Tap left running for 13 years to provide fresh water for family cats

NEWS AND VIEWS - NORTHERN IRELAND: A couple left the bathroom tap running nonstop for 13 YEARS to provide fresh, running water for their cats! It sounds unbelievable but it is true. It is reported in the news media today. The couple's neighbour was perturbed by the constant sound of running water and the fact that his garden was becoming flooded! To create that kind of sound the tap must have been running near full blast.

For some peculiar reason the tap water was making its way into his garden. That could only happen if the water from the tap was exiting a downpipe outside the house and onto their garden. Normally it would go into the drain. There must have been a leak in the system.

The neighbour said that they were dealing with the constant annoyance of running water which they believed came from their neighbour's garden. The water was flooding their back garden.

The person described their neighbours as reclusive. They tried to talk to them. They knocked on their door but they never responded. One day they got lucky because both he and his neighbours arrived back at their home in their cars at the same time. This allowed him to ask why he was hearing the sound of running water. He enquired whether there was a burst pipe.

His neighbours responded as if he was mad. They said that they just left the bathroom tap running constantly so the cats can help themselves to freshwater. The tap has been on for 13 years, they said.

For the neighbour the sound of running water is a constant irritation. And of course, there is the sheer waste of it. In fact, the waste is astonishing. We don't know whether the couple wasting the water are on a water meter or not. I am sure that they are not on a water meter because if they were they would be paying an astonishing amount. It appears to be an example of pure waste because they can get away with it

Cat drinking from bathroom tap. But this one is running gently. The story indicates because of the noise that the tap was fully open. Image in public domain.

You wonder whether the cats actually use the tap for freshwater. It is probable that they noticed that one of their cats liked to drink from the faucet as they call it in America. And then decided to leave the tap running permanently for a straight 13 years.

You can buy water fountains which do the same job! And in Britain from time to time there are water shortages despite it being a very wet and soggy country. Global warming is creating more water shortages. You would have thought the water company would have made some enquiries by now.

The neighbours are considering contacting the local authority. I would contact the water company because the neighbours must be provided with water by the same company. They can then hopefully gently encourage the couple to change their habit.

The ultimate source of the story is Reddit.com but I can't find the post.