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Cat knocking over water(and food!) bowls while at work

cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
Yeah, Artemis is at it again.

This started with just water, but today he knocked over his food too.

He's still eating when I'm here, but it's like he's rebelling when I'm not.

Is this anything to be concerned about, or is it normal? It never happens when I'm at home, but this is a recent thing, like in the last month since I got back from EVO.
(Could be a correlation there, since I was in Vegas for a week and someone was watching him.)

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Posts

  • JaysonFourJaysonFour Classy Monster Kitteh Registered User regular
    Might be his way of trying to get more attention. He knows if he messes around with his water and food, you'll have to pay more attention to him. So he does it every day, because he knows it's guaranteed attention time.

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    I can has cheezburger, yes?
  • azith28azith28 Registered User regular
    Only thing i can suggest is to buy one of those really heavy bowls or one of those flat feeders that have an insert that locks in place so it can be removed to clean so that they cant shift the bowl. mine occasionally will move the bowl or plate under the food, but the only time they have turned it over was when it was up on a elevated platform.

    I just wish i could convince one of my cats to go back to waking me up by licking my arm until ive lost a few layers of skin instead of scratching my matress. One is cute, the other is annoying but apparently the matress works to wake me up faster and she has learned this.

    Stercus, Stercus, Stercus, Morituri Sum
  • bowenbowen Sup? Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    Go grab a ceramic dog bowl. Should be heavy enough the worst they can do is push it around.

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
  • DjeetDjeet Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    Agree that you probably need new bowls to deal with this. You could go heavy, but I've found stainless bowls that flare out as they meet the ground cannot be tipped (like this). Something like this (eventhough it has a rubberized base) can still be tipped if they stand on the rim.

    I'd have preferred to link amazon, but didn't want to wade through 12 millions pet bowls. Also my dog is a boor and my cat is an asshole, so we've been a through a number of bowls and feeding mats.

    Djeet on
  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    Some cats do that to have fun. My cat loves to play with his water and I had kittens that would absolutely WRECK their food and water dishes. Maybe get him some more toys?

    But yeah, wide bottomed pet bowls will solve that.

  • EncEnc A Fool with Compassion Pronouns: He, Him, HisRegistered User regular
    Most cat breeds bat water, especially those that are ship or dockside bred breeds (like Maine Coons). The reason they do it is a mystery, but many do so to drink from their paws after soaking them.

    If the bowls are narrow or deep, even breeds without this trait will splash the water to not have to stick their faces inside as many breeds of cat do not see well up close and can't tell where the water starts without putting their faces up to the bowl. As this makes their whiskers go heywire as they are touching the side of a bowl, imagine that every time you had to drink you couldn't tell how far away the liquid in your cup was, and that the cup also had to press against your cheeks and forehead every time you tried to take a sip.

    Wide cat bowls will help for some breeds, but batting water is a constant amongst most cat types and won't really be unlearned behavior.

    If the bowl is flimsy and your cat grazes all day on their food, the knocked over bowl could be an attempt to "bury" the food for later as an instinctive protection mechanism most cats retain (foodbowls placed on towels will have the towel dug up and tossed over it, etc.). Heavier bowls can help with this, but your cat likely already scrapes the floor around the bowl after eating his fill anyhow, even if there is nothing to bury it with.

    If you have changed behavior, such as being out all night or other deals that are limiting the amount of attention your cat has, tossing over food and water can easily be that as well.

    Heavier bowls with shallow lips are one way to stop it for water, but you'll always have spilled water so you may want to water your cat in a tiled area or on a towel. Feeding just enough food for their meal at multiple times per day will stop the food problems and also ensure you cat is a healthy weight.

  • nexuscrawlernexuscrawler Registered User regular
    Sounds like your kitty is acting out because you left him for a little while. Cats are very possessive of their humans. Play with him some more and work out that extra energy when you are home so he doesn't trash the house when you're not.

  • Mego ThorMego Thor "I say thee...NAY!" Registered User regular
    He most likely enjoys watching you clean up the mess.

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  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    Well, he didn't do it today. We'll see what comes of it.

    Who owns who, indeed.

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  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    bowen wrote: »
    Go grab a ceramic dog bowl. Should be heavy enough the worst they can do is push it around.

    We have a big ceramic dog bowl that our cat likes to put his feet on and then bounce on the edge of. Sends the water everywhere. Or he just drags it around, and the water sloshes out of the bowl anyway.

    Maybe try moving the bowl to another location? Stop leaving food out for him, and only feed him at set times? Unless he's a scarf and barfer, that shouldn't be too bad a change.

  • nexuscrawlernexuscrawler Registered User regular
    Seriously tho you need to run a cat around for like 15 minutes a day or so. If you don't expend that extra energy they will in less pleasant ways

  • _J__J_ Pedant Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    I have read that some cats knock over bowls, or otherwise splash out their water, because they prefer to drink moving water, rather than stagnant stationary water. So you may consider investing in something like this:

    lg-26649-37538P-cat.jpg

    For the food, you can solve it by getting a heavier bowl. But a heavier bowl will prevent the cat from tipping the food, not address why the cat is tipping the food.

    Have you tried putting his food out in a placemat, rather than in a bowl? Maybe he prefers a large expanse of shallow food to a deep bowl?

  • Jebus314Jebus314 Registered User regular
    Along the same lines as what _J_ mentioned with water, I've found that my cat gets bored with food bowls and will bat the food around. So we got him this which seems to have solved the problem.

    Image of the feeder we use:
    91%2BRbclYHZL._SL1500_.jpg

    "The world is a mess, and I just need to rule it" - Dr Horrible
  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    _J_ wrote: »
    I have read that some cats knock over bowls, or otherwise splash out their water, because they prefer to drink moving water, rather than stagnant stationary water. So you may consider investing in something like this:

    lg-26649-37538P-cat.jpg

    For the food, you can solve it by getting a heavier bowl. But a heavier bowl will prevent the cat from tipping the food, not address why the cat is tipping the food.

    Have you tried putting his food out in a placemat, rather than in a bowl? Maybe he prefers a large expanse of shallow food to a deep bowl?

    His bowl is pretty thin, it's a two-section one. His water bowl is deeper though.
    (That is one spoiled kitten.)

    I've been keeping it on the ground, so he's not done anything yet, but I bet he'll find a way.

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  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User, Moderator, Administrator admin
    A cat thread with no pictures of your cat? CRIMINAL!

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  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    Was trying not to feed his ego anymore, but if I must...

    IVFV8Ou.jpg

    Temp solution:
    m6RpL1g.jpg

    z48g7weaopj2.png
  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User, Moderator, Administrator admin
    cj iwakura wrote: »
    Was trying not to feed his ego anymore, but if I must...

    IVFV8Ou.jpg
    Cute! :D
    Temp solution:
    m6RpL1g.jpg
    Erm... turn off all the lights? That's the temp solution?

    8i1dt37buh2m.png
  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    No, keep the bowls on a lower platform. :P They used to be on the top.

    z48g7weaopj2.png
  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User, Moderator, Administrator admin
    cj iwakura wrote: »
    No, keep the bowls on a lower platform. :P They used to be on the top.
    Heh. What I'm saying is that on my screen, your photos look like this:
    iBCc6u6.jpg
    Intentional? I don't think my gamma setting is all out of whack.

    8i1dt37buh2m.png
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