July 21, 2025, 12:18 pm | Read time: 6 minutes

Why Some Cats Love Water

First of all, it’s important to understand that cats are individuals. What applies to one may not apply to another. Just because your cat enjoys playing with water from the faucet or sprinkler doesn’t mean she’ll jump into the bathtub with you or enjoy being washed. The reasons why some cats love water are varied. Some simply love to play with it, while others actually go swimming.

Curiosity

One of the main reasons some cats love water is curiosity. Ingrid Johnson, a U.S.-based certified cat behavior consultant, explains: “Cats want to experience things on their own terms. When they can choose to engage with water, they often find it enjoyable.” ¹

This behavior is key: Cats usually love water only as long as they don’t have bad experiences. This is much less likely when they can explore a dripping faucet or garden sprinkler on their own, without being pushed by their owner who has seen other animals happily playing in the bathtub on Instagram, TikTok, and the like.

Positive Experience

Positive early experiences play a crucial role. If the experience at the dripping faucet becomes an exciting game, the element becomes attractive to the animals. The positive experience can also extend to other water-related situations. Many cats that love water also play with dripping water from a cat fountain or bathtub.

Cats that were regularly bathed as kittens–such as show cats–often find water normal or even pleasant. But beware! Bathing kittens requires skill, as they can quickly become chilled if you don’t know what you’re doing. Bathing your kitten in hopes that she’ll love water and make great videos for clicks is irresponsible.

Hunting Behavior

Sometimes you can observe cats at a garden pond dipping their paws into the water. Here, hunting behavior might be a reason for the action rather than a love for the wet element. Either because an insect is gliding on the water’s surface or because the cat is fishing for fish in the water.

Age and Health

Older cats can also become almost obsessed with water. Rita Reimers, a well-known U.S. cat behavior expert, observed this behavior in three of her own cats. In her blog, she describes how the animals linger at the sink or in the bathtub for hours, persistently demanding that the faucet be turned on. She suspects that an increased need for water in old age causes the animals to feel more thirsty.

Unfortunately, this can also indicate serious health issues such as kidney failure, diabetes, or hyperthyroidism. If you notice a sudden obsession with water in your cat, you should definitely visit the vet and have the kidney values checked.

Also interesting: 8 Tips to Get Cats to Drink More Water

Are There Specific Cat Breeds That Love Water?

Besides wild cats like the Bengal tiger or the fishing cat, which even actively swim, there are also certain breeds of our domestic cats known for their love of water: ²

• The Turkish Van is not called the “Swimming Cat” for nothing–its water-repellent coat and origin from the Van lake region make it an enthusiastic swimmer.
• Maine Coons–once popular ship cats in the cold Northeast of the U.S.–also have a water-repellent coat and often show a penchant for splashing around.
• Other water-loving breeds include Bengals, Savannahs, Abyssinians, and Egyptian Maus.

Cat expert Ingrid Johnson explains: “The fur of these breeds is often less absorbent, so it doesn’t get as soaked–making water less unpleasant.” But: Even within a breed, there are individual differences. Not every Maine Coon will automatically become a water lover.

Why Most Cats Hate Water

For the majority of house cats, water is not a pleasure. This is due to both their evolutionary origins and their physical characteristics. Evolutionarily, house cats descend from animals that lived in dry, arid climates–swimming simply wasn’t part of their daily life. Additionally, cats in the wild meet most of their fluid needs through their food. They also seek out water sources less frequently to drink.

Water can even pose a risk to cats’ survival strategy. A soaked coat makes cats slower and restricts their mobility. This can put the animals in danger, as they are less able to flee.

There are also sensory reasons:

• Wet fur is heavy, cools down, and dries slowly.
• Water changes their natural scent–cats rely heavily on smells and lose their familiar scent with water.
• Chemicals in tap water or odors that humans can’t detect can strongly irritate cats. This can be especially relevant in countries where tap water is chlorinated, for example.

And last but not least, negative experiences also play a role. Cats that were bathed against their will when young or fell into a bubble bath as kittens tend to avoid water later with a vengeance. Cats are very sensitive to changes and quickly learn to avoid unpleasant situations.

More on the topic

Behavior Explained Why Does My Cat Follow Me to the Toilet?

Behavior Explained Why Some Cats Prefer Drinking From the Toilet

Toilet training How to teach kittens to use the litter box

Conclusion

The relationship between cats and water is more complex than it seems at first glance. While most cats avoid the wet element for understandable biological, evolutionary, and sensory reasons, there are exceptions. Whether due to genetic predisposition, positive early experiences, or sheer curiosity, some cats discover an exciting play world in water, and some even find a place of relaxation.

It’s important for us as owners to respect the individual preferences and boundaries of our cats. Those who want to encourage a love of water play can offer a cat fountain, a few ping-pong balls in the sink, or ice cubes with treats for initial explorations–but always voluntarily and without coercion. Because in the end, as is often the case with cats: They know exactly what they want–and what they don’t.