You made yourself some warm tea, left it on the table for a minute, went out to get a book or a phone, came back and saw that your cat was calmly lapping up your tea from the mug? Or does your pet prefer to drink water from a glass that you put at the head of your bed at night, and ignore its water bowl? It's time to figure out the reasons for this behavior of your cat.
The first reason is that the cat is hot and is simply too lazy to get to its water bowl. In the summer, cats have a great need for drinking water, and the heat does not encourage any active movements. So the animal drinks water or tea from the vessel that is located quite close.
Even if it's your tea on the table in the living room, or ice water, the temperature of the water is also important: the cat will not drink a liquid that is too cold or too warm for it.
If your tea is warmer than the water in her bowl, it's not hard to guess where your kitty will quench her thirst.
The second reason is that for some reason the cat doesn't like the water bowl or the process of drinking from it. Maybe the plastic bowl gives off an unpleasant smell that you don't notice, but the cat's nose recognizes it instantly. Or the animal has to bend its head low to drink from the bowl. And this position makes them vulnerable to any danger. Human mugs are quite high, and the cat doesn't have to bend down much to quench its thirst.
Reason number three is that you placed the water bowl next to the food. In the wild, wild animals (including cats) do not usually drink water in the same place where they eat.
No one can explain why this is so, but there is a suggestion that the animals consider the water source located near the place where the prey was caught and eaten to be "polluted" with food. And you can't drink dirty water.
That is why the cat turns away with disdain from the bowl filled with water and goes to drink water from the owner’s mug: after all, it is located far from the food, which means it can be considered clean.
The fourth reason is that the cat involuntarily strives to imitate the actions and habits of its owner. Cats, despite their external independence and free behavior, are wise, social creatures and quickly adopt the actions of other members of the "pack".
You regularly drink liquids from a mug, the cat becomes interested in the contents of this container and also begins to lap from there, trying to imitate you.
And the last, fifth reason - you are lazy and do not change the cat's water regularly. Or you pour tap water into the bowl, which smells bad. No self-respecting cat will drink stagnant water with the aroma of chlorine or iron.
To make sure that the water is pleasant for your cat to drink and beneficial for its health, buy special bottled water or run pre-boiled tap water through a filter jug.
And don't forget that you need to refresh the portion of water and wash the bowl for it at least once a day. Cats, lapping up water, involuntarily pollute it with fine dust and fur from the muzzle, and also leave particles of saliva in it.
Should you forbid your cat to drink water from your glass? You shouldn't: it won't help either the animal or you. It's better to replace the cat's usual water bowl with a taller cup or the same glass.
But you need to be careful with tea: black tea contains theobromine, which is harmful to cats. They can drink green tea, but make sure that the cat does not drink too much of it. If you do not want to share your drinks with your cat, just cover the mug or glass with a lid.
