How to Stop Cats From Spilling the Water Dish

Using a lightweight dish is just asking for trouble.
i Martin Poole/Photodisc/Getty Images

Cats are easily amused, so when yours tips over the water dish, it could be as thrilling for her as a high-speed car chase. If your cat loves making a splash, you can take a few simple steps to prevent her watery antics and keep your floor nice and dry.

Step 1

Switch out his bowl. Cats generally don't like deep, narrow bowls, because when they stick their heads in, their whiskers rub against the sides. If that's the case, he's knocking over the water dish so he can get a drink without scraping his sensitive whiskers. Switch him over to a shallow bowl with a wide opening—not only is it more comfortable for him, but it's harder to tip over. Better still is if you opt for a bowl made out of something heavy, like glass or ceramic, which makes it darn near impossible for him to flip it over.

Step 2

Hook him up with fresh water at least once a day. You wouldn't want to drink dirty, nasty water that had been sitting out for days, and neither does your cat—he could be spilling the dish as a way of forcing you to refill it with fresh water. No matter how much he does or doesn't drink, dump and refill at least once daily.

Step 3

Play with your little guy every day. Cats don't have a lot of ways to amuse themselves, so if you aren't playing with him, spilling his water dish could be as exciting as it gets. Exercise and stimulate your cat by playing with him and giving him something to play with—it could be the diversion he needs to make water-splashing seem as lame as it really is.

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