Hi everyone, first post. I have a Bengal kitten that is 10 weeks old. We just found out he has Giardia and started his first day of treatment for it. He's had very bad diarrhea which is how we found out about the Giardia. So he eats normally, goes pee normally, but he goes up to his water bowl and puts his paw onto it and just stares into space. I've moved him from where he was sitting and he just goes back up to the water bowl and stares into the water. It's making me very uncomfortable and I am worried there is something else wrong with him. Any opinions? This isn't a personality thing either. It's just very weird behavior. It's like he's out of it?

Pearl does similar to this, she pats the water then stares at it a while maybe pats it again, then finally drinks, so I have read this stems back from their wild days when they would find water, they pats or splash it to clear off any debris on the surface then watch it to make sure it's clear.

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Clare
Magic (brown spotted boy born 31 March 2012)
Pearl (seal Lynx Point girl born 1 October 2015)
Bristol, UK

Pixel always plays with the water. It irritates the crap out of me. Good thing our floors aren't wood.

Grace and Blondie run out on the patio and stare into the pool every day. Maybe they are looking for their reflections? They also play in their water bowls. I got the Lands End Water Hog pet dish mat and that solved the problem of the water mess on the floor.

Bengals love to put their paws in their water bowl. Mine does it daily! As for the staring -- could be they find the glare of the water intriguing. I don't think it is anything to be worried about. Hope your baby gets better soon with the giardia. It's a horrible parasite, but easily taken care of with medication. Congratulations on your baby.

I get the bit about dipping his paw into water. That's not unusual. But the staring into space part is a little odd/concerning. Especially for a 10 week old. How is his activity level in general? How is his appetite? Sorry to hear about the giardia. Mine went through that too. To good news is that relative to TF treatment, it's pretty much a piece of cake and not very costly.

He might enjoy a drinking fountain (many bengal owners use those) or even a running faucet (occasionally, just for supervised amusement), assuming it's just a case of him being fascinated by water.

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The little monsters 3

One of men does, the other doesn't. The one that does loves water and jumps in the shower or basin and I have to keep toilet lids down at all times. The other is petrified of water and runs as soon as he hears the taps being turned on.

I agree with getting a drinking fountain. Mine won't drink out of water bowls, only running water.

Welcome to the forum!

The first thing that concerns me about your situation is that you have a 10 week old bengal - no decent breeder would let their kittens leave their mother until they were at least 13 weeks old - that has me worrying that you might well have bought from a less than caring/reputable breeder.

Staring into water itself is not a concern, but a 10 week old kitten that is quiet and still for more than a few seconds is decidedly concerning - at that age they should be storming around at full speed or sleeping, a quiet, kitten that sits still needs to be carefully looked at by a vet.

Good luck and keep us informed as to what happens.

Lily and Noha love staring at water, as long as it's flowing free or there is at least some movement. When I take a shower they watch the water flow. When I left them some water in the bathtub the other day, instead of playing with/in it they quickly learnt how to take the plug out and watched the water flow. When the tub was empty they looked at me intensely, clearly expecting me to refill the tub so they could watch the water flow again. I'd probably go bankrupt trying to please them this way .

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Thomas

Lily & Noha - Oct 7th 2015