Dumping water

[solusumbra]

A couple of months ago I got my cats a gravity feed water bowl and things have been going good but in the last week give or take my one cat has taken to dumping them over. He acts like there is something inside or around it, which there isn’t.... I’m not sure why out of the blue he has taken to doing thing and not sure how to stop him. The water just soaks everything.

 

[Sajast]

Both of my cats went through a phase (one is still in the grips of said phase) where they would dump out their water bowls and also drown their toys in their water bowls, and they weren’t dumping the water to get to the toy. I got so fed up that their primary water bowl is a heavy mixing bowl. The older cat no longer gets any satisfaction out of tipping the bowls over but the younger one will LOOK ME IN THE EYES while tipping over their smaller bowl downstairs.

 

[solusumbra]

Both of my cats went through a phase (one is still in the grips of said phase) where they would dump out their water bowls and also drown their toys in their water bowls, and they weren’t dumping the water to get to the toy. I got so fed up that their primary water bowl is a heavy mixing bowl. The older cat no longer gets any satisfaction out of tipping the bowls over but the younger one will LOOK ME IN THE EYES while tipping over their smaller bowl downstairs.

That’s what they use to have before these gravity bowls, but I never kept them clean or full enough.
Had an idea of taping the tower part to the bottom of the bowl to see if he can still tip it over.

 

[Nacho22]

Sorry you are having this issue, solusumbra. Have you tried offering a non moving traditional water bowl in another area as an alternative? What is your schedule and method plan for disinfecting the gravity feed between fillings? Is the bowl filled with tap water, or filtered water? What is the age and typical behavior of the cat? Where in the home, lots of detail, is the gravity feed water bowl kept?

 

[solusumbra]

They aren’t really moving it just keeps the bowl full as they drink it.
I just clean them out with soap and water in between refills, they are pretty small so they don’t get to dirty.
They get the same bottled water I drink since the tap water is super bad. I have one in my room which is where the spend most of the time and one in the living room their second favorite room. The black one is a female over 10 years old but the one that’s making problems is the 17 pound white and orange male I think he might be around 7? He’s never done this kind of thing before. I tell him to stop and leave it but won’t listen like he normally does. Doesn’t matter if the bowl is clean with fresh water or is almost empty. Though it does seem like he only does it in front of me.

 

[solusumbra]

 

[Nacho22]

They aren’t really moving it just keeps the bowl full as they drink it.
I just clean them out with soap and water in between refills, they are pretty small so they don’t get to dirty.
They get the same bottled water I drink since the tap water is super bad. I have one in my room which is where the spend most of the time and one in the living room their second favorite room. The black one is a female over 10 years old but the one that’s making problems is the 17 pound white and orange male I think he might be around 7? He’s never done this kind of thing before. I tell him to stop and leave it but won’t listen like he normally does. Doesn’t matter if the bowl is clean with fresh water or is almost empty. Though it does seem like he only does it in front of me.

Again, SO sorry this is an issue, I feel your distress.
Indoor cats get bored, and when new things arrive they may mess with them, play with them.

Why did you decide on this type of water system in the first place? What other options did you consider, such
as a reciprocating fountain?

Seventeen pounds sounds pretty heavy for any cat. Does the vet say this is a healthy weight?

As for bad tap water, be prepared for that to get much worse, and very soon. Clean water is vanishing, soon to be like the oil crisis of the Seventies. Invest in a Reverse Osmosis style INLINE filter system, and bottle up a reserve in glass bottles for when the power goes out, the crisis hits. Water is life, and clean water is VANISHING, research it for yourself. Meahwhile, you can speak up, tell your politicians you think the water out of the tap should not be foul or toxic, and you consider pure water a major priority.

Bottled water is HORRIBLE for the environment, and is just municipal tap water.
The Truth About Tap

 

[Nacho22]

When YOU have a drink, do you then wash the glass, or just leave it sitting there, and refill it the next day ,and the next and the next, never washing it? In the wild, cats will not drink from a pool of stagnant water, only from Running Water, a stream for example.

 

[solusumbra]

They have had the new bowls for a couple of months now so it’s not that new. The vet said a pound or two off would be good but he is a really big cat. Working on cutting back his food and he’s pretty upset about it. Tried the fountain with a pump but it was to hard to keep clean and they didn’t really care for it.

 

[Nacho22]

They have had the new bowls for a couple of months now so it’s not that new. The vet said a pound or two off would be good but he is a really big cat. Working on cutting back his food and he’s pretty upset about it. Tried the fountain with a pump but it was to hard to keep clean and they didn’t really care for it.

Yes, the reciprocating fountain water bowls are expensive and hard to keep clean. I feel that, gave mine up.
As for cat exercise, keeping weight off, have you considered this: