Re: Cats behavior

Question
Hello! I wanted to ask what I can do regarding my cat's behavior lately.  We are having trouble getting him to drink water.  He has started a few weeks ago overturning the bowl containing his water.  Every single time we place water into his bowl he does the same thing. He only does it when he is alone.  We have to literally babysit him to make sure he does not spill the water.  As soon as  we turn our back, water is all over the floor!!!  We read that if cats believe their water is not clean they will do this.  So we started giving him fresh filtered water in his bowl. I even bought an aluminum bowl so bacteria would not grow in the water.  He is still overturning the bowl.  We have to mop up water everyday.  So in an attempt to punish him for his bad behavior, we started not refilling his bowl right away.  When we do this, he starts acting like he is very thirsty so we give him some water only for him to do the same thing all over again.  Our cat is three years old and his behavior is just getting worse and worse.  We are concerned because he does need water and we do not particularly like keeping water from him but we also do not want to keep mopping up water either:)
He only drinks a little at a time before he spills it all over the floor.

Could you please tell us any suggestions on what to do?  Any help will be appreciated.  Thank you!!!

Answer
Hi, Tameka.  This is a frustrating problem, and one I know well.

There are a few reasons cats may overturn their water bowls.  One is that the water isn't fresh, like you mentioned.  Personally, I recommend a stainless steel bowl over aluminum.  These tend to be easiest to clean well.  They're also heavier than aluminum and may be less likely to spill.  However, metal bowls act as a mirror, and this can be another reason cats play in their water bowls.  They see their reflection.  It might be worthwhile to try a ceramic bowl.  These are heavier still, and most are flat on the bottom, as opposed to being narrow at the bottom and widening at the top.  Tipping ceramic water bowls over can be difficult if not impossible.

Another is that cats are far-sighted.  They have difficulty seeing anything closer than 4-5 inches from their face.  They sometimes put their paws in the water to make waves they can see, so that they're better able to gauge where the water's surface is.  Some people find that floating a ping-pong ball or the reusable plastic "ice cubes" in the water will help.

Boredom may also be a factor.  Some cats actually enjoy water.  The Turkish Angora and the Maine Coon are a couple of breeds that are known to like to play in water.  I'm not sure how you would feel about leaving a sink or tub trickling, but my cats absolutely adore running water.  They do sit in the tub and play with it, and they drink from it, too.

What I have ended up doing for my cats is I bought a Drinkwell pet fountain (see http://www.petfountain.com/).  It's beneficial in many ways and is proven to encourage cats to drink a healthy amount of water.

For one, there is a constant flow of water.  Again, cats see it better since it's in motion.

Two, there is a carbon filter pack which helps to keep water clean, oxygenated, and fresh.

Three, it's pretty well impossible to tip over.  I've never had a cat tip ours over.  It's bottom-heavy and is wide at the base.

Even though my cats are unable to tip over the fountain, I do find that some still splash.  These are the ones who like playing in the faucet.  So what I've done to prevent the floor from getting soaked is I've placed the entire pet fountain in a roasting pan, about 2" tall.  Even when they splash, the water spills into the roasting pan instead of onto the floor.

I wish you all the best!

Jessica