I'm not a cat expert, but I think that cats can sense whether or not their food and water may make them sick. Cats have a great sense of smell and water from different sources have different odors. Cats may also detect odors better than humans. Therefore, cats maybe sensitive to chemicals in water or water from an unfamiliar source.
ADD:
The first answer is quite right; cats have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and can easily detect any decomposing proteins in their food or water, so will only often touch fresh, moving water. However, there is a little more to it than cats turning their noses up at water just because they don't like the smell:
Domestic cats, like their wild ancestors and cousins, are designed to get their moisture from their food, so will not often drink water out of a bowl or other water source unless very thirsty. Investing in a water fountain specially designed for cats is an excellent way of enticing a cat to drink, as the water is constantly moving and kept fresh.
depression.......
Cat(s) like to drink milk and water, I prefer water. They can also drink carrot juice.
They drink water from the lake.
It is not recommended for cats to drink lemon water as it can be harmful to their digestive system. It is best to provide fresh water for your cat to drink.
A cat uses its paw to drink water by dipping it into the water and then licking the water off its paw. This helps the cat to control the amount of water it drinks and also keeps its fur dry.
rote-a-rooter cat
Your cat may drink the water simply because it can. Some cats like filtered water more than regular water, and some will only drink certain types. If the cat has fresh water in it's bowl, it is probably just drinking out of the glass because it can.
Get a spray bottle fill it with water and every time it comes onto you property spray it so it wont come back and if that doesn't work leave out off milk or a really disgusting drink that the cat wont like so leave it out so it will drink it and it will be so disgusted it wont come back.
snow leopard!? is that not a wild cat and NOT a domestic cat?!
Ya. What other water is there goat water?
It is generally safe to drink water that a cat has also drank from, as long as the water is clean and fresh. However, it is always a good idea to have a separate water source for your cat to prevent any potential contamination.
Cause he likes it.