Train Your Cat to Drink From a Water Bottle

by cnathan

12K124

Intro: Train Your Cat to Drink From a Water Bottle

In this Instructable, I will show you how to train your kitten or cat to drink from a water bottle vs. drinking from a bowl. I came up with this idea a few months ago when I had a few kittens. It seemed like every time I'd fill their drink bowl with water, they always wanted to play in it. So I bought a big water bottle that you would use for caged pets. This is how I built it...

STEP 1: Step 1: Materials

Water Bottle

3 - 12 inch pieces of 1x2's (I used a smaller piece for the middle but changed it to all the same sizes)

6 - 1-1/2 inch wood screws

12 small washers

Drill

Water

STEP 2: Step 2: Assembly

Pre-drill (optional) the 3 pieces of wood, one hole at the top and one on the bottom (6 holes total)

Drill 2 screws through the first 1x2 (enough to place 6 washers on the end of the screws)

With washers on the screws, drill 1x2 into the wall. This will be your center piece.

Screw the other 1x2's on each side of the center 1x2. (no washers on the end 1x2's)

Fill water bottle up and hang on the center 1x2. (the washers create a gap for the clamp on the water bottle)

Put empty water bowl directly under the bottle. This will train your cat or kitten to still come to the bowl and they are smart enough (or should be) to locate the new water dispenser.

It may take up to a week for your cat or kitten to catch on to the idea of drinking from a bottle but it is less messy

STEP 3: Newest Addition

I found this little guy hiding behind my shed back in November. He is around 4 months now. It only took this little guy 2 days to catch on, after almost a week to get him calm.

4 Comments

gullinvarg 6 years ago

My cat is used to figuring things out. I bet if I put tuna water (water from a can of water packed tuna) in the bottle with some water, he'd figure it out in a few minutes. :) Obviously that tactic would mean that the bottle would have to be emptied at the end of the day (presuming he didn't drink it all, because it's tuna water) and washed, but it would probably be worth it.

ashleyjlong 9 years ago

It's a very nice idea in terms of keeping their water clean and free of debris, however I would caution people to watch their cats closely during the "training" period. I have definitely owned cats who were (bless their little hearts) too dumb to catch on to something like this, and you wouldn't want a cat getting dehydrated over the course of the learning week!

cnathan 9 years ago

Good Point!! My first cat that I trained, I watched very closely for the first few days. When I seen her around the bottle I would squeeze the bottle so a little water would drip into the bowl, making sure she is watching me. My other cats kinda watched my first cat and they caught on rather quickly. Curiosity is what made me think of this idea.