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Cat paws at water bowl--help!?

The Menagerie
#1

Our 8 month old kitten likes water. Well, he likes to paw at and tip over containers of water. His destructive path has led to only one water bowl in the house now, a large,heavy plastic ice cream bucket “re-purposed” into a dog water bowl.

All went well until Debbil Cat figured out he could “bury” it and it would spill. He buries his food, buries his water, energetically buries his poo, too. Spilled water is so much fun!

What do I do!? He’s spilling it daily, and I’m sick of the mess. He killed my Betta by flipping his bowl over, so he’s in my bad graces right now.

Ideas?

#2

I have cats that like to paw at the water, too. What I do is put the water far away from the food and in non-tippable (sp) containers. These might help you: http://www.jefferspet.com/no-skid-no-tip-bowls/p/10950/

My cats are finally able to drink from (my) Solo cups without tipping them. I’d go to bed with water for me and wake up with a mess. It took some time, though.

#3

I have a Turkish Van. He’s six years old and STILL plays in his water, the fish bowl and the toilet. Not really a habit you can break , lols.

#4

I used to have a cat who was chronic about playing in water and turning over water bowls. I was at my wit’s end with her over it and my ex-DH brainstormed and came up with something that really made a difference. He got a big plastic dishtub and a flat bottomed bowl that would hold only about three to four cups of water. He super glued the bowl to the bottom of the dishpan where it was impossible to tip it. She tried and tried to turn it over for a couple of weeks, really working at it. The water she splashed out with her paws landed in the dishpan and not all over my floor. After about a month, she never tried again - the fun was gone for her. :lol:

#5

It’s a cat thing. Get those heavy, rubber footed no top dishes as suggested. I have one that is 9 and STILL splashes in water - he balances on the edge of the water trough and does his thing.

#6

Puzzle plays dippy-paw. Daughter wrapped a short, small, plastic glass in a towel in the bathroom. The dogs have a small water bucket, if we keep that full, the weight of the water is more than the balancing cat.

She fishes out kibble for the dogs (the cattle dog loves it when she plays this game)

#7

I have one who IS. NOT. TRUSTWORTHY. around any sort of standing water. Water bowls, cups, anything.

I can’t even leave the toilet lid up, because he’ll splash all the water out… watch it refill… and repeat. He has flooded the bathroom on more than one occasion. :mad: :lol:

Incidentally, he too likes to bury things.

For my guy, the answer was a water fountain. For whatever reason, he doesn’t splash if the water is moving. And I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to tip one of the fountains over.

#8

Just put one down at age 17+ in April who played in her water until the last month or 2 of her life. She loved her water fountain, best money I spent for her.

Whether still or moving water make certain the water is fresh and clean. If “still water” change it at least twice a day. If moving, as in a fountain, change it frequently. Put something down under or put the container in a ‘tray’ of some sort to catch the water as they will continue to splash.

One of the barn kitties that we adopted this past winter is also a “moving water” sort. She is always under foot when I am running water outside :lol:

#9

My Toby who we just lost last week was a water cat. He would go in the shower with you, too :eek:

We solved our problem by putting his water bowl(s) in our big whirlpool tub that we never use. He liked to hang out in there anyway, so everyone was happy. He could play with the water all he wanted and spills went down the drain.

#10

Well… aren’t you guys so helpful:lol:! He was just busy playing “splash myself in the dog water” when I came in to check what brilliant advice you all would have for me. Sigh.

He likes to get in his cardboard box and scoot across the tile floor, too. He’s damn odd. But that pretty much describes cats, doesn’t it?

I think he’s about to get his water in a dish pan. but…I have a dog smaller than him! Curses…

More thinking…

Oh, and he has 3 other cat roommates who DO NOT put their paws in any water. My favorite thing now are the dirty cat prints in the bath tub. Dead giveaway of where he’s been!

#11

I have three cats… two of which L.O.V.E. water. The boy will crawl in the shower if you let him. The water lovers will play/splash/dump water be in in a cup, bowl, toilet etc (it was getting to the point where I was going to have to paint the wall because the water was making marks!) The third cat, however, doesn’t like water but is so lazy when she eats and drinks that she lays on the bowl spilling the food and water.

So I’m from around Louisville, so I went to the Louisville stoneware place and got heavy dog bowls for them. They’re too heavy for them to spill-- and they’ve tried-- a lot. Now the plastic water cup that sits on the bathtub is fair game for spilling. Every night you get to hear it splash but it falls into the tub. No biggies. I swear the oldest cat is not fulfilled if she doesn’t dump that cup each night.

#12

You beat me to it, I too have a splashing kitty, I think he just liked to drink water that was moving. The fountain stopped the problem.

Incidentally, he does like to “bury” and will scratch the inside of the litterbox for ten minutes after he uses it.

#13

A water fountain solved our water-bowl-flipping issues as well. He must still stick his paws in it sometimes because I’ll find cat litter in it, but he’s never tried to flip it. He will occasionally dismantle it, though. We tape the lid on to solve that problem.

#14

Yesterday, i meet a person who told me i am using bowls for my horse food, it sounds very amazing when i hear that, cuz basically people using pot in which they keep grains for horse…! I hope if you hear this same by someone you also feel amazing…!

#15

toilet bowls and waterdishes

Had a cat who liked to splash water out of the toilet. Just the toilet. First time she did it, I am laying in bed trying to figure out what the scary sound was and whether or not I really wanted to get up out of bed in the dark to see what it was. She also used to lounge on the side of the bathtub while I was taking a bath and dangle her paws and her tail in the water. The positive factor was that I could bath her without loss of blood or major body parts. Course, you had to remember to leave the seat down before bedtime or have an unpleasant experience if you got up in the middle of the night. nothing like sitting on a wet toilet seat at 2am to get your attention. Also had a barn kitty who used to lay in her water bowl (it was quite large) in the summertime.

#16

Maybe this has been said already but cats prefer to drink from moving water. Try a fountain cat water bowl for him to see if it will help.

#17

I’m with

I’m with those that recommend a kitty water fountain. I have one that used to drag water dishes all around, spilling the whole way. A water fountain solved that problem. My kitties love them. :slight_smile:

#18

Go to the thrift store and buy a Crock Pot insert. Nice and heavy and can’t be flipped. Cheap, too.

My cat Duncan used to LOVE to spill his water bowl. He would drag it across the floor and of course it would spill and splash all over to his delight. If he couldn’t drag it, he would stand on the edge of it and flip it over - leaping out of the way, of course. I tried using my heavy Le Creuset casserole but found him gleefully wading in it - all four paws in water up to his tummy. I found the crock pot insert is too narrow and too heavy for him. If I only fill it a bit less than half full he can splash in it all he wants and it doesn’t get on the floor. Of course, now that I have taken his “fun” away, he only uses it for drinking.

Now if only I could get his brother to stop “washing” his paws in it after he uses the litter box. :sigh:

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