Why does my cat spill her water bowl and how can I stop it?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 4 months old
My cat has been spilling and turning and kicking her water bowl for a few days now, mind you, the water is fresh, the bowl clean and the one she had since she arrived in our family. What can I do to stop it?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on September 1st, 2018
Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Bad Missy! Some kittens love to play with water! I would put the bowl in something to prevent it from tipping over. You can get adhesive to hold the bowel down as well. They do make non-spill bowls. None of this will stop her from dipping her paws in to it, so you a large water proof mat for your floor. She will grow out of this. I would add some interactive toys and get a laser pointer to play with her. Sometimes boredom comes in to play with these kind of behaviors. Good luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on December 27th, 2018
Have you tried a kitty water fountain? They are pretty solid, so it's hard to tip over. It won't solve the problem of her putting her paws in it, but I would be surprised if she could tip it over. You can get kitty water fountains from a pet store. I hope this helps.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
Ok. She’s about 6-7 months old and she’s started to paw at everything. Mostly her water bowl. When I clean it and put new water in it even just slightly move it she HAS to stand over it and paw at the ground around t like she’s pulling something into
Oh dear it sounds like your kitten is quite the rascal. Could you try training her to use a water bottle instead with a sipper? It also sounds like she is quite playful and needs a lot to keep her stimulated. You can look into cat toys that she has to chase. You can also find treat-dispensing toys at your local pet store, that require her to bat it around to get the kibbles out. I'm a big fan of these because they mimic a cat's natural hunting instinct. Laser pointers are a tried and true favourite as well. In the meantime, I'm afraid you may have to kitten-proof your home, at least for now. Take away any access to your clothes, etc. Only put out cat-friendly toys that you don't mind getting wet. And you can always try a lesser amount of water in her dish if the water bottle doesn't work out. I hope this helps! Good luck with your kitten!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
My cat is about nine months old. She loves to dip her paws in her water bowl, she also likes to dump it over. I have tried all sorts of bowls even suction cup bowls. In the end she always find out how to dump it. Why does she do this, how can I preve
Have you tried a kitty water fountain? They are pretty solid, so it's hard to tip over. It won't solve the problem of her putting her paws in it, but I would be surprised if she could tip it over. You can get kitty water fountains from a pet store. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Why does my cat keep knocking his water dish over?
There are several reasons cats like to "knock over water dishes" or play in their water bowls, including (1) it's fun - they enjoy splashing the water and making it move, seeing the reflective surface, (2) they prefer to drink from a moving water source (because moving water is more aerated and generally tastes better/fresher), (3) the bowl isn't to their liking - too big, too small, too deep, etc., so they splash water out and drink from the floor, (4) you give them fresh water whenever they knock the dish over so they have learned that this a successful method of getting your attention. Some things you can do include: (1) purchase a water fountain for cats (water moves continuosly); (2) get a heavy cermic bowl or a bowl with a wider base than top, (3) put a placement or plastic tray under the bowl, (4) offer more shiny, sparkly toys, like Mylar balls, to catch your cat's attention, (5) changed the water at least twice per day so your cat doesn't need to ask you for clean water.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My female cat tips over her food and water bowls. Or if I let her lick from a plate, she tries to tip that too. It’s like what she is doing in her litter box when she scraps her litter over her pee or poop. I don’t understand why she’s doing that to
I am sorry to hear about Tacoma! This sounds very frustrating but likely is just playful behavior that she enjoys. I would consider getting a drinking fountain (there are a variety of options out there, here is one example: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/petmate-brushed-nickel-reflection-pond-fresh-flow-pet-fountain?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&adpos=1o7&scid=scplp2312454&sc_intid=2312454&cm_mmc=PLA-GG-_-PTC_P_BND_PLA-GG_FY17_SCShopping-TM-_-Non+VIP-_-92700027187667238&kwid=p27187667238&device=c&gclid=Cj0KCQjwprbPBRCHARIsAF_7gDZb6i7jNAiD_JnordFjYzNc9esC_Zf8j5_rWnASopxsGeJuDUBT2IsaAnWfEALw_wcB) as they are difficult to tip over and many cats find them enjoyable. I would also consider some toys or a climbing tower for enrichment to try to provide Tacoma with something else to play with! You can try to find something that dispenses food or treats if that is more enticing, such as this one: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/catit-senses-20-cat-digger-c
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat has recently started splashing all the water out of his water bowl. Its one of those bowls with the tank on the top that automatically refills when the water level gets low. He splashes it with his paw until it's empty leaving water everywhere
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! I have seen this before. I think he likely does not like the water bowl. I think it is possibly because of how tall it is. I would recommend you consider a small bowl perhaps one that is not an automatic bowl. I think this is likely going to improve this situation. Good luck and have a great day!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
My cat began moving her water bowl to the middle of the room. Why would she keep doing this?
The close up vision of cats is much weaker than their long distance vision and so, when they are right at their water dish, they can’t see the water level. In order to check where the water starts – or if there is even any water in the dish – they will move it to cause the water to ripple and splash. Once they are satisfied they know where the water is, then they will commence their drinking. That is my best guess. If you are not happy with this change in behavior you could always get her a drinking fountain to drink from. Most cats prefer to drink from running water so this may help. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/cat/cat-feeding-supplies/cat-waterers-fountains-and-accessories/catit-flower-cat-water-fountain )
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
My cat has developed a way of playing with us by biting and scratching (climbing our legs, back...) us. She used to do it in a way that didnt hurt but niw her teeth are bigger and it really hurts. How do we stop this behaviour? Is it normal? She has
I see that Missy is 2 months old now. The activities that Missy is doing sound normal, but their teeth and nails are certainly sharp at that age. First, I would make sure to learn how to trim her nails and keep them short. I normally recommend trimming kittens' nails weekly because they grow so quickly. That will help quite a bit.
Next, I would work on environmental enrichment for her to keep her mentally and physically busy. This website has a number of good ideas for that.
https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats
One of my favorite things for cats is a no bowl feeding system like Doc & Phoebe ( https://docandphoebe.com/ ) that requires them to "hunt" for their food.
You could also try a feeding ball.
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/petsafe-slimcat-cat-food-dispenser-in-blue
I also recommend using laser pointers and interactive cat toys like a Cat Dancer (
http://www.catdancer.com/ ) to get cats to play with you more appropriately. They key is to teach Missy new ways
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hello! Recently, my budgie Pluto has been knocking over the tiny food bowl. What he's been doing is coming to its location and using his beak to throw it off. He's not sick in any way as he is very active. What can I do to reduce this behavior?
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This may be just playful behavior. You can consider securing it to the cage with some type of material or just getting a new water bowl of a different color she may prefer. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Hi, I have two young cats, both around 9 months old, when I first got them I never had a problem with them urinating outside of their litter box, but recently one or both of them (not sure which one) has started urinating all over their food mat and
There are a large number of reasons that a cat will inappropriately urinate (urinate outside the litter box). I am attaching a handout below which discusses this in detail.
https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951508
The first step in figuring out why a cat is urinating outside the litter box is to have your veterinarian do an examination and get a urine sample to evaluate for a medical reason. This is a little challenging since you're not sure which cat is doing it. There are some options to determine which cat is the problem, so it is worth speaking to your vet about that or you can get urine samples on both cats. If that is normal, then we need to look at other possibilities.
The handout above discusses litter box issues that can play a role. Make sure you have at least 3 litter boxes (since the "correct" number of boxes is the number of cats plus one), they are not covered or lined, and are cleaned daily. You may also want to try products like Cat
Updated on September 24th, 2025
New Pet
I adopted 2 kittens at 3 months who are now 10 months old. Brother & sister. Their main area is a room with their beds, food, water, and 2 litter boxes--one is Scoopfree with automatic cleaning, and the other a regular litter box, from which I scoop
What naughty kittens! I think you can do a few things. First, I would work on environmental enrichment. Kittens have a lot of energy and "should" hunt multiple times a day for their food, so we need to find ways to help them entertain themselves (without resorting to playing with poo). This website has a number of good ideas for environmental enrichment. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats
One of my favorite things for cats is a no bowl feeding system like Doc & Phoebe ( https://docandphoebe.com/ ) that requires them to "hunt" for their food.
You could also try a feeding ball.
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/petsafe-slimcat-cat-food-dispenser-in-blue
I also recommend using laser pointers and interactive cat toys like a Cat Dancer (
http://www.catdancer.com/ ) to help get their energy out constructively.
Finally, you could consider adding anther automatic litter box, so they don't have the opportunity to fish anything out of the litter box.
Good luck! I hope that wa
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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