Why does my nearly 10 year old neutered male american domesticated tabby cat have trouble drinking his water?

Question

I noticed that my cat has to put his paw in his water bowl and drags it or moves it before he begins to lap up his water. Some days his bowl is a couple of feet away from where I specifically placed it when I replenished it. He's drinking distilled water now. His eyesight IS better in the darkness than the light. Awesome!! I read somewhere that as cats get older that their eye sight gets worse and that they have trouble with depth perception but when I ask my or his 8 or 9 vets he's had in his life time with me for about 9 years now, they all say no that that is not the problem but none of them can tell me why though. Can a knowledgeable person concerning cats help me with my dilema? Please? Thanks.
P.S. If you do not know the answer please do not guess and please do not answer this question. I'm needing precise researched knowledgeable accurate answers, Please?

.......and I'm tired of moping up water that he spills as a result of what he does to his water bowl everyday.........

.......and I almost tripped over his water bowl in the kitchen a few times as a result of this......his food bowl stays in the same place all the time..........

.......and I almost tripped over his water bowl in the kitchen a few times as a result of this......his food bowl stays in the same place all the time..........

Answer 1

I once had a cat who "played" in her water bowl and I had water all over the floor. I solved the problem by using two small mixing bowls one larger than the other. I placed the smaller of the two inside the larger one and filled the smaller one with water. Kitty still played but the bowls didn't slide on the floor and the spills were contained in the outer bowl. Some cats like to watch and play with water, you just happen to have one that developed this desire as he grew older. Please enjoy his quirk and I am certain if you try my suggestion you will solve the excess water problem.

Answer 2

My 21 year old cat began doing the same thing with his water dish when he was about 19. I purchased a pet water fountain, which has a pump and keeps the water circulating through a charcoal filter and down a small slide so that it's constantly moving and fresh. It took a few days for him to use the new bowl, he had to get used to it before I could run the pump, but once he did, he used it exclusively. All my cats seem to prefer the Pet Fountain, as does my Golden Retriever, who not only makes a mess but uses up the water way too fast!

I wouldn't use distilled water for too long. You might want to switch to bottled water instead.

Charlie has never had a problem with his eyesight, but my long haired siamese, Puff, does. She is about 16 and has problems with depth perception and night vision, which my vet says is related to a thickening of the cornea. You may want to write to Catnip Magazine, which is published by the Cummings School of Veterinarian Medicine at Tufts, for a good solid answer to your question.

Answer 3

Some cats will move their bowls around. It's not really a mark of a problem, though it is an annoyance.

I used to have trouble with my young male cat dumping his water bowl while playing with it. What my husband and I ended up doing was buying a heavy dish such as what you might use for a large dog and putting the water in that. The water still gets splashed, but the dish no longer gets moved or dumped.

Answer 4

I had a male cat that did the same thing and it is NOT a medical problem ! Some cats just like sploshing water, moving water ! I bought the kind of water dish that is a small sparkletts bottle, to heavy for him to move. I know there are some on the market, quite expensive, that keep the water moving at all times.
Keep re-freshing his water, try different kinds of bowls, some have rubber on the bottom to prevent him from moving it, invest in the expensive one that keeps his water moving. Talking to your vet is never a bad move - no question should be a bad question for a vet !!

Answer 5

My cat does the same thing...Itty Bitty likes her water moving. When I turn on the tap in the kitchen, all the cats come running and if I leave the water trickling out, they will drink it. My oldest cat loves when I put an ice cube in the water. I think it has to do with the water being fresh and cold. I replace the water many times during the day and try to keep it cool; I know I don't like drinking warm water.

Answer 6

Seriously I'd take him to the vet and have him checked. Really odd behavior around the water bowl, pawing in water, laying at the bowl staring at the water, etc are all signs something is wrong. I'd have the vet do bloodwork to check his kidney function.

I had a cat in Chronic Renal Failure (kidneys stopped working) and these are the strange things he'd do with water. He may also be drinking or peeing a little more often.

Answer 7

A cat of 1o years old may have some arthritis in its neck, making it difficult?painful to lap the water up and bend to reach it .

You can get heavy earthen -ware bowls for her to drink out of, so she cannot move it and you Will not trip over it .

I use an oval earthen ware cooking dish . she cant move this, but she has an increased water area to drink from .So she will have as little discomfort as possible .

I am assuming you have had her checked out by the vet ,for any stiffness and pain .

A cats eyesight is not necessarily good for them to mange , a cat compensates with its sensitive whiskers and hearing and smell .
( greatly enhanced eye sight at night is normal ( cats are almost nocturnal)
We had a blind cat for years and he got about ,as deftly as if he was sighted . LOL ! he was the best mouser in the district :)

i hope this helps you and you find all the solutions you need s
all best
:)

If you can get this book ( very useful and a bible for cat owners )

"CAT LORE"
by DESMOND MORRIS
PRINTED BY JOHNATHAN CAPE Lmt.
ISBN 0-224-02520-1

A SEQUEL
TO "CAT WATCHING" also by Desmond Morris

Answer 8

The other respondents are right. Cats like to see the motion of water. I have four cats, and I resolved the problem by buying a drinking fountain for cats. The water is constantly moving and the dish stays put!

Answer 9

I've had a lot of cats and about half of them put their paws in the water before they drink it. Cat's eyes aren't like ours. Their eyes see moving objects better than stationary ones, therefore rather than put their nose in the water first, they touch it to see where the water level is by making little moving waves. YOUR CAT however seems like he's ENJOYING THE WATER..IT'S PLAY TIME. That sounds like he's discovered a new toy much to your distress!!! There is HOPE. Get a tray with raised edges. You can use the top to a plastic storage container that you can pick up in Target or Wall-mart. Think YOU have a problem??? I have a cat who puts both front feet in her milk, THEN washes off the milk by putting BOTH front feet in the water. THEN walks all over my wood floors with her still milky feet. I have little white footprints all over my floors every day...and yes she has a tray...Good luck.

Answer 10

My cat is the same.
He is a black american short hair cat that is 11 years old.
They like to see the water move.
I have used clear glass dishes and yellow plastic bowls. It makes no difference what type of dish it is.
they need to see the water move so that they know how deep it is and sometimes sneezes from the water going up his nose.
I have spoiled my cat with a wide rim glass filled to the top with water.
set it down on a table and he will lap it up
keep it fresh daily and expect to see spilled water still!.
if, my cats glass is removed and getting washed and i forget to put it back he will get constipated from lack of water because he is so spoiled now from the glass of water.
I know quite a few people who offer water in a glass as well as the water dish.
I have bought a special elevated dish taht is shaped as a cat and it holds the wet and dry dishes and he uses the center as his mini table for food that drops from his mouth.
i have also tried the water bottle type water dish.
that, prevents the splashing on the floor because its too heavy to shift with their paw.
I also turn on the tap and let it run and then shut it off when the cat is done.
my cat is a housecat but i guess when he was a stray he drank from puddles and likes the tap water the best. maybe? it brings back memories to him?LOL.
hope this helps?...