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Why does my cat keep putting his paw in his water??
- Thread starter catnoobie
- Start Date
My cats all put their paws in their water to test where the water level is. I think cos' they cant see the level.
- Joined
- May 8, 2005
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He may just like playing in it, Spalding won't drink until he has the water sloshing around.
I just put the water bowl in a disposable lasagna pan so the floor stays dry.
I just put the water bowl in a disposable lasagna pan so the floor stays dry.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
my kitten does that too! I read somewhere that cats do that to test where the water level is. My co-worker put colored marbles in her cat's drinking bowl and she says her cat has stopped putting her paws in the bowl.... she says the marbles let the cat know how deep the water is...or something like that!
Molly's the first cat I've had who LOVES dipping her paw in the water. I don't know if she does it because she likes playing with it (though sometimes I suspect that's exactly what she's doing), but I swear she just prefers to drink that way. Dip her paw in, then lick the paw. Dip the paw in, lick the paw. Dip, lick. And so on and so forth. I don't think I've actually seen her lapping up the water straight from the bowl, come to think of it... Little wierdo 
. One time that I KNOW she was playing is when my sister dropped an egg in my dog's water bowl (she's paranoid that he isn't getting enough to drink, and he likes eggs, so he'd have to drink some water in order to get it... lol). Molly eventually came to the bowl and was dunking her leg all the way in the water, swishing the water and trying to move the egg. It was hilarious, until she'd take her leg out and flick it, and water would suddenly splat all over the place, lol. And another time the bowl (which is sort of transparent) was sitting on a little piece of paper, and Molly could see it, so she had her whole leg dunked in the water trying to pick up the paper, which she obviously couldn't do but her dear little heart tried anyway
I put some food coloring in the water bowls once and nobody seemed to mind. If anything, my dog refused to touch it, lol ("That's not water! Water isn't green! Gimme water!")
. One time that I KNOW she was playing is when my sister dropped an egg in my dog's water bowl (she's paranoid that he isn't getting enough to drink, and he likes eggs, so he'd have to drink some water in order to get it... lol). Molly eventually came to the bowl and was dunking her leg all the way in the water, swishing the water and trying to move the egg. It was hilarious, until she'd take her leg out and flick it, and water would suddenly splat all over the place, lol. And another time the bowl (which is sort of transparent) was sitting on a little piece of paper, and Molly could see it, so she had her whole leg dunked in the water trying to pick up the paper, which she obviously couldn't do but her dear little heart tried anyway
I put some food coloring in the water bowls once and nobody seemed to mind. If anything, my dog refused to touch it, lol ("That's not water! Water isn't green! Gimme water!")
My cats both do this to test the water level. They are more likely to do it when their water is in a stainless steel bowl, which is probably too reflective for them. I wondered how long this has been going on worldwide as it seems to be a cultural thing, like blue tits pecking through milk bottle tops. I certainly can't recall seeing any cat do this before the mid-1990s. My female cat also uses the fur on her paw as a sponge to mop up milk if she can't get her face into the jug.
Gus sticks his paws in any thing liquid. Then he licks his paws. My cereal is his favoriteOur old lady Missy don't do it in a water dish, but she will dip her paw in a glass of milk or water and lick it off her paw. Its funny to watch, she is so careful not to tip over or move the glass.
