Why Does My Cat Knock Over Her Water Dish?

Cat owners often report the common problem of having their cat knock over water dishes and glasses full of water. There are several reasons for why a cat knocks over her water dish, including the possibilities that she might be bored, she may be following an instinct to bury her food or the dish is too deep for her liking.

  1. Playing With Water

    • Some cats enjoy the reflective properties and interesting movement patterns of water, so if her water is in a metal dish, she might be pawing at reflections, spilling water all over the place. Cats also sometimes place a favorite toy into their water dish. This is because they feel it is a safe place and therefore a suitable hiding spot for a treasured item. When the cat goes to retrieve her toy, she'll knock the water dish over in the process.

    Following Instincts

    • Cats have an instinct to bury their food, originating from when they were wild and would hide their prey. If the water dish is attached or at close proximity to the food dish, the cat might spill her water while she is attempting to bury her food.

    Deep Dish

    • Some cats prefer not to wet their whiskers and like drinking water from a wide, shallow dish. Perhaps the cat's dish is too narrow and deep for her liking. When a cat wants to draw water out from a deep dish or glass, she'll stick a paw in to tilt the water closer to her or put some water on her paw to lick. Most times the cat ends up knocking over the dish or glass.

    Solutions

    • Solutions to stop a cat from knocking over her water dish include switching to a heavy dish made of earthenware that will be too heavy for her to push over or trying a cat water fountain, which streams small amounts of well-contained water within a dish. If the problem persists, a last resort is filling a bowl with water and placing it in the tub, so spilled water will just go down the drain.