Why Kitty Dunks Toys in the Water Bowl

Posted Thu, Feb 21, 2008, 6:19 pm PST

It can be quite a strange scene to walk into the kitchen and find one of your cat's toys floating belly-up in the water bowl.

The reason some cats seem insistent on displaying this behavior isn't known, although the general theory is that they are reverting back to an instinctual need to bring prey to a safe place. In an outdoor setting, a cat may carry prey back to his home area to consume his meal because he feels safer there. For an indoor cat, the feeding station may hold that same safe association.

And although I've seen more cats drop toys in the water bowl than food bowl, there are some kitties who do have a preference for placing toys atop their bowl of munchies or wet food.

If you've been finding yourself wringing out the fuzzy mice toys over and over again, consider incorporating more interactive play sessions into your cat's daily schedule. The use of a fishing pole-type toy will allow you to engage your cat in a fun play session, and at the end, you can put the toy away in the closet, where it can stay nice and dry. Interactive playtime should be done every day. If you can squeeze two sessions into your schedule, your cat will love you for it.

As for those toys that kitty loves to dunk, choose ones that won't swell and soak up all the water. It's very important that your cat have enough fresh water available.

Read about some truly troubled tabbies and frustrated felines in my new book, Psycho Kitty.

Showing 30 of 42 Comments

First 30 | Next 12 » | Last

1. Dai - 8:17PM on 02/21/08

We've always had the theory that our cat does this because he hates eating alone. He often gets up to eat or drink when he sees that someone is getting up or walking by the food/water bowls. And more often he'll drop his toys right NEXT to the food bowl now, rather than in it. But occasionally he'll still drop toys in the food bowl. The only thing he really drops in the water bowl are my scrunchies, which is annoying, but still quite amusing.
Report Abuse
2. my kids - 12:08AM on 02/22/08

All the cats I ever knew did this with sparkle balls or small balls of some type. I purchased a drinking fountain as did my daughter & friends,they never drop dry food in them,or toys,or climb into sinks for drinks of water anymore.They drink out of the streaming water instead.No playing "footsie" in it either.So now that I have a large fountain with great filter to catch debris & keep water fresh,they drink all the time. Why couldn't they have behaved like this for all of us when we had 3 large water bowls filled fresh every day & sometimes more because of objects dropped in!
Report Abuse
3. border_rat - 4:57AM on 02/22/08

I always thought they were being nice to their toys and making sure they got fed and watered too. :)
Report Abuse
4. smoore4242 - 6:25AM on 02/22/08

I ave an outdoor cat who likes to play with acorns like a ball. She is always "storing" them in her food bowl to retrieve later to play with even though there are hndreds more laying on the ground.
Report Abuse
5. Wilma - 8:43AM on 02/22/08

I'll be darn. alot of cats do this too?? I have had many cats over the years, and don't ever recall this habit, but my cat Andy always puts his toys in the water bowl. He also puts them in the toilet. When I get up to "go" in the middle of the night, I have to look first (think that is where the "missing" toys have gone). He really likes water anyway, and I just thought that was why he did it. But, I think the idea of bringing his "prey" to the food area is why they do it. And, he doesn't drink out of the bowl often, he would rather drink out of the faucet, and I have let him do it so much, he expects it!!
Report Abuse
6. Van - 10:03AM on 02/22/08

Our cat doesn't put toys in his water, but he will cradle hard food with his paw and dunk it. If we leave a plate between the food bowl and water bowl, he will knock food on it and then splash water onto the food. He has teeth problems and we suspect he does this more often on days his teeth ache but we aren't sure. Regardless of why he does it, he is very good at it. We have watched him eat many successive pieces in this manner. Occasionally we find the dropped pieces in the water bowl.
Report Abuse
7. Jessica2508 - 10:17AM on 02/22/08

I thought my kitty, Pollywacket, was the only kitty that did this. I always tell people that she is extra celan and is giving her toy a bath. Does anyone's cat like to get in the bath tub and let water drip on their head from the faucet?
Report Abuse
8. erinw1683 - 11:06AM on 02/22/08

Thumper - Yes! One of our cats will wait right outside of the bathroom while we're taking a shower, then when we're done, he gets in the bathtub and just sits in there for awhile. Our other cat always makes a big mess by the water bowl. She sits there for a while and dunks her paws in the water and then cleans them off with her tongue. Makes a big huge puddle mess.
Report Abuse
9. cladybug3s - 11:31AM on 02/22/08

My cat, Jax does this all the time!! He especially loves to put them in the bathtub even when there is no water in it. Recently he has learned how to turn the knob on the shower slightly so that it drips. He would rather drink that than out of his two water bowls! Silly fcat.
Report Abuse
10. suebee21@sbcglobal.net - 12:33PM on 02/22/08

My oldest cat sometimes puts his toys in the food bowl. But it's my middle cat's issues with the water bowl that have me puzzled. I place the food and water bowls on a placemat on the floor, to catch any spills. Yet my problem child middle guy always tries to move the bowl onto the hardwood floor before he'll drink out of it. He also likes to spill the kibble on the floor and eat it rather than eat out of the bowl. Any idea why? Ya gotta love those quirky cats!
Report Abuse
11. OJmom - 1:13PM on 02/22/08

My cat OJ is also a water baby. He loves to take a single piece of dry food, put it in the water bowl, and play with it until he's completely wet, and has thoroughly splashed the floor. He then refuses to drink the water until I replace it with fresh! He also parks his cat crazies in the food bowl when he's done playing with them. I always figure he thinks of them as prey and a part of his meal.
Report Abuse
12. Bo - 4:25PM on 02/22/08

I'm glad there are other soggy kitchens out there, besides mine. The three kittens I sanctuaried last year are now unruly teens, and are the first ones in my cat family to have taken on this habit. If they'd leave them in the water, it would be ok. The fun part for them seems to be fishing them back out when they are good and soggy, and batting them around the kitchen floor.You wouldn't believe how much water a catnip mouse can absorb. If there are no toys to dunk, they will tear strips of paper off magazines or bills and put them in. It's the fishing out part that really seems to excite them. I'm off to find the cat teasers. I'll try anything.
Report Abuse
13. Lady J - 4:50PM on 02/22/08

MM... I have a photo on my cell phone where my Christopher had placed his favorite toy mouse on the side of his food dish as if feeding it. I just thought he was taking care of his 'baby'. And Thumper, my Samantha loves to sit in my shower when the warm fine midst is running. She does not understand that there are some things I choose to do ALONE!!! Of course, Christopher wants no part of bath water whether shower or tub.
Report Abuse
14. Sandi - 6:36PM on 02/22/08

My cat, Viper, is definitely a "water baby". Every morning while I let the shower run to get the water hot, he will actually get into the shower and take his "shower" first before the water gets to hot! He is soaked when he comes out and he waits for me to finish, then we do "pretty kitty" with a blow dry and a style! He does dunk his toys in the water bowl when he gets bored with playing with them.
Report Abuse
15. jamieleigh17@sbcglobal.net - 2:42AM on 02/23/08

My cat seems to only want to dump his dry cat food into the water and then fish it back out onto the floor then eat it. This process can get VERY aggrivating and time consuming. Does anyone know why he does this?
Report Abuse
16. Bo - 3:11AM on 02/23/08

Maybe he's telling you that he wants wet/canned food, jamieleigh.That does sound pretty messy.
Report Abuse
17. KayKay - 7:44AM on 02/23/08

Niether one of my cats puts their toys in the water or food bowl. Nor do they put toys near the bowls. I guess my cats are just wierd or something since they don't do this behavior.
Report Abuse
18. Constance W - 9:08AM on 02/23/08

I have 3 cats but the lillte male Smokey adopted us. he lived outside for 1 year then he wanted to come in our house but I have to females that did not want him in. We had to do all the things to keep him shots and fixed. He is so smart he amazes us. He has this toy on a stick and if he wants to play with it he sits in front of me and howls and I say go get your toy and he goes to the toy and puts his paw on it and then looks at me and cries. He likes to watch the water flush in the toilet but doesn't but any toys in there he will drop toys through the railins at basement steps and then run down and bat them around.
Report Abuse
19. bffbecky - 9:35AM on 02/23/08

I've got 3 "kids" that love to put anything in the waterbowl, mice, coupons, receipts, hair tyes. I think it's more the splashing for them, that and they know it bugs me. You love them for those things that bug ya!
Report Abuse
20. tasha1266 - 10:39AM on 02/23/08

My boy likes to play with the water fountain, dunking his head or paws in it. But if I sprinkle a droplet on him, he goes running as if I did the worse thing ever. He also likes to take his dry food out of the bowl and eat it on the floor, drives me crazy. When I get home from work, I sometimes find plastic milk rings in their dryfood, which I know comes from my girl, as she is the only one that plays with them.
Report Abuse
21. tabbypaw12 - 7:11PM on 02/23/08

My Tigger takes a mouthful of food from the bowl on the counter and jumps to the rug and spits it out and eats one piece at a time. Then repeats the process. He tires me out. My other cat Felix will bring a plastic milk bottle tie to me to throw. Then he'll chase it all over the place finally bringing it back to me for more. My Tabitha also splashes the water around in the bowl and licks her paw. What a mess every day. And finally my Steve will follow me from room to room just so he can sit on my lap. It gets kinda frustrating when I'm trying to work on the computer.
Report Abuse
22. Jen - 8:04PM on 02/23/08

Both of my cats are social eaters as well. And they both love to get wet. My big fat Elvis kitty likes to steal all of my hair ties and then gather them up one at a time and bring them to me as if to say "here mom were you missing these"
Report Abuse
23. Lisa M - 6:06AM on 02/24/08

My oldest cat "Luna AnnaMarie" started "feeding and watering" an old sock of my daughter's after she had a litter of kittens we had given to other families. She would acutally take it from the food bowl to the water bowl, put it in her bed, and take it out to play with it. One day I washed it because she had gotten it so dirty. Once I washed it, she would have nothing to do with it and meowed around the house for days, then she started doing the same thing with an old string from a pair of my daughter's pjs. It is so funny to watch her taking care of her baby but then I wonder if she was tramatized from us putting her babies in a new home. I vowed not to wash her string baby no matter who dirty it gets because she was so upset when I washed her sock baby.
Report Abuse
24. Lisa M - 6:06AM on 02/24/08

My oldest cat "Luna AnnaMarie" started "feeding and watering" an old sock of my daughter's after she had a litter of kittens we had given to other families. She would acutally take it from the food bowl to the water bowl, put it in her bed, and take it out to play with it. One day I washed it because she had gotten it so dirty. Once I washed it, she would have nothing to do with it and meowed around the house for days, then she started doing the same thing with an old string from a pair of my daughter's pjs. It is so funny to watch her taking care of her baby but then I wonder if she was tramatized from us putting her babies in a new home. I vowed not to wash her string baby no matter who dirty it gets because she was so upset when I washed her sock baby.
Report Abuse
25. Bo - 6:31AM on 02/24/08

Don't worry, KayKay, be happy. The rest of us have to mop a lot more often.
Report Abuse
26. hjaltman@sbcglobal.net - 8:51AM on 02/24/08

I THOUGHT I HAD THE ONLY GOOFEY CAT IN THE WORLD. SHE'S NOT HAPPY UNTIL SHE EMPTYS THE ENTIRE WATER BOWL WITH HER PAWS. I KEEP A LARGE TOWEL UNDER HER BOWL. BUT I LOVE HER TO DEATH...
Report Abuse
27. Rucifey - 1:25PM on 02/24/08

My cat Teeter Muffin loves putting things in the water bowl! There was this one summer a few years back when my husband was out of town and I was working late. Everyday she put her stuffed dolphin in the water bowl and I'd have to wash it (it was on the large side). Now she enjoys putting her baby brother's spongy sparkle balls in the water bowl (which of course makes him sad and mourn the loss of his toy). We also notice that she doesn't "cover" in the litter box but she tries to cover the water bowl. Very weird. As for the shower - Teeter MUST sit on the toilet and "supervise" every shower and our cat Tinka likes to walk between the shower curtain and liner and "tell us about it". Tinka also likes to drink from the bathtub.
Report Abuse
28. stacy - 5:24PM on 02/24/08

my 16yr old cat always puts pieces of dry food in his water dish, but he still drinks the water out of it for a while. He also regularly drinks from the tub and sink, but he has diabeties so he drinks alot of water. I can't figure out why he will take a piece of dry food and carry across the entire room to put it in his waterbowl. I hate it because it gets all smelly and gross and i have to change multiple times a day and the second i am done, he puts food in it, but he never retrieves the food and eats it. i have the drinking fountains and all that does is circulate the nasty water throughout so i takes a long time to clean. I wish i knew why, or i wish someone else could tell me why!
Report Abuse
29. lluvia6677 - 7:16PM on 02/24/08

My kitty likes to put her toys in the toilet bowl! I think she thinks that the toilet is her own personal pool. I wake up in the morning and find all sorts of stuff like toys, starburst candies, q-tips pretty much anything she finds in the middle of the night. Sometimes she is even nice enough to fish them back out.
Report Abuse
30. T - 10:37PM on 02/26/08

My Harley absolutely LOVES to have baths and MUST be in the shower with me every time or if I shut the door on him he will literally sit outside the door and howl the loudest howl ever until I get out and let him in. He sits right under my feet where the water runs right on him. I think this is because he's pure white and sheds HORRENDOUSLY (any ideas to reduce this problem would be greatly appreciated cause I can't STAND the white hair ALL over my home, bed, etc!), but anyway, to keep him clean I started bathing him as a kitten with baby shampoo and then as he got older and began shedding really bad I kept doing it, then brushing him often to try to reduce it (doesn't help). He doesn't put anything in his water dish tho, in fact, if anything falls in it, like a piece of food, he will meow incessantly until it's cleaned and refilled for him and refuses to drink from it until that's done. He doesn't go near the toilet unless he's sitting on the lid to watch me brush my teeth cause he knows when I'm done he can "play" in the sink for a minute afterward. Now that I think of it, I have tried many toys with him and he just isn't much for playing with toys-he'd rather play wrestle with me or the kids instead and he totally snubs things like catnip, chicken, etc. .the ONLY treats he likes are the "Pit R Pats" you find near the checkout at the supermarket.You shake the container and he runs from any room in the house to get one! Only recently did he start eating tuna which he's now obsessed with and hears the can opener and just assumes its for him-and he won't even eat cat food that has any chicken flavoring in it. He also refuses to eat wet cat food (which is why I wanted him to eat tuna now and then, to at least give him SOMETHING besides dried food all the time) And, get this, he's OBSESSED with potato peels! He hears me peeling and he comes running into the kitchen meowing like crazy til I give him one and he'll mow it right down...what a weirdo! My Mister, on the other hand, is the opposite..hates baths, will just sit in the bathroom and talk to me while in the shower but not get in it. If I do bathe him he howls like I'm beating him to death and I feel so bad, but he is constantly grooming, like he's got OCD, seriously, so I don't bother anymore. He'll drink water from his bowl but that's the extent of his water interaction. Now HIS eating, he takes 1 piece of food, puts it on the floor and eats it, leaving tiny bits, then grabs 1 more...he's always eaten that way, never understood why, and he likes the wet food but I limit him just as I limit Harley's tuna (a max of 1 can, 2 or 3 days a week-sometimes I'll mix with the dry but they really don't prefer that) But he LOVES to play...with anything from milk rings to his toy mice to the fishing rod feather type toys, to tinsel (but he eats that! dangerous!), to my underwear (yes, very embarrassing when company comes and out he comes throwing up a thong and catching it in mid air) EEK!. And the kids' socks...he'll play with anything he can reach! He's the oldest (will be 9 in August and Harley will be 5 in June, so you'd think it would be the other way around. Course Mister also has his own sleep spots that are private and Harley HAS to sleep on my bed right next to me (I put a fleece blanket on the bed w/o fabric softener used when washing to "attract" the hair to it which helps keep the bulk of it off of MY bedding, which I HATE, but I just can't kick him out, he cries all night if I do...been there, done that...besides, si
Report Abuse