Putting toys into water dish

My almost 1 yr old cat Izzy seems to have picked up an odd habit...he likes to take his toy mice (the tiny colored mice, come as 5 in a package) and drop them into his water dish. Then, as he chews on them, because they are wet, they break open in half and I end up having to throw them away.

Any ideas as to why a cat would decide that their water dish has become a play area? This just started maybe 2 weeks ago and he usually does it early in the morning, before I've gotten up for sure. Maybe he's bored/mad that I won't play him right away in the morning? Any comments are welcomed! Thanks!

-Jeff

I think many have cats who drop toys in water bowls. It's one of the great mysteries of cats....I never understood why they do it!

Welcome to TCS!

I, too, have a cat that puts toys in his water dish! hahaha His complete toy dipping ritual consists of draging the toys over to the water dish... dipping them to soak and then dropping them in his food dish - and there they stay until I remove them! It's hilarious! I remember hearing about why they do it somewhere but I don't recall the reason... at least we know it's "normal" behavior!

My kitties frequently drop toys in the water dish and then proceed to bat them around the dish and then drag them out dripping wet and bat them around the floor!

I think the moral of the story is to buy those little mice in bulk! 12 packs from Petsmart or Walmart seem like the best deal!

Sounds like he's figured out a good hunting strategy! Drown your pray, and then finish them off!

Haha....while mine don't yet destroy their mice, they hide them or manage to get them into teeny little crevices and forget about them. I go on a mouse hunt every morning, but am glad I got the 12 pack!

Experts think they do that to hide the toy like they might bury left over food in the wild. I researched it for a piece on my blog that I titled "Drowning Cat Toys: When dead isn't dead enough" I thought my title very funny!

Originally Posted by howtoholdacat

Experts think they do that to hide the toy like they might bury left over food in the wild. I researched it for a piece on my blog that I titled "Drowning Cat Toys: When dead isn't dead enough" I thought my title very funny!

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That is a funny title. It made me laugh.

My Isaac used to do this all the time, but he did out grow the habit.

Lol, I am so going to get some little mice! How cute is that? My kitty did it once with one of his toys but the rest he just scoots about the floor dry!

Originally Posted by Althekitty

Lol, I am so going to get some little mice! How cute is that? My kitty did it once with one of his toys but the rest he just scoots about the floor dry!

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It's cute till the first time you step on a soggy wet toy in the dark. Then it isn't so cute anymore.

hahahaha, these kitties are just ooozing with character! Soggy doesn't sound too great though

For about a week, Kelly started digging in the waterbowl. Water would splatter everywhere. It was cute to see, although annoying. Luckily, she stopped doing it.

My cats don't put their toys in water bowls. Sometimes I find them in my shoes though.

Zoey puts her favorite toys in her food bowl.

Cats like to lick water off of things, so that might be something similar. If he gets it wet and then chews on it, it could be a way of letting the water slowly trickle into his mouth.

Mine drop toys in the water, I don't who though. Someone likes to make catnip tea, by dropping the catnip pillow toy in making the water green

thanks for all the responses, some great theories out there!

guess I just wanted to make sure his behavior wasn't the result of something i'm not/am doing, but it sounds like just one of those things about him i'll never understand- just like his extreme preference to drink water from the running fawcet LOL

he hasn't done it for the last several nights so he might have moved on to something else to amuse himself with

Parrot is amused by just the water, no toys necessary. We've got one of those heavy 1 gallon auto-waterers because the cats kept toppling all the smaller ones, so Parrot has found an alternative - he just sits there and bats at the water relentlessly, until the container is empty and my floor is soaked. Ugh.

My Juno puts her milk jug rings into her water bowl. Sometimes she
fishes them out but most of the time she just leaves them there. At least she knows where they are.

Originally Posted by jman_in_MN

he hasn't done it for the last several nights so he might have moved on to something else to amuse himself with

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Isn't that how it always goes? You get used to one unexplainable behavior and they're off to the next!

Jack puts milk jug rings, balls, and mice (only the ones I made) in his water bowls.

I think he likes to drown his prey. And he always knows Meowmy will see it because she gives the water and food.

Leslie