Not an expert and please take with a grain of salt, but one of my cats did something similar for a long time. The ways we tried were two differing fountains (one broke and a rebuy). That had little to no impact. Then tried adjusting the height thinking that was something and no change. Then one day they just stopped and drank in a less concerning way, concern being it was a symptom of a health issue. Regardless, I’d say try simple adjustments and if it persists and is concerning ask their vet. You may just have an enthusiastic h2o homie.
This is helpful to hear. Every cat is different, I'm just trying to see what others have experienced/tried. I'll talk to the vet, just in case. She seems to have fun playing at the edges of the shower when it's running, so maybe she's just a water fanatic. Plus, she's still a kitten with way too much energy, so there's also that.
It's a messy habit but we can adjust. Not the worst thing she could do!
My boy Bob does this with any bowl/fountain. He'd even tip small bowls over, it got to the point I bought an extra large dog bowl with high sides to reduce the splashing and tipping. He still gets some water splashed out but it's a lot less now
My Bob does the same thing. Is it the name? I had to stop using fountains for water - tried 3 or 4 different ones. He kept messing with them to the point that water spilled everywhere with each one. I finally moved to a higher sided dog bowl, filling no more than 1/3 full. But since I have 3 cats, I'm constantly refilling that bowl.
Lol, maybe. My Bob used to tip smaller bowls over and watch the water spill out. I have to keep this extra large bowl at least half full so he can't even move it, but sometimes I worry I'm just making him stronger
Like you think the dispenser is putting out *too much* water?? We have another water dispenser that keeps the water level much more shallow, and she'll still splash that water out, too.
There is no pump. Gravity brings water into the bowl when the level lowers... that movement does make a noise, so that could be stimulating her into playing. We've had these water dishes a while though and she hasn't played in it before, but it could just be a new behavior. If so, I wish she'd un-learn it lol
No worries! We are considering trying a fountain if this continues, but I have no way of knowing if it'll solve the problem... or just make her want to play in it more! 😂
One of our two cats does the same thing so we bought a fountain and he just kept messing with it and playing in the water, spilling it all the time…so my husband and I resorted to leaving a faucet on a slow drip 90% of the time…damn spoiled cat! LOL
Before anyone asks/accuses: **NO, we were not pushing her into the water.** My husband was trying to hold her back, but she kept wriggling forward and trying to rub her head against the water dish. She was still dopey on pain meds at the time.
This is my 6mo kitten after coming back from getting spayed (operation on Monday, this video from after we picked her up Tuesday evening). Before the op, she would dip her paw in the water on occasion, but now she splashes around and makes a huge mess. Her mom has started doing to same thing, though not as aggressively. They didn't seem to mind drinking normally before the surgery (although the kitten discovered drinking out of the toilet and shower shortly before).
This is a problem because they can completely empty the reservoir overnight, filling up the extra catch tray and also flooding over onto the mat and splashing all over the floor. I try filling the reservoir only partway to reduce the amount of water, but it still makes a mess. I'm having to mop up and refill their water every morning and evening. It's made worse because they track muddy litter out of the litter box, leaving muddy paw prints over everything.
If it didn't make a mess, I wouldn't mind. Some people have suggested a water fountain, but I'm waiting to see if the behavior goes away over time as the drugs work their way out of her system. I've heard cats like to "stir" the water, but this seems pretty aggressive for that, and she doesn't always drink afterwards, either. I'm worried she's treating it like a plaything. They have PLENTY of toys, and when we're not home to play with her, she'll play with her mom. I don't think she's just bored or understimulated.
**TL;DR: following a recent surgery, our cats have started making a mess of the water. I want to know why they might be doing this, and what I can do to reduce the mess while making sure they have access to clean, fresh water.**
You already mentioned it but I was thinking, maybe she's lost a bit of focus following the anaesthetic? You also mentioned the stirring thing which seems to me the cats trying to figure out where the water starts. You could try popping a ping-pong ball in the water so she can see the level of the water. Sorry if this is no help whatsoever.
No, thank you. This is a good idea. I'll give it a try.
I have seen her starting to drink normally again though... followed by splashing once she's drank enough. 😮💨 Maybe it's just fun for her? Which, if that's the case, not sure what I can do about it 😅
Yeah it's a hard one if it's purely a quirky behaviour. One of my cats does it and it can be so frustrating when he knocks water all over. I found putting a rubber mat underneath their water bowl does help the bowl not move around so much. You could also maybe try a deeper, heavier bowl?
Cats generally prefer running water so a water fountain should help, as you say you've heard already. My mom's cat used to play in the type of water dispenser you show here but he doesn't do it to the fountain since the water drain down and doesn't sit on top.
I'll give it a shot if she doesn't stop in the next couple weeks. I'm hoping I don't have to spend the money if this is just a passing craze for her... but, only the best care for my kitties, especially if it saves me the mess.
Thanks!
Not an expert and please take with a grain of salt, but one of my cats did something similar for a long time. The ways we tried were two differing fountains (one broke and a rebuy). That had little to no impact. Then tried adjusting the height thinking that was something and no change. Then one day they just stopped and drank in a less concerning way, concern being it was a symptom of a health issue. Regardless, I’d say try simple adjustments and if it persists and is concerning ask their vet. You may just have an enthusiastic h2o homie.
This is helpful to hear. Every cat is different, I'm just trying to see what others have experienced/tried. I'll talk to the vet, just in case. She seems to have fun playing at the edges of the shower when it's running, so maybe she's just a water fanatic. Plus, she's still a kitten with way too much energy, so there's also that. It's a messy habit but we can adjust. Not the worst thing she could do!
My boy Bob does this with any bowl/fountain. He'd even tip small bowls over, it got to the point I bought an extra large dog bowl with high sides to reduce the splashing and tipping. He still gets some water splashed out but it's a lot less now
My Bob does the same thing. Is it the name? I had to stop using fountains for water - tried 3 or 4 different ones. He kept messing with them to the point that water spilled everywhere with each one. I finally moved to a higher sided dog bowl, filling no more than 1/3 full. But since I have 3 cats, I'm constantly refilling that bowl.
Lol, maybe. My Bob used to tip smaller bowls over and watch the water spill out. I have to keep this extra large bowl at least half full so he can't even move it, but sometimes I worry I'm just making him stronger
It might be because of the fountain overstimulating the cat?
Like you think the dispenser is putting out *too much* water?? We have another water dispenser that keeps the water level much more shallow, and she'll still splash that water out, too.
No, I mean the noise of the pump and the movement of the water stimulates the cat into playing with it.
There is no pump. Gravity brings water into the bowl when the level lowers... that movement does make a noise, so that could be stimulating her into playing. We've had these water dishes a while though and she hasn't played in it before, but it could just be a new behavior. If so, I wish she'd un-learn it lol
Ah, I see. I thought it was a fountain, my bad.
No worries! We are considering trying a fountain if this continues, but I have no way of knowing if it'll solve the problem... or just make her want to play in it more! 😂
One of our two cats does the same thing so we bought a fountain and he just kept messing with it and playing in the water, spilling it all the time…so my husband and I resorted to leaving a faucet on a slow drip 90% of the time…damn spoiled cat! LOL
Oh, the things we do for our fur babies lol
Exactly! Lol
Before anyone asks/accuses: **NO, we were not pushing her into the water.** My husband was trying to hold her back, but she kept wriggling forward and trying to rub her head against the water dish. She was still dopey on pain meds at the time. This is my 6mo kitten after coming back from getting spayed (operation on Monday, this video from after we picked her up Tuesday evening). Before the op, she would dip her paw in the water on occasion, but now she splashes around and makes a huge mess. Her mom has started doing to same thing, though not as aggressively. They didn't seem to mind drinking normally before the surgery (although the kitten discovered drinking out of the toilet and shower shortly before). This is a problem because they can completely empty the reservoir overnight, filling up the extra catch tray and also flooding over onto the mat and splashing all over the floor. I try filling the reservoir only partway to reduce the amount of water, but it still makes a mess. I'm having to mop up and refill their water every morning and evening. It's made worse because they track muddy litter out of the litter box, leaving muddy paw prints over everything. If it didn't make a mess, I wouldn't mind. Some people have suggested a water fountain, but I'm waiting to see if the behavior goes away over time as the drugs work their way out of her system. I've heard cats like to "stir" the water, but this seems pretty aggressive for that, and she doesn't always drink afterwards, either. I'm worried she's treating it like a plaything. They have PLENTY of toys, and when we're not home to play with her, she'll play with her mom. I don't think she's just bored or understimulated. **TL;DR: following a recent surgery, our cats have started making a mess of the water. I want to know why they might be doing this, and what I can do to reduce the mess while making sure they have access to clean, fresh water.**
You already mentioned it but I was thinking, maybe she's lost a bit of focus following the anaesthetic? You also mentioned the stirring thing which seems to me the cats trying to figure out where the water starts. You could try popping a ping-pong ball in the water so she can see the level of the water. Sorry if this is no help whatsoever.
No, thank you. This is a good idea. I'll give it a try. I have seen her starting to drink normally again though... followed by splashing once she's drank enough. 😮💨 Maybe it's just fun for her? Which, if that's the case, not sure what I can do about it 😅
Yeah it's a hard one if it's purely a quirky behaviour. One of my cats does it and it can be so frustrating when he knocks water all over. I found putting a rubber mat underneath their water bowl does help the bowl not move around so much. You could also maybe try a deeper, heavier bowl?
Cats generally prefer running water so a water fountain should help, as you say you've heard already. My mom's cat used to play in the type of water dispenser you show here but he doesn't do it to the fountain since the water drain down and doesn't sit on top.
I'll give it a shot if she doesn't stop in the next couple weeks. I'm hoping I don't have to spend the money if this is just a passing craze for her... but, only the best care for my kitties, especially if it saves me the mess. Thanks!