I'd say it could easily be the change in smell. Cats have a huge amount of
smell receptors and changes in smell throw them for a big loop!

Karen

Have you tried one of those kitty fountains?
Many cats like running water to drink from.

Also, the chlorine in normal tap water can really bother some cats. Try
bottled (just the cheap filtered water for 25 cents a gallon is fine).

As to why she suddenly stopped drinking from that bowl, yes, any new
scent, especially citrus, can really bother cats.

Try putting a cat fountain in the floor next to the toilet and fill it
with the distilled water. I bet she loves it!

Hello, all. I'm new to this group and I need some insight about my cat.

She is _strictly_ an indoor cat, always has been. She has lived with me
since she was about sixteen weeks old, and she gets annual checkup, etc.
No medical problems I know of, and her temperament is as she usually
is..She will be six years old sometime in May. She is the only cat in
the house and there are no other type of pets involved.

She's always had a quirk in that she _prefers_ to drink from the faucet
in the lavatory sink which means I have to turn it on (slightly) for
her. She will not drink from the water bowl next to her food bowl even
though I keep it clean and fresh. I thought I had successfully weaned
her from the faucet habit by placing a water bowl next to the faucet,
and she has been drinking from that for some time now, perhaps two
years.

About two weeks ago, she quit drinking from this bowl, instead dragging
it to the sink edge, spilling a good deal of the water on the lavatory
top. I know that when she is thirsty this bowl is the first place she
goes, but she's not drinking from it and that has me greatly concerned.

One thing that I did concerning this particular area recently was change
the Glade plugin located about eight inches above the water bowl to a
different scent. Is it possible that the new scent was bothering her? I
thought that might be the case so I removed it after a few days but she
still is acting strangely toward that bowl.

Perhaps there is something on the bowl that's causing this problem. The
bowl is ceramic and I wash it with dish soap. Should I dump the old bowl
and buy her a new one?

My cat is trying to tell me something, but what? Does anyone have a
clue? Any helpful comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

George Thomas

I'm wondering if the air freshener isn't leaving a residue on the water
being it's so close. I know my feliway diffuser leaves an oily residue on
anything too close to it. I'm wondering if the air fresheners aren't using
some kind of oil as well.

If kitty likes running water you might want to try a kitty fountain like
someone else suggested.

W

I don't think this stuff harms people either, as long as they don't try to
drink it, but then who knows? Don't think I'd want to employ a Plugin
directly over the glass of water I place on my night stand though. Maybe
your cat just likes the way the running water smells or perhaps the
temperature.

http://www.scentedoil.com/faqs.asp FAQ's

Will this harm my pets?
No, the scented oil will not harm your pets.