Maine Coon kittens & their water dish - advice needed, please

[WritersBlock]

Hi everyone - this is my first post in this group. After a several-year kitty hiatus, my better half and I have recently been acquired by two Maine Coon kittens.

We've had a Maine Coon before, so we know about their love of water, but these guys don't just wash their food, they deliberately scoop water out of their dish and fling in on the floor.

I'd be grateful for any tips that others have found useful for keeping a fresh supply of water for cats who seem hellbent on getting rid of most of the contents of their water bowls. I've even thought of leaving the bathroom tap on a slow drip, but that seems so wasteful.

We're not worried about the wet floor; we can always get a mat for it. But I am getting worried that they won't have enough water left to drink. We replace with fresh water at least morning and night, and there's always about a quarter inch of water left in the bowl beforehand, so am I right in thinking that if they were thirsty, they would not be leaving any water at all? (Gosh this sounds like a dumb question, re-reading it here.)

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Perhaps something like this.. It is what I use for my 5 cats..and have one for my dog too

http://www.smarthome.com/6101D/Drinkwell-Pet-Drinking-Fountain/p.aspx
6-cup water capacity, expandable to 12 cups

[WritersBlock]

2. Thanks for the response.. I have seen similar, but am leery of electricity and water, the way they

splash it everywhere. Do you notice a lot of water on the floor (ie, near the cord) with yours?

[demnan]

3. I have that Drinkwell fountain too

I don't think you need to worry about the electricity as it shuts off when it senses the power unit is wet. It might not stop the splashing kitties though.

Sorry I can't offer a solution for you, I've never had that problem with water. Charley (big orange one) likes to scatter his dry food all over the floor.

Oh and we have a rule on this forum. Cute kitty pictures are required. :hi:

[WritersBlock]

5. Thanks... and will this do? ;)

I like the idea of the shutoff... will check into it.

Here are our little darlings. I wish I could say they posed like that, but y'all know better than that. But at least I got them each sitting in the same place a few minutes apart. And the way they were acting this afternoon, either one of them sitting still for any length of time was little short of miraculous!

[BrklynLiberal]

8. OOOOHHHHHHHH they are gorgeous!!!!!!!

[demnan]

10. Thanks

yes that satisfied my need for cuteness!

[BrklynLiberal]

7. OH! YES! I forgot to demand pictures!!! So sorry. WHERE ARE THE PICS?

There is sometimes water on the floor, but the way it is set up, the cord is in the back..and the water is in the front. No
need to worry about the water/electricity problem..

[Lorien]

4. I also have a Maine Coon. I've placed a short cup in the sink in my bathroom

and I refresh the water in it every time I'm in there. All the cats now know to drink from that cup, and Oberon will howl if the water level drops more than a half inch, so I'm always reminded to keep it filled. He does this crazy "water dance" in the sink before he takes a sip. MCs are odd, but soooo lovable!

[WritersBlock]

6. He's so beautiful!

I've admired your sig pics for ages - thanks for sharing a larger shot of him!


Today I got the bright idea of putting their water bowl in a huge flat pan so they could splash to their hearts' content and the water would still be there if they wanted to drink it.

Which worked well except that their paws got wet.

BUT! I think it may have saved us some major grief in the long run, as I'd just filled their brand new litter pans with clumping litter. And boy, did it clump! All over the kittens' wet fur. We spent quite a bit of time bonding this afternoon (they like having their paws brushed). I got rid of the pan and started looking on the internet for a better litter and I am so glad I did... I suspect this stuff's got sodium bentonite in it, as it says "natural clay" on the bag. I don't like the idea of them ingesting that, so tomorrow we're going to get new litter.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. Here are a couple of good ones.

They have clumping ones made of corn and/or pine now..so no clay or other stuff that will hurt them,,

http://www.planetwiseproducts.com/felineSc.htm

http://www.naturesearth.com/?gclid=CLSH0-nb5pUCFQtZHgoddTFNfQ

http://www.worldsbestcatlitter.com/Products/WBCL/default.aspx

[WritersBlock]

11. Thanks for this... we have some WBCL on order now.

Wasn't able to find the pine stuff here; maybe it hasn't floated across the pond yet.