Crying over Spilled Water?

Hi everyone,

New to forums here...


We have two cats who are about 2.5 years old, they are both brothers, and have never been apart since birth. They are both super cool, full of their own individual personality, and know how to cheer someone up. Although as of recent one cat has been extra naughty by clawing up our window frames, dry-wall, etc. As a result, he will be de-clawed very soon.

We have another strange problem with him. He likes to spill his water dish all over the place. We will wake up in the morning, and the water and food dish are moved about 3 feet from the original spot, with a nice water trail behind it.

The food/water dish is one of those plastic ones that you put a 2 litre bottle upside down into.



We don't ever put the 2 litre in, only because that means MORE spilled water. So we put the water in a stainless steel bowl on the LEFT side of it, and the food goes on the RIGHT side of it. Also, as a result of him spilling the water all day long, the water gets in the dry food, and of course gets all nasty.

We've tried to seperate the water and food, but that only makes it worse because he has more leverage on the water bowl.

Anyone know what to do? There is nothing worse than getting a foot full of cold water in the morning!

Thanks!

Hi, welcome to TCS to you and your family! We're so glad you've come to us to discuss this. Our site very strongly advocates alternatives to declawing. The behavior that your kitty is exhibiting is normal kitty energy. In this situation, the best way to deter this is to provide toys that he will find more appealing than your window frames and dry wall. Great suggestions are cat towers, scratching posts, ramps, and most importantly, interactive toys where you can enjoy playing together! Another suggestion is to check into Soft Paws for your boys and/or, like my girls, having their nails trimmed once a week.

On to our next situation with the water dish. That's a nice little set up you have there. One alternative would be a cat fountain such as a Drinkwell or Cat-It Fountain. The base is a bit heavier and less easy to tip. Another thought is a heavy based ceramic bowl. Either way, I would suggest placing their food in a separate bowl so it doesn't get all mushy. Then, you can put a place mat under the water bowl to catch any spilled water. They make mats just for this purpose.

Hope this is helpful, and others will be along with their thoughts, as well. again, so glad you've joined us.

Thanks for the quick reply!

Well, as far as the accomidations. We have a 3 level cat condo, which has 4 built in scratching posts. We also have a stand-alone scratching post. The one cat uses both sets, but the naughty one doesn't. Toys, heheehh these cats have more toys than a day care! In fact, we have a shoe-box full which they they pull toys out like a little kid all the time!

I interact with them all the time, because I find it fun to watch them go crazy with strings, mice toys, and a laser pointer that realllllly makes them go nuts!

Onto the water...

we have put a mat under the dish to help prevent water leaking all over, but it's a matter of him pulling the mat around to.

Not sure if this makes a difference at all, but they LOVE to bury their food like squirrels or something. For example, if we eat dinner in the living room and set a plate down, Almost right away...one of them is trying to bury the plate in whatever they can find. So sometimes, we will find random pieces of paper in their food dish.

Thanks for the welcome!

You have a couple of clever (and spoiled!) boys there!

Hi and welcome to TCS!

As Stephanie mentioned, we do not advocate declawing here. Here aer a fwe links for you. One describes what declawing entails, along with alternatives, and the other suggests ways to curb scratching behavior.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...threadid=20568

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41954

My little nut has been making small holes in our window screens lately with her claws. The birds are bugs are just too tempting to her We are going to try replacing a few of our screens with the heavier duty pet screening material and see if that helps.

As far as the water dish, a fountain is an excellent suggestion, or perhaps one of the heavier dog water bowls that boasts that they do not spill??

hiya, i wish i could help but im experiencing the same problem!!!!! but what is worse is i have laminated floor so where i put her food at night it has risen!!! im thinking of getting a really heavy bowl!! in hope that she cant move it!!!

First of all, I'd get rid of those "duel" water/food dishes. It makes it a lot easier to have 2 separate bowls (for cleaning, etc.). If the cats get food in the water, you have to dump BOTH sides out to clean.

Anyway, get two bowls and make the water bowl one of the heavy ceramic/earthenware bowls - if you get the bigger kind, they really cannot move it. And to be even safer, put the bowls in a flat tv tray that has the raised edge to it.

I have since switched the food dish and water dish, and actually seperated the food and water. He still does it, but it seems as if it's not as often. I guess we'll see what happens over the next few weeks.

As far as the de-clawing, my girlfriend is more wanting it than I am. I just read up on the Soft-Claws stuff, and that does seem promising. I just have to talk her into it hehehe.

Thanks again, Everyone!

Maybe a dish like this one would be better....

http://www.amazon.com/PetCetera-Stai.../dp/B00009OLGD

I'm sure there are many other dishes out there like it. A wide base one may be the best way to go.

Also, good luck with talking your girlfriend out of the de-claw. I really hope you can. I had the same problem with my husband, who had spoken to say many people at work about it who had cats de-clawed - and said that there was no harm done - that he was set on having it done.

I started by trying to compromise... I asked him to please try the Soft Paws/training for a month or two before deciding.

Eventually though I just did the last thing I could. I said 'There's NO way on earth that cat is getting declawed!!!'

I used to have on of those water bowls with the bottle years ago. I got rid of it after my Tegato kept spilling water all over my kitchen. I ended up with bruised ribs one night when I slipped in spilled water in the dark. After that it was a regular water bowl.

I just cought up with this thread. Welcome to TCS!!! How are things going with your kitty today??? You mentioned you were interested in Soft Claws- i've found them to work excellent from personal experience . Would you like the link to them? Also- many pet stores sell them as well. They come in different sizes and colors. Good luck! Keep us posted

I must be a push over. My cat loved to rip up the tatami (reed) mats in my old apartment. I used to get angry about this, but then I came to my senses and realized that she's a cat and this is what cats do.

I once considered declawing until I found out what it entailed and now I am strongly against it (she hates getting her nails clipped, I couldn't imagine what would happen if I declawed her). I personally had to spend a lot of time with Miya to redirect her energy and teach her how to actually use the cat toys and scratchers instead of my tatami and carpet.

You also really need to have patience with your kitten. He'll grow out of it, trust me.

I agree with the suggestion to ditch the water bottle. I used to give Miya her food and water in plastic bowls. She thought it was funny to drag the bowls around the floor, so I threw them out and got sturdy ceramic bowls (with a dog-sized bowl for her water so she can't spill it).