Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK

Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Gwen on May 11, 2008, 09:07:44 AM

Title: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Gwen on May 11, 2008, 09:07:44 AM
A friend of mine as its hot is giving her pets bottled water instead of tap as she thinks tap problably has more bacteria in this weather.  If I'm honest I cant afford bottled water for all mine(bare in mind I have 2 most of the time 3 dogs and 3 cats) but I do have a brita water filter,would this kill all the bacteria or should I just stick to tap water for them?  Its got me thinking now :-[
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: lucy on May 11, 2008, 09:23:47 AM
There is current debate about bottled water at the moment though, with water taking in chemicals from the plastic bottle and whether that is harmful, as well as the whole carbon footprint thing.

So long as water is regularly changed so it is fresh I can't see a problem with tap.
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Angiew on May 11, 2008, 09:27:09 AM
I think you will find that if anything bottled water will contain more bacteria than tap water as tap water is treated with chlorine.
I give mine bottled water as they don't like the taste of chlorine (except down the loo oddly but I expect all he chlorine get used up very quickly :sick: in there!).
The filter should remove the chlorine so if they are happy to drink this then brilliant! Water should be changed regularly anyway - I can't be the only one who knows someone whose water bowl resembles a bowl of broth (old lady not connected to group I must add).
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: blackcat on May 11, 2008, 09:27:11 AM
sounds like pseudoscience gone mad to me. Stick with tap Gwen ...

Bottled water, especially spring water, can contain the wrong balance of minerals in it, so Me for the tap!
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: hOrZa on May 11, 2008, 09:34:39 AM
Its tap water for my lot but I chill it in the fridge for myself and my lot prefer that :) turned nose up straight from tap lol

a recent magazine said 7 out of 10 bottled waters were worse than british tap water without even going into carbon footprint for bottle making :)
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Kirst on May 11, 2008, 09:40:20 AM
Tap water for me , but they much prefer to drink out of the drain or the fishpond!
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Den on May 11, 2008, 10:20:31 AM
Nothing wrong with tap water. When I worked at a cattery, I had a woman come in demanding that I only give her cats Tesco spring water - as they will definitely not drink tap water. I fill up the bowls straight from the tap and serve. Although in hot weather I change the water a couple of times a day as Molly and Mig both like coldish water on hot days.
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Ela on May 11, 2008, 12:01:04 PM
All the water put down for my little ones is from the filter tap.
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Bazsmum on May 11, 2008, 12:11:51 PM
Mine get tap water.....changed a couple of times a day...... ;)
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Millys Mum on May 11, 2008, 12:25:52 PM
Tap or rain  ;D
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: barney on May 11, 2008, 14:57:47 PM
Bottled water must be the biggest con of all time. There have been untold tests done on the stuff with the end result being consumers couldn't tell one from the other. If it has a fancy label people will buy it, besides it looks cool to have one in your hand. My cats have fresh tap water, if they want bottled then they know where the shops are ;D
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: hOrZa on May 11, 2008, 15:01:31 PM
I buy bottled water for me when out and about but thats because my tap isn't long enough :rofl:
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: koscha (Ruth M) on May 11, 2008, 15:46:27 PM
Tap water for mine, they seem to prefer it that way! The reason cats often dislike tap water because of the chlorine, but some cats will tolerate it (the chlorine dissapates on aeration of the water or leaving it to sit). i've got a Catit water fountain which recommends that tapwater is used. Filtering helps to remove some of the impurities so go for it as it'll mean the water doesn't need to hang around so long!  ;D
British tap water is very well regulated on the whole. I looked into it when I was having a problem with nitrate levels in my fish tank, to eliminate it as a source. It can contain no more than 10ppm, so the comanies mix it to keep levels right.
Bottled water is highly variable due to the fact that it often originates from one source and can't be mixed. I drink fizzy water as I find it refreshing with fruit juice but I don't believe it's any better than tap!  ;)
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: bluecat on May 11, 2008, 18:51:34 PM
Bottled warter the warter around here in summer is  :sick: 
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Mark on May 11, 2008, 22:02:43 PM
Usually Lidl spring water = 17p for 2L  :)
Otherwise from the filter tap (recommended by Ela  :shy: )
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Corporal Smokey on May 11, 2008, 22:14:16 PM
I buy bottled water but it's the 17p variety. The main reason is that there's loads of limescaliness and my fountain used to get slimy almost instantly and take ages to clean  :sick: . Now I clean it as often but it takes half the time. There's also the benefit of a bottle in the fridge on days like this and it helps me to keep tabs on how much they're drinking.

If it weren't for the limescale I'd deffo be a tap girl though.
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Leanne on May 12, 2008, 09:55:32 AM
Filtered for all of us human and feline, we keep the filter in the fridge.

We changed the cat water to this after the vet recommended it it for Jess after all his cystitis/bladder problems because his not a big drinker

Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: LeighK on May 12, 2008, 10:01:03 AM
Tap water for the puds and me, I re-fill the water bowls only once a day now and they all drink just fine. Before I started doing this to get rid of the chlorine they used to drink much less.

Regards

Leigh
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Bazsmum on May 12, 2008, 10:15:47 AM
I think the area you live in would make a difference....I come from a soft water area so no lime scale here!  ;)
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: hOrZa on May 12, 2008, 10:17:53 AM
I think the area you live in would make a difference....I come from a soft water area so no lime scale here!  ;)

me too,  nice water here I just chill it in the fridge :)
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: swampmaxmum on May 12, 2008, 16:07:23 PM
my vet said either filtered or bottled as we have high limescale London water and the boys have early CRF. I change it 2x daily and may do so more often if it gets any hotter. I don't think it's a good idea to give them chilled water btw but stand to be corrected on that one.
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Team Svartalfheims on May 12, 2008, 16:11:49 PM
I use normal tap water for the adults and kittens have boiled tap water.
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Sabrina (Auferstehen) on May 12, 2008, 16:25:23 PM
We just use tap water.

one stainless steel bowl, one drinkwell fountain and my glass.

Figure if its good enough for me....

3 of them go for my glass so I can't actually put down a glass of water (that's all I drink).
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: bunglycat on May 12, 2008, 21:54:48 PM
Mine have a cat-it water fountain too , filled from the tap -but they also have 2 bowls downstairs and one upstairs all with filtered water in - i get the tap water !!!!
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: hOrZa on May 12, 2008, 23:46:06 PM
3 of them go for my glass so I can't actually put down a glass of water

Me neither I've taken to drinking from a sports bottle lol
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Sabrina (Auferstehen) on May 13, 2008, 08:44:55 AM
3 of them go for my glass so I can't actually put down a glass of water

Me neither I've taken to drinking from a sports bottle lol

Not a bad idea.

My poor husband swears I'm going to drown one day since when I do get a glass of water it's a pint and I drink it straight down...

At very least I'm drinking the recommended amount of water a day ;)
Title: Re: tap water or bottled/filtered?
Post by: Christine (Blip) on May 13, 2008, 08:55:23 AM
Blip has water from the Brita filter - its what we all drink.

I also like San Pellegrino because its fizzy but am wondering whether to give it up on carbon footprint grounds.  AA Gill (I think it was) recently pointed out that no-one seems to worry about the carbon footprint of wine so why that of water: an interesting perspective  ;)