Picture of ginger tabby cat looking anxious in water

In one way I love the face of this cat but I am also worried for this cat. He or she looks very anxious. I don't know how she got into water. Was she put in it? It almost looks way because I don't think she would get in for the fun of it. Some cats don't mind water. Some even like it (Savannah cat breed for example). But the majority of random bred cats don't really like water. This cat is in that bracket. That said, all cats are decent swimmers. Some are excellent (tiger for example). It is a bit of a myth that the Turkish Van likes to go for a swim.

Cats That Love Water

This is a list of cats that love water:

1. Tigers
2. Fishing cat
3. Flat-headed cat
4. Jaguar
5. Leopard cat
6. Bengal cat
7. Savannah cat
8. Turkish Van
9. In general: wildcat hybrids
10. Some individual random bred cats

In the water where it is happiest. The flat-headed cat.

Numbers 1-5 are wild cats. 6 and 7 are well known wildcat hybrids.  There are other lesser known wild cat hybrids that will tend to like water as well. It is in their blood because their wild cat ancestors liked it.

The Turkish Van originally comes from the area that surrounds lake Van in eastern Turkey. It is said (perhaps with a little bit of exaggeration) that the Turkish Van in Turkey learned to swim in the lake! I am yet to be completely convinced that this cat breed really does like water. There is a tendency on the Internet to repeat what someone else has said.

Although probably 99.9% of random bred cats don't particularly like water, a few will like water to the extent that you could say that they love it.

"Love" is a strong word. I would suggest that those cats that are in the list on this page do not necessarily love water. It is just that the food (prey) is in the water or it is cooler in the water. The fishing cat and flat-headed cat prey on fish.  They have webbed paws. The tiger lives in a hot environment and likes to keep cool in water - sensible. It is more a case of practicalities than loving water.

Which cats like water?

Some cat breeds like water and some individual cats like water. Cats in general don't hate water as some people seem to think.

The cat breeds that are known to like water are (a) Turkish Van - this cat originates from the area around lake Van in Turkey. Is there a connection? (b) Bengal cat - the liking of water comes from the wild cat ancestor of this cat which is a wild cat hybrid. The wild cat ancestor is the leopard cat (c) the Savannah cat - once again this is a wildcat hybrid and wildcat hybrids generally like water more than moggies or other purebred cats.

Of the random bred cats (so called mixed breed cats) any one individual might like water. It is a personal thing. You won't know until you have lived with the cat for a while.

Moggies generally tend not to like to get in the shower or bath with you! Wild cat hybrids do do this however.

Of the wildcats there are several that like water. The most famous wild cat, the tiger, is a great swimmer and likes to spend time in the water to cool off. The well known fishing cat hunts in the water. But there are a number of wildcats that hunt in or near water. The leopard cat is one (as mentioned above).

I have a page on what I call the "water cats"! You can read about these water loving wildcats on this page.