Watching Cats Drink ...

I spent most of the day sitting at the kitchen table working on some short stories that have been floating around within me for the last few weeks ... where I sat at the table has a prime view of the water dish for the cats ... over the course of the day I was able to observe all three cat in our home come to the proverbial watering hole for refreshment ... I noticed they all have a very different style and approach to something as basic as water ...

Chloe, the oldest, and the matriarch of the feline clan, approached the water dish taking note of EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY in the immediate vicinity ... then when she decides that all is clear, she approaches the dish and remains in a standing pose ... she floats over the dish with her whiskers keeping her face well clear of the water as he tongue stretches down to the water and delicately laps while her eyes remain open and vigilant ...

Diesel, the grand old man of the house (Chloe is 14, and Diesel is 13), approaches the dish like a man on a mission. He scratches at the floor around the dish as though he is removing any dust, stray hair or other debris that may be lingering on the tile floor ... once the floor is clean he then crouches at the edge of the bowl with his paws wrapped around the outside edge ... he leaves his tail stretched out behind his prone form and he hunkers down over the dish covering much of the open surface with his sheer bulk ... he then closes his eyes and enters a zen-like state as he satiates his thirst while protecting his precious water source from all comers ...

The youngest of the crew, Ms H's cat Chrysanthemum, the feral member of the clan, approaches the dish like she approaches life - boldly and unrepent ... she crouches over the dish, her muscles tense and ready to spring, or flee ... but as she begins to drink she first uses her paw to start splashing the water and forming waves that slosh across the dish ... then when the waves are cresting over the edge onto the floor, she lifts her paw to her mouth and licks it dry, and repeats the action over and over until she, like her mates has satiated her thirst ...

All in all, Chrysanthemum has the most unique approach to the act of drinking ... but each cat, like their personalities, have a very distinctive way of quenching their thirst ... from the same bowl ...

Overall though, watching the cats move through their days, and engage in something as mundane as drinking water is a remarkably relaxing way to spend time during the day ... I recommend it highly !!