I adopted a kitten four months ago and I've observed some really weird behavior when he's drinking water from his bowl. He scratches at the sides, puts his whole front half over the bowl, or lays down beside it when he drinks. This wouldn't bother me so much if he didn't make such a mess while he's doing it. I'm not sure how, but every night he manages to spill most of the water out of the heavy porcelain bowl without knocking it over or anything. So, my question is if anyone has observed this in their cats and, if so, how do I remedy it? He's about 6 months old, part Siamese and Bombay, I think.
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Weird Water Behavior
- Thread starter smudge74
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This is not uncommon. We had one girl that would empty the water dish. Try raising the water dish up off the floor by a few inches. It helped us.
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- #3
It's very common behavior, especially among kittens, who think everything is a toy. Usually they get neater when they're older.
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He might be having a hard time seeing the water level in the bowl. My cats (when I gave them water in a bowl) would scratch on the floor around the dish and/or dip their paw in the water. Try putting a ping-pong ball or fishing float in the water so they can see where the waterline is.
Another trick to help your cat see the water level is to put a drop or two of red beet juice in the bowl! It gives the water a tint of pink and he can 'see' the water. A couple drops won't change the taste and beets are non-toxic to cats. Buy a can and save the juice. You can freeze cubes in a tray, then put them in a zip-loc baggie and store them in the freezer. When you clean the bowl and change the water, grab a cube and just dip it in the water dish for a second and it will give the water a nice little tint. The just put the cube back in the freezer til next time.
I bought a water fountain (Walmart for $20) and it has a little 'waterfall' that runs down. They love the sound of the water running and they can see it falling. They absolutely LOVE it and they also drink more water than they did before!
In the meantime, if you are having a lot of water being spilled around on the floor, go to the Dollar store and buy one of those plastic serving trays and set their bowl on it. If they splash or spill, it is contained on the tray. (I bought a silver one, lol, so I can tell people my cats eat from a silver platter!)
Also, keep their water dish filled. They don't like having to stick their face down in a bowl, especially when they don't know where the water level is.
If he still slides the bowl around, buy a small sheet of that non-slip rubber netting that you put under chair pads or throw rugs and cut a circle to put under his dish. It water proof and washes easily!
I hope this helped!
Mind you, one of my boys is a Maine Coon and has a thing for playing in water - sometimes I catch him just laying next to the fountain and sticking his paw under the water flow and then shaking it all around. Then he will lick his paw and continue playing in the water.
Another trick to help your cat see the water level is to put a drop or two of red beet juice in the bowl! It gives the water a tint of pink and he can 'see' the water. A couple drops won't change the taste and beets are non-toxic to cats. Buy a can and save the juice. You can freeze cubes in a tray, then put them in a zip-loc baggie and store them in the freezer. When you clean the bowl and change the water, grab a cube and just dip it in the water dish for a second and it will give the water a nice little tint. The just put the cube back in the freezer til next time.
I bought a water fountain (Walmart for $20) and it has a little 'waterfall' that runs down. They love the sound of the water running and they can see it falling. They absolutely LOVE it and they also drink more water than they did before!
In the meantime, if you are having a lot of water being spilled around on the floor, go to the Dollar store and buy one of those plastic serving trays and set their bowl on it. If they splash or spill, it is contained on the tray. (I bought a silver one, lol, so I can tell people my cats eat from a silver platter!)
Also, keep their water dish filled. They don't like having to stick their face down in a bowl, especially when they don't know where the water level is.
If he still slides the bowl around, buy a small sheet of that non-slip rubber netting that you put under chair pads or throw rugs and cut a circle to put under his dish. It water proof and washes easily!
I hope this helped!
Mind you, one of my boys is a Maine Coon and has a thing for playing in water - sometimes I catch him just laying next to the fountain and sticking his paw under the water flow and then shaking it all around. Then he will lick his paw and continue playing in the water.
Yeah my little girl likes to paw at her water bowl before she drinks. I think they can't see the water line. Then again both my cats are fascinatided by water, showers, faucets etc. Both of mine jump in the shower when I'm done to watch the water go done the drain.
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