I recently read, somewhere, that there are water cats and "non-water" cats - all having to do with breed and genetic history. In other words, some cats derive from wild cats that live or lived in a desert climate and will not be so attracted to water whereas other cats love it. With modern domestic felines unless you have purebred cats, well, you have to learn by discovery what the cat likes and doesn't like.
As for the drinking water, my theory is that in the wild cats go to multiple water sources in order to ensure they get enough minerals. Different places would have different mineral composition. So cats drinking out of every potential source (such as an uncovered toilet bowl!) makes a kind of sense.
I know there is a kind of cat fountain on the market that aerates the water and pours it into the bowl fresh but I don't know what it's called.
