This is the amusing moment a thirsty cat tried to drink water from a running tap - but failed because its own head kept blocking the flow.

The eight-year-old moggie named Ji-Pang jumped onto the toilet sink for a refreshing gulp of cool water.

However, the dozey feline ended up lapping its tongue at thin air because as she moved towards the stream of water, her head blocked the flow.

Ji-Pang's owner Gila Huang, 38, recorded her cat at the family home in Yilan City, Taiwan on October 30.

The amused pet lover said: "When I started the faucet, Ji-Pang jumped on the basin and started drinking, but failed. This is not the first time. She never learns.''

Aside from drinking water from the kitchen and toilet sink, Gila said her cat likes to sip water from the aquarium and water basins around the house.

She added: "She has a drinking bowl, I don't know why she never uses it and likes to drink water from every other place."