Any luck with water bottles?

Has anyone tried to use water bottles with their cats instead of a water dish? And if so, were you successful?

As mentioned once previously, Tryon has water dish "issues". She drinks fine, but afterwards she plays in the dish like a kid at a public pool. She doesn't knock the dish over, she just splashes in it (almost angrily?) until my floor has turned into lake carpet.

She hasn't grown out of it... shows no signs of stopping. Have tried different size dishes, different weight dishes, dishes with prints on the bottom for added depth perception... nothing. She is just convinced that water needs to be on the floor, and darn it, it's going to get there if she has to make every inch of herself wet in the process!

Tried only putting water down at certain points of the day and take it away when she splashes, but I worry she doesn't get enough water that way because she seems to have a dislike of wet food (she's on and off with it... right now we're in an off period).

So I'm thinking a water bottle might help. Thoughts?

You mean like for a gerbil or a rabbit?

I don't think it would work at all. Carnivores (like cats and dogs) lap water instinctively, so a bottle wouldn't work for them. Herbivores (like rabbits and hamsters and humans) sip water, and can use bottles.

Try putting her bowl in a larger tray lined with a towel or puppy pad or something absorbent. That might help somewhat. Also, you could put the water bowl up on something so she isn't walking by it when she is bored and looking for something to play with.

I don't know if this will help but we have one of those culligan water-looking slow-watering fountains for our cats. There isn't as much water out at one time. Course, the more she splashes, the more water comes out but at least there isn't a ton of water there to play with in the beginning.

Thanks to Riley, this is what I had to do. I bought a large hook and eye, and a small deep metal bucket at the feedstore, as well as a bit larger grain pan with tall sides. I put the bucket on the floor, hooked the eye to the wall, hooked the hook onto the handle of the bucket. Put the bucket in the grain pan, and attached the hook on the handle to the eye in the wall. Now Ripley can drink and splash and the overflow goes into the grain pan. It took about two weeks in this set up for him to give up the water games. He now only does it occassionally, but I think I spoiled his fun-

I remember someone posting some time back about using a rabbit's water bottle for their cat. So, yes, it's possible. I'm not sure if your cat would use it, though.

I have never tried it so I don't know. I haven't heard of it for anything other than rabbits and the like.