Bowls for cats who like to throw around water??

[liddle_spiders]

We started using heavy ceramic dog dishes for our cats' water several years ago after we couldn't break a few of them of the habit of using the cat sized dishes as hockey pucks, or of pulling the metal bowls all over the kitchen just for fun. This worked beautifully - up until about two months ago, when my oldest cat realized he could stand IN the dishes and splash around.

  

He is FLOODING EVERYTHING. (He's polydactyl, so big flipper feet, of course.) We come home from work and the dishes are bone dry from his splashing! When I'm home, I'm having to mop and refill multiple times a day because of him - and now one of the younger ones has caught onto the game and is doing it, too. 

 

Was hoping someone here might be able to make a recommendation of some sort of bowl or modification we could use that would discourage any of the cats from standing in the bowl. (He's not a slapper, thankfully, he's a stomper.)  We have tried a pet fountain and he drained it overnight and burnt the motor out.

 

I don't want to discourage them from drinking obviously, but he's already ruined the bottom of a shelving unit from the constant water exposure and at this rate I'm worried he's going to start ruining the flooring. Not to mention the other cats going thirsty all the time. I've tried putting bowls in other places, and he gets every last one of them! 

(Although I do so love the look on his face when I catch him, both paws in the water dish, digging away happy as a clam. "Mii, what are you doing?!?" and his look is like "MOMMY! I LOVE PUDDLES!" I can't ever be mad, but I am getting frustrated! 

 )

 

[LTS3]

How about putting the water bowl in a tray to contain the mess? Pet stores sell trays to go under bowls. A shallow plastic storage container (like under-the-bed type but maybe not as long) would work just as well.

I've seen water bottles with sipper-like tubes for cats and dogs. Maybe that's something you could try. I'm not sure how easy it would be for a cat to use a sipper tube, though.

Sounds like your cat loves playing in water. Maybe leave some water in a sink or tub for him to splash in??

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I have to empathize with you on this one, wow - you have your hands full!

I don't yet have a good recommendation on what type of bowl for you to use for your oldest cat (I'm actually working on a similar problem myself with my kitten), but I can definitely tell what you not to use: a handled mug. My kitten Milly loves water as well (she's a slapper, thankfully, not a stomper) and I discovered that she was purposefully knocking over the drinking mug I had set out for her, then grabbing the mug's handle by her teeth, and carting it across the room to play & wrestle with it. No more handled mugs for her! (She's like an ant- carries things twice her size)

Some of this was kitten exploration, but she continues to like water. To distract her from her water dishes, I keep a super ball in the claw foot tub where she can both play with drips of water and chase the ball around, to wear herself out. This has worked as a "water distraction" so far.

 

[fluffscruff]

I'm wondering if it can be made more difficult for him to splash the water.

Maybe putting something large in the center of the bowl (kind of like a bundt cake mold). Or using something like a waffle plate or ice cube tray as a water dish so that your kitties could lap up the water, but can't get their paws into the squares.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Those are good ideas!