Joshua drinking

I've been trying to get this shot for weeks now, ever since I first saw our barn cat Joshua drinking from the snowmelt coming off the tractor-mounted snowblower.  We call Joshua the "hydrologist" because he loves drinking from running or dripping water … from whatever the source.  In Beauty's Barn, for instance, he would hop into the sink in the medical stall as soon as we turned off the faucet so he could catch the final drips of water with his tongue.

And then Joshua discovered, just recently, that there is a fine source of dripping water coming from the snowblower.  I had used the machine yesterday after another night of blowing snow, and today the remaining chunks of snow were starting to melt in the afternoon sun.  My previous attempts to photograph him doing this failed because he would hear me coming and then venture out to greet me.  Today he stayed focused on the dripping snowblower.

For the first time, this afternoon I also saw his buddy Rocky doing the same thing as I walked away after getting the shot of Joshua.  Having watched Joshua do this repeatedly, Rocky must have thought, "Hmm, he must know something I don't.  Apparently this is better than the heated water bowl inside the barn.  I'll try drinking from this thing, too!"

Rocky drinking

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7 responses to “It’s Like Drinking From A Firehose … Or, A Snowblower.”

  1. Boundforglory Avatar
    Boundforglory

    THAT’S DARLING!
    Cats are so creative; your barn cats, like my cat, seem to channel just a fraction of their creativity into finding interesting water sources. Joshua beats my girl out with this idea though. ; )

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  2. Darcie Avatar
    Darcie

    I had a cat like this – drove me crazy, he’d never drink from the water bowl, but he’d leap onto the sink for drips, the shower when I got out, or even the toilet after a flush if we forgot to put the lid down, he was obsessed with running water…I finally stumbled across a “pet fountain” that recirculates the water constantly. I filled it up, plugged it in, and he drank for five solid minutes, and he drank out of it from that day forward. Which made me feel guilty, of course, for not figuring it out sooner.

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  3. Lynn Avatar
    Lynn

    I just want to say I really admire how neat everything always is at the ranch. I love to look at all the background in your photos and am just amazed how clean and orderly everything appears.
    Visiting RDR is on my “Bucket List”. Pretty close to the top as a matter of fact.

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  4. Colleen & Sweet Kitty Erin Avatar
    Colleen & Sweet Kitty Erin

    I love it! They are quite ingenious when it comes to getting dripping, cold fresh water. I fill up my cat’s bowl every day but he never touches it. He drinks from the faucet & will sit in the bathroom no matter what time of day or night & meow until someone (ME) comes & turns on the water for his “Highness”. And, in the evening when I am fixing a drink for dinner & get ice from auto icemaker he will run into the kitchen & wait for a chunk to fall out so he can knock it around & lick it as he chases it.

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  5. Helen R Avatar
    Helen R

    Cats. Infinitely resourceful. It’s humbling, isn’t it, how they prefer their own way of doing things. Glad you finally got this picture.

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  6. Jane Avatar
    Jane

    Fine barn cats you have but that is an awesome tractor! I’m gonna ask for a test drive next time I visit 🙂

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  7. Cute Easy Hairstyles Avatar

    How funny! They do such weird things… That’s why I love cats! Thanks for sharing your lovely story and pics!!

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