Keeping Cat from playing in Water Bowl

[disneychrista]

Does anyone have any ideas, tricks or tips on how to keep the cat from playing in water bowl and making a mess? It started out like she was wetting her paw to clean herself and has turned into her splashing the water out of the bowl.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

My only suggestion would be to try and get it all on video. That sounds like something that needs to be a viral video!

Mor seriously, maybe put welcome mat under the water dish?

 

[AlwaysMoving]

Not sure there is much you can do. It is a cat afterall...lol. Our cat uses the wide dog dish to dip her elbows in the water while she washes.

 

[JessicaR]

Get a Mastiff - see what they can do when drinking water - say thank you for just having a cat that wants to play.

Maybe place a towel under that water bowl - that should solve the issue.

 

[lovetoscrap]

If you figure it out please let me know! Mine will take their bowl for a walk. I will find it several feet away from where it belongs. I have tried a non skid mat, different types of rugs and towels. They will just grab the mat and drag it around. No matter what type of bowl they use the will push the edge down to tip it over. I finally put their water in our downstairs bathroom shower that isn't used often so that the mess wouldn't be a problem! It is back out since we had guests that use that shower so I am interested to see what happens. They currently have a metal dog bowl with a non skid bottom but they are still moving it around.

We had a plug in recirculating water fountain for them but they would actually grab the cord and unplug it and use the cord to drag it around!

Put a folded up towel under it to help absorb the water and be prepared to change it out every day (maybe several times a day!).

 

[hereyago]

It's the cat's world and they just let us live in it, lol.

 

[cornflake]

Put one of those plastic mats with sides that you'd use for snowy shoes under her dishes with a tea towel under the water one, because you're not going to be able explain to the kitty to stop.

Some cats just do that. You can put like, less water in the bowl but you'll have to keep refilling it to be sure she has water to drink and she'll still do it, and she'll get annoyed that she can't dunk her paws so... just get the mat.

 

[ILoveToRun]

Two of my cats do it, I never thought of stopping them. They have so much fun! Just put a towel down.

 

[disneychrista]

If you figure it out please let me know! Mine will take their bowl for a walk . . . I have tried a non skid mat, different types of rugs and towels. They will just grab the mat and drag it around.

We had a plug in recirculating water fountain for them but they would actually grab the cord and unplug it and use the cord to drag it around!

Yeah she started off just scooting it around, then we got the mat (with towel on top of garbage bag). Then she starting splashing at it.

We just got the water fountain thing and the first thing she did was go over and start splashing in it.

She makes such a mess already kicking the litter out of her box, or holding it in her paw and then "dropping" it else where.

I guess she is just a messy kitty. We rescued her as a feral kitty at about 3 week old (a year ago), nursed her back to health (she was less than 24 hours from death) and sometimes I think the feral instinct must never goes away.

 

[KiminChicago]

I had a cat that would go "fishing". He would take his dry cat food and flip it into the water bowl, then dunk it a few times before fishing it out and eating it from his paw. It was the funniest thing to watch, but we'd end up with water splashed on the floor and the wall. I sure do miss Max.

 

[Cinderella94]

One of our cats likes to pull his water bowl across the room. .

 

[Kat77]

I also suspect it's something you'll have to tolerate.
We have a rescue kitty who loves tipping unguarded drinks and his water bowl. He occasionally tries to jump onto the tiny fridge ledge and hit the water dispenser. That's really funny to watch! He's the only cat I've ever known to join people in the shower.

 

[AlwaysMoving]

She makes such a mess already kicking the litter out of her box, or holding it in her paw and then "dropping" it else where.

When our cat was a kitten, she went through a week when all she wanted to do was play in the litter pan. Not just scratch at the litter, but get in the pan and act like she was attacking and pouncing on a mouse. Litter would go everywhere. It was so frustrating because she would not stop it no matter what we did.

We had another cat that would transfer chunks of canned food to the area rug to eat close to where we were eating. When we got our dog, he noticed this cat's behavior and copied it by taking a mouthful of dry food to the carpet, spit it out, then eat it. Strange bunch they were.

 

[disneychrista]

We had another cat that would transfer chunks of canned food to the area rug to eat close to where we were eating.

Yeah our dog does this occasionally too. Not nearly as messy as water everywhere.

 

[SandrA9810]

When our cat was a kitten, she went through a week when all she wanted to do was play in the litter pan. Not just scratch at the litter, but get in the pan and act like she was attacking and pouncing on a mouse. Litter would go everywhere. It was so frustrating because she would not stop it no matter what we did.

We had another cat that would transfer chunks of canned food to the area rug to eat close to where we were eating. When we got our dog, he noticed this cat's behavior and copied it by taking a mouthful of dry food to the carpet, spit it out, then eat it. Strange bunch they were.

My dog did this too, and almost any dog I've known does this. I've had a couple cats that liked to play with their food before eating it. Even had one that would pick up the food in her paw, and eat it from her paw.

 

[Sunnyt154]

My cat does this too. She is also obsessed with sinks and will sit of hours waiting for someone to turn the water on.
I don't know of a way to stop it. We just think it is cute and wipe it up after.

 

[indimom]

I'd use one of two options.

If it's not spraying on the walls, just spilling on the floor, then I'd put a rug under it to soak up the excess water. Then just wash and replace the rug as needed.

If the water is ending up on the walls, cabinets, etc., I'd put the water and food bowls inside a larger rubbermaid tub and cut an entrance door into the tub. We did this for our ferrets who splashed a lot of water and also played in their food. It was easier to keep tidy than trying to find where all the mess went and scrubbing walls, doors, cabinets, etc. (DH drew a semi-circular opening onto the tub, heated a blade, cut a little, heated again, cut again, etc. It didn't take long and looked neat and tidy when finished.)

 

[kamik86]

We have a cat that does this, less now that we have the kittens as well though. I think they got made at him for making the floor wet (the kittens don't like to step in water, when they do you see them pick up their paw and just look at it and the floor... really cute)

The biggest thing is we can't use one of those water jugs that refill the bowl. He will see the little spout in the water bowl where the water from the jug comes out and try to grab it. He will do this until he knocks the entire bowl over and it all spills on the floor. Of course it then gets the food wet and starts to mold (we tried this on vacation last time so my niece didn't have to fill a bunch of little bowls each time so they would have enough water). However the bowls he will leave alone for the most part so that is what we do now.

 

[dakcp2001]

We have a boot tray we put under the water bowl, got it at Christmas Tree Shops. It contains the spill. He loves playing in the water though, he is 8 and has not grown out of it.

A plastic tray will do the trick!

 

[Imzadi]

Put a big cookie sheet or a larger, higher rimmed one called a sheet pan underneath.

In a cat's world, there is so little to keep them occupied & to play with throughout the day. I have long suspected that they sleep so much out of boredom rather than needing to sleep. Be thankful that a little water does the trick in helping her pass the time.

My cat likes brown paper bags. So, I have to put them all down on the floor after emptying them, so she can inspect what came into the house.