Why does my cat keep tipping over her food and water bowls?

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!

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.

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!

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 )

Usually a behavior change like this is related to stress. Any changes or stressors in the house lately? Guests for the holidays? You traveled and left her while you were out of town? You just moved? New pets? Stray cats hanging out around outside the house? Regardless, I would try to use a product to decrease stress and do some environmental enrichment for her. This is the best product to decrease stress and calm cats - Feliway. https://www.feliway.com/us#redirected https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/comfort-zone-diffuser-with-feliway-for-cats Here is an article on environmental enrichment for cats: http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/what-is-environmental-enrichment-and-why-does-your-cat-need-it/ Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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 Attract Litter (https://www.drelseys.com/shop/cat-attract/). You should also look at decreasing stress in case that is playing a role. One option for decreasing stress is to add a Feliway Diffuser ( https://www.feliway.com ) to your house. This is a calming pheromone that will work for a month. I have also had luck with Rescue Remedy ( http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/ ) which can be added to the water. You could also consider calming music specifically for cats ( http://throughadogsear.com/tace/through-a-cats-ear-1-music-for-calming/ ). All of these products are safe for both cats. If your veterinarian cannot find a medical reason and all litter box issues have been dealt with, then it may be time to discuss medication with your veterinarian. Medications are also discussed in the handout above. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that you can figure out what is going on. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Cats actually prefer to drink from running water. I suggest you get her a water/drinking fountain: ( https://www.petco.com/shop/SearchDisplay?categoryId=&storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&searchSource=Q&pageView=&beginIndex=0&pageSize=48&fromPageValue=search&searchKeyword=&searchTerm=water+fountain )