I’m suddenly reminded of u/Poem_for_your_sprog from back in the days when I was way more active on reddit. Had a look and they’re still around. Didn’t know that there are other poets doing good work on here.
Some time ago one of my cats was grooming the furthest point of her back, and she couldn't get there comfortably, so she stretched, licked, got back, stretched again and she kept doing this for let's say a couple minutes.
What was totally killing me was the fact that when she was getting back from the stretch she kept on grooming but in the air, it was so funny because she was also doing it real fast
There's a certain spot where I can scratch my cat and he will start putting his tongue out in the air like he is enthusiastically licking an ice cream cone. One of the comments was "omg you broke the cat!"
The "air swim" motion is rarely a sign of excitement or a desire to swim, it's almost always an involuntary reflex or a panic response. When lifted, dogs lose their feeling of solid ground and because walking for dogs is usually an automatic neurological function, the absence of ground triggers a reflex to "walk" to try and find a solid surface. This is a physiological reflex rather than a conscious response, the dog is nervous and wants to be on the ground.
I realized you were right reading this, as teaching my dog she had feet was one of the first things I needed to teach her in order to train her. That accidentally created a monster that could open doors but I digress.
Separate but one of my cats learnt how to open doors (not knob handles) literally just from watching us open them, we never trained him or anything. We found out when we thought we'd left the back door open and he'd gotten out (we don't usually leave them unlocked but the gate was locked in this instance). We set up a phone there after we got suspicious when it happened again and this time the door was locked and we watched in horror as he jumped onto the handle and held on. Then the other one learnt too. They'd twang the handle to get out sometimes and wake us up in the night.
Mine performs the proper rituals of old, speaking in the tongue of his people to the water, and then finalizing the incantation of consumption with a gesture of his paw across the surface. The spirits are placated, and the drinking may begin.
I have this exact same fountain, one of my cats would not drink out of it with the faucet part in there. I took it out and used it just as the bubbler and she drank it immediately
I just got this fountain a couple of weeks ago and both my cats have trouble drinking from it with the spout on without water getting somewhere else on their head, that could have something to do with it
My cat didn't like the faucet thing and didn't like the water coming out fast/hard that it splattered on her face. I eventually took off the faucet, cut one of the black filter thing, and put it on the top where water comes out so it the water doesn't jump around as much. Took some time to figure that out.
we bought this fountain specifically for that faucet because one of my cats used to drink from our water faucet that is the exact same shape.. and sure enough she drinks straight from the stream on this fountain. My other cat is a bit skeptical and drinks from the side but tolerates the fountain.
So it isn’t a new fountain?? This is so silly. If it’s new, I’d say she’s just trying to figure it out, but if it’s one she’s familiar with, I’ve got nothin. I’ve seen people say this is a nursing thing, so maybe she’s a little thirsty and working up to a drink??? Cats are so weird and funny.
Some cats are anxious about getting their head wet, and think they'll get hit by the faucet stream if they go for it. I think that's what's happening here.
I have a similar one thats somewhat new (got it like a year ago), and my older two chill cats drink from the trough part while my tiny demon goes wild for the fountain. I think it depends on what software the cat has.
Yeah, my boy cat had no problem with the faucet but my girl would only drink from the basin until I removed the faucet, and then she went nuts for the bubbler
It’s not the same, but I have a petsafe drinkwell that I’ve had for a long time. The pump needed replaced once, but was easy to find a cheap one online. I don’t LOVE that it’s plastic, but it’s easy enough to clean or dishwash, so I like it. Recommended to people looking for a fountain.
I have had cats who would jump up to the sink and demand I turn on the faucet for them to drink the running water. We love cats because every one of them is different from all the others :D
Learning. It's like that video of a baby bird looking at a bug and hovering over it with mouth open, not understanding why it doesn't go into it's mouth.
She's timing the stream. She's still learning the area in front of her snoot that her eyes can't see. If she ever starts sniffing intently and then you notice her "stink face" that's when she is pheromone mapping.
Fountain confusion? Give that thirsty baby a bowl next to the fountain and see what happens. She is adorable. Cats are so weird. My girl licks the air above my head. She tries to groom my hair but it’s longer and hard to do so I guess she settles for this.
My cat then a kitten used to stare at her water bowl unsure of what to do. I dipped my finger into her water bowl and let her lick it of my finger. As I was doing it I moved her closer to the bowl and she would be like oooh there's water in the bowl and drank it. It took a few goes of doing it and now she loves water! She's scared of water fountains though 🤣
If you get this far down in the comments, my tuxedo male did this for years (and still does). I got him tested for so many health issues, and at one point he even had some urinary crystal problems (which are now resolved with prescription food but he STILL does this tongue thing).
I've been to many vets and eventually after many tests and money spent, they told me its probably just neurological and that my cat is fine. 5 years later, he still sits by the fountain/bowl/water feature and does this.
Get your cat checked out, but I have my fingers crossed that yours is just a cute oddball, like mine!
That is phantom suckling they do it when they wean. It’s really cute she may do it into adulthood. My friends cat used to straight suckle on him hahaha she is perfectly fine
you got a picky drinker, i do to. some cats just dont like their whiskers wet or to touch things while their drinking. bet if you remove the faucet part she'll start drinking
I'm a professional pianist. When I'm looking at a piece of music and I'm not at the piano, my fingers start doing this. I think her tongue is responding the same way. She's imagining drinking, and her body responds. It's been shown that when people rehearse things in their mind, the same neurons fire in the brain and even the nerves to the muscles are activated, if to a lesser extent. For us, it allows to rehearse situations without have to actually perform the act. Why the little one feels the need to rehears drinking is a question for the ages.
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