Drinking out of the toilet

My cats drink out of the toilet all the time. Though we always put fresh cool water out they never use it. I would love to know why they like the toilet! I have two boys with bad aim so I have to wash down the toilet several times a day but someone told me there are still nasties in there that can hurt them. They have been doing it for years but the vet say they are very healthy, so I don't know. They won't drink out of the dish. If I try to close the lid they will cry for me to open it even if I am sleeping.

None of my kitties drink out of the toilet, but I do have one cat that likes to watch the water swirl down the drain. He gets up one the toilet seat and puts his head in the bowl, but doesn't drink. Once he even accidentally feel into the bowl. Come to think of it he hasn't done that as much since he fell in. He must have been traumatized since he hates getting wet. Guess he learned his lesson!

my dog does this all the time, not sure why but I agree it's gross

Mine don't drink out of the toilet bowl, but one of them (Sasha) does always drink from the tap dripping into the bath, or into the sink. Someone once told me it's because cats in the wild will drink from flowing rivers or streams, so subconsciously they think dripping or running water is cleaner than something left lying around in a bowl (like a stagnant pond!). However, that doesn't explain the toilet thing at all! Certainly here in London where I live, the water is very "hard" with loads of limescale and calcium so water left in a bowl for too long is probably quite unpleasant.

Haha our old cat used to do that too. He would jump up onto the seat and then he'd have to put his front paws in the toilet to reach the water. :P I never really understood why either since he had a bowl of water just in the next room!

I have eight cats and two of them do this however I discourage it because it's gross. I now close the lid so they can't get into it and now one of my cats drinks from the faucet in the bathroom sink. I leave it dripping very slowly so she won't drive me nuts about turning it on. They always have fresh water on the floor every day and we refresh it twice a day or more and still the one has to have faucet water. Go figure. LOL

I think every cat has that habbit just like dogs. Mine do that to, Disgusting!

hello lilybug,I know my sister's cat does.She likes to drink out of the bowl too!When my sister found out,she makes sure the toilet door is closed at all times!It's hilarious to see Beaver(the cat)trying to push the door open.Cats are so adorable!And Bandit looks so cute drinking out of the bowl.lol.