by Nomi Berger
 
Most cats don’t drink enough water. Does YOURS? If the answer is no, consider the following suggestions.
 
1. Change to a mostly wet-food diet: Since canned food has more moisture than dry food, it’s one of the simplest ways to “fool” your feline into drinking more water and to avoid the threat of dehydration. If yours isn’t fond of wet food, however, try adding water or broth to her dry food and serving her that instead. But if yours LOVES canned food, make it even wetter and soupier with added water or broth.
 
2. Put an ice cube in her food: Not only does it add moisture, it’s like a treat – albeit a cold one. But because the cube takes on the food’s flavor, while she’s licking it, she’s getting more of the water she needs. Place several cubes in her water bowl as well if she, like many people, purr-fers her water icy cold.
 
3. Serve her smaller, more frequent meals: Since the very act of eating prompts thirst, if your cat’s not drinking water, eating more often should make her not only need to but actually want water.
 
4. Place water bowls throughout your home: It’s not easy for curious kitties to pass so many appealing sights without stopping to investigate them and – hopefully – sample what they’re offering.
 
5. Location is everything: If your cat’s not drinking water, she may not like her water bowl’s location or it may not be as easily accessible to her as it should be. Take care, as well, to keep her water bowl far away from her litter box. Remember: her litter box is where she potties.
 
6. Refill her water bowl regularly: Cats like FRESH water! Please change her water at least once during the day and to keep it scrupulously clean, wash the bowl thoroughly with soap and water, dry it, refill it, and put it down again at the end of the day.
 
7. Think sink: If your cat’s attracted to running water, take advantage of her fascination and make drinking it a game. Turn on the cold water faucet and let it run for a few minutes several times a day. Incorporate it into your morning and/or evening playtime routine and reward her with effusive praise and some extra playing when she accepts drinking water as one of her regular activities.
 
8. Flavor the water: A cat turning her paws down at drinking “ordinary” water might drink flavored water. Try flavoring your kitty’s water with some chicken broth, the liquid from a tin of tuna or sardines or some clam juice (sold in bottles at supermarkets). Make certain, though, to have at least one bowl of plain, fresh water close by at all times.  
 
9. Use cat fountains: Many fussy felines, once they’re accustomed to it, LOVE drinking from fountains. Not only are they intriguing to a cat because of the continuous movement of the water but the water always stays fresh.
 
10. Use feline-friendly bowls: Cats have highly sensitive whiskers and may find the sensation of their whiskers touching the sides of their water bowls extremely unpleasant. They’ll often drink more water when it’s in large, shallow bowls rather than in small, deep ones.

 by Nomi Berger
 
Curious about the meaning behind YOUR kitty’s tail wag? According to many cat behaviorists, the manner in which your frolicsome feline wags her tail can have several different meanings.
 
Consider then:
 
“The Swish”
 
Playing cats will often swish their tails from side to side before pouncing. On the other paw, the speed and direction with which they swish their tails can also convey their emotions. When they thrash their tails back and forth quickly, it indicates that they’re unhappy and want to be left alone. When they move their tails slowly from left to right, it shows that they’re mildly annoyed.
 
“The Twitch”
 
How often have you witnessed your kitty sitting on a windowsill, concentrating intently on nature’s “TV screen” in the form of a flying bird, a fluttering butterfly or a scampering squirrel when her tail starts to twitch? The set of her ears and eyes and the vocalizations she makes along with this familiar twitch indicates one of two things: she’s maintaining her laser-like focus on what she sees or she’s unduly upset for some reason. In either scenario, her message to you is “leave me alone.”
 
“The Quiver”
 
This is a rapid and tiny wagging movement -- much like a rattlesnake’s but cuter, not to mention safer. When your kitty’s excited to see you, she may approach you with her tail held vertically aloft and only the tip of it making those quick little quivering motions. This warm greeting is often accompanied by purring, happy chirrups or meows, and rubbing her face against your ankles or legs.
 
“The Sleepy Flick”
 
Unlike their canine counterparts who respond immediately when called, our more laid back feline friends seem to favor pondering their response before acting on it. And what better to demonstrate this to us than with a slow, sleepy flick of their tails against the floor. But offer them food? The mere sound of a can being opened or the aroma of something deliciously familiar wafting their way, and no more sleepy flicks for them. All pretense past, this is one “call” they’re more than eager to answer -- promptly.
 
If they’re sleeping, however, and we call out to them, many mischievous kitties prefer to play games. Rather then openly acknowledging us, they’ll reply with a single, subtly dismissive flick of their tail. The message behind this sweet snub: “I can hear you, but I’m pretending to ignore you.”
 
Be flattered! This form of tail wag is, in fact, a sign of your cat’s contentment. She’s letting you know in kitty parlance that she’s comfortable staying asleep in your presence. But then, as every head-over-heels in love feline fancier knows, your precious, precocious puss always has you right where she wants you: fittingly wrapped around her fine, furry paw.