Dumping Over the Water Dish

Our newest kitty, Misty, has an odd habit with the water bowl. She will take a few very messy sips, slap her paw around in the bowl until most of the water is gone and then dump the bowl over. We're going to get her a bowl she can't tip, but how do we get her to stop splashing out the water? She leaves nothing for the other cats. Why is she doing this?

IMB

See if your pet store has one of the new water 'dispensers', a sort of short tower with bowls around each side that lets water run freely down into the bowls and sort of keeps recycling it (like a fountain). Cats love running water to drink from, and this would allow her to have some (which she may be trying to create) but not to have it standing ready to be tipped over, plus the other cats would have their own bowls as well. I may not be describing it very well, but someone else will!

I had the same problem. There isn't a bowl they can't tip if they're determined enough, it does not exist, unless you give them a bucket or a fountain/dispenser sort of thing. I didn't want to do that because they're always plastic.

So I came here and asked the same question. Someone, I forget who, but they're a genius, told me to velcro the bowl down. I did, and she can't tip it over anymore. I velcro'd it to the placemat I have, but you could velcro it to the floor too. The only problem is that after the velcro gets wet a few times sometimes it comes off, but it costs, what 50 cents to replace, and after a few weeks the cat stops doing it anyway.

I have heard a few theories on why they do this, from trying to bury it, to playing in it, to that they don't like their whiskers touching the sides.

Mine started doing it out of nowhere when she was about 6 mos. My sister's cat likes to drag his bowl across the floor, which may be where she got it from except my bowls had no-slips. Anyway, if you have something she can drag, like a big, heavy coffeemug, try that first, and then if she keeps tipping it, velcro it down.

Mine would tap it around until it was almost empty, dump the whole thing over onto the floor, watch me clean it up and refill it, and do it again. And again. I ended up giving her about an inch of water in a big bowl until I could figure out what to do.

My cats tip over the dish too! Abby tips it over with her paw, and Chynna by rubbing her head all over the edges.

I finally resorted to using one of those miniture ice cream pails that you can buy potato salad in at the grocery store. It's plastic, but it's also wide enough and heavy enough when filled with water that they can't tip it over.

I'd love to get one of those water fountains, but I can't afford to right now, so this plastic "tub" does the job. I change the water in it twice a day and put a block of ice in it each time, and each time I pass that way to go to the kitchen, I give it a stir. They seem satisfied with that for now. I'm not, but it will do

I thought Wrinkles was the only one!!

We've tried all kinds of contraptions- one of the most successful being a plastic bowl glued to a tray. It still wasn't 100% spill proof though!

Until recently we had the water bowl in the bath tub but we've just bought one of the jumbo fountains which holds more water than even Wrinks can move! I can't stop him sticking his paws in it but at least we don't have water all over the floor.

Incidentally, it's much preferred to a water bowl by the other cat who'd only drink from a running faucet. He's now more than happy to drink from his new fountain.

Thanks to all who responded. We have in the past used the plastic water tower. We got it especially for our dear Harvey who developed thyroid disease and was constantly thirsty. After a while the cats refused to drink from it and we had trouble with water scum and mold on the inside of the container. Nothing we tried would get rid of it for long. I'm sure that little problem discouraged the fuzz heads from drinking from it. Perhaps it's time we tried again.

I wonder if her reflection in the water is what sets her off. She's so skitish sometimes.

i think you kittens are being cheeky lol