Why Does My Cat Spill His Water Everywhere Before Drinking?

I have never not owned a cat. Before I was born, my family had cats (miss you, Twinkle) and at 3, I was allowed to name our new cat — I called her Puddin'. I would never say I'm a "cat person," but I knew when I had kids that I wanted our house to have a cat, too. When our daughter was 3, we adopted our cat: a 3-year-old rescue named Cowboy Bob. And boy do I love him and all his weird, quirky behaviors. Like meowing at me to let him out at 5 a.m. even though there's a litter box right there. Or pawing gently at the air around my face when he wants me to pet him. Or spilling his water every single time he drinks it by putting his paws in and sloshing it all around.

Actually... that last cat behavior I could do without. And I know I'm not the only one. My cat, notorious for knocking over cups of water, has now taken to pawing his own water dish and making the water splash around — almost as if he's cleaning his paws — before he takes a sip. It's basically a huge puddle surrounding his bowl, and then he has wet paws and a bowl full of water that looks like a hurricane is brewing.

There are a ton of theories online, but Leslie Brooks, DVM, MPH, tells Scary Mommy that there's no way to 100% know the answer to why cats do this. "It's possible many cats do this as a form of enrichment," she says. "Just like people, cats need enrichment in their lives and find ways to create play and fun. Playing with their water could be one outlet from this."

But Brooks also notes that some cats do prefer drinking from moving water, which could be why my cat gets his water all sloshy before he starts sipping. "Offering your cat the chance to drink from a running faucet can sometimes be enjoyable for them, assuming it's safe to drink from your faucet," Brooks suggests. Many people have those constantly-running water bowls for their cats for this very reason. Brooks shares that a study has been done to find preferences between still and flowing water for cats, but the study only has nine cats, so the results are not statistically significant.

I've also wondered if my cat is using his bowl as his own personal bathtub, but while Brooks says that's a possibility, it's a less likely theory since cats are "avid groomers and clean with their own tongue."

Bottom line? Sometimes cats are just cats. And much like their need to knock everything off of a table if they want to, they may just want to slosh their water around and make a giant mess before they start drinking it. Basically, they're toddlers (with claws). So, you know, just put a mat down and let them do what they need to do.