.  As soon as his first
    back paw touched the water he turned into a schreeching, howling,
    furious ball of flying claws and fur... he did land sideways in the
    sink, got soaked before climbing up my arm, down my back and skidding
    off me... leaving several large welts across my back.  He is very
    unusual compared to all the cats I've ever had.  Not curious about many
    things, didn't even give one look to the Christmas tree, the water in
    the stand, or even one ornament.  I have a terrible sad feeling he was
    beaten to an inch of his life for just being a cat, being curious.  
    He's so lovable now, but if you approach him from behind, or too
    fast, and he's not sure your intentions, he skids off somewhere to
    hide... it's so sad!
    
    Does anyone know... do cats either love water or not, or can they
    develop a liking for it?  He only drinks from his water dish, which is
    also amazing, because all our other cats hated the water in the dish,
    never touched it, but would run to the nearest running faucet, get up
    near the sink and ask for a drink before you turned it off. 
    
    We love Houdini, and are always looking for ways to make his life
    easier, and overcome the traumas caused by abuse.  He knows us well by
    now, and is becoming very relaxed.  But it will take longer until he 
    forgets the abuse I'm afraid.  The other thing is he must have been
    either hit with the brush, or brushed in an abusive way, because he
    almost took my hand off when I approached him with a brush... something
    our previous cats just loved and looked forward to.  Being that hes' 
    a very long haired cat, I've gotten him to where he tolerates the
    brush, but only for short spans of time.  Our old Quincy cat used to
    want brushing forever.
    
    Nancy  
    
    Any ideas on how to overcome things such as this?

    Nancy,
     I will suggest some things/thoughts which you may approve of or not.
    
    As for the brushing?  Well I would skip using a "brush" and go to a
    greyhound comb.  These cats don't really need to be brushed as they are
    a non matting cat.  A comb should work better and maybe he won't be
    afraid of that so much.
    
    Another suggestion (this is the one you might not like) is to give
    him a very small dose of valium.  I have mentioned using this drug
    before in some other note.  From my personal experience with one cat
    (well 2, for different reasons, Stinky being one of them and Spook the
    other) it has worked wonders.
    
    Spook (aptly named) had come from a house where he was very afraid of
    the man.  When I got him, you couldn't even touch him.  I gave him a
    valium slipped into his food prior to clipping his nails.  This I had
    to do leaning into his cage as I could still not handle him.  He needed
    to be clipped because I was taking him to the vets and knew it would be
    hard for them!
    
    Valium works on cats in a way that takes away their anxiety.  You can
    then work with them gently and it opens up an avenue of trust.  Spook
    still gives his "bug-eyed look" but I can pick him up, pet him, brush
    him and I even gave him a bath.  I can tell that he is still afraid but
    he now realizes I don't hurt him.  In our own funny way we love each
    other and it has taken him some time.  He now will come to the door of
    his cage to take food right from my hands.  He has to be caged as he is
    a whole male and sprays alot.
    
    There is much hope for Houdini, time will help.
    best to you both,
    Karen

    Be careful with the valium, if he is a go-out cat - the drug may take
    away his defense possibilities. Give it him only if he is full indoor
    only - my 2 cents on valium.
    
    2 cents on water: the poor thing was probably mishandled someway with
    water. MUST he be bathed? I have mine 7 years and never bathed. No
    problems... A bath-therapy-suggestion: Perhaps let the bathroom door
    open if you are in the tub bathing and call him, looking you bathing.
    Perhaps he 'll notice that you enjoy the water. Mayhaps it helps him to
    overcome his scare.
    
    
    Nat

	KD ALWAYS will come jump on my lap when I'm sitting in the chair in the
living room. She curls up and goes to sleep. But I've noticed on several
occassions that while she is sleeping, she starts to twitch. Sometimes just a
little, but sometimes her body is jerking all over the place. Legs, midsection,
ears. Is this something to worry about or something that some cats do? I know
I've never had a cat do this, so I do wonder about it. She is still a kitten (5
months old), and I just wanna make sure there is nothing really wrong.


Glen

    
    She's dreaming.  Many cats do this.  Not to worry.
    
    len.
    

	I wonder what it is she is dreaming about that makes her twitch like
that??? Maybe she is chasing the catnip mouse or something.... :-)


Glen

	Snoozer, each moring or after her afternoon power nap has
	a raspy voice for about 5 - 10 minutes when she wakes up. Is
	this normal ? Her voice goes back to normal after the 5 - 10
	minute cycle. This morning when she came in to wake me up she
	actually sounded like daffy duck, had the wife and me rolling 
	with laughter. Do other cat owners experience this symptom
	also ? By the way, Snoozers almost 10 month, so is it a
	puberty type thing ?

	Red

    My little Abby does this sometimes...but in normally is the
    start of some type of cold/virus.    Keep you eyes on Snoozer.
    
    Sandy 

    This cat owner experiences the problem of morning rasply voice all
    the time.  Oh, you meant in the cats.  Nope, this doesn't happen 
    around my house that I've noticed.  My personal raspy voice is a
    result of allergies that are worse in the morning.  Maybe it's a
    similar problem for kitties.
    
    Jan