# Cat puts stuff in the water dish: Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 28, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-puts-stuff-in-the-water-dish-why/590579 "2011-07-28T02:31:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-puts-stuff-in-the-water-dish-why/590579/21 "2011-07-30T00:34:24Z")
Because it’s cool. Duh! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-puts-stuff-in-the-water-dish-why/590579/22 "2011-07-30T02:36:33Z")
Several years ago I switched the cats’ food from dry to wet, and I immediately noticed that they no longer drink water. Ever. They get whatever they need from the food, and don’t even pay attention to a dripping faucet or shower, except with mild curiosity. According to the vet, they are not at all dehydrated. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-puts-stuff-in-the-water-dish-why/590579/23 "2011-07-31T17:10:10Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > One of ours will–pretty much as soon as the water bowl is filled–go get one piece of food out of the food bow, carry it over to the water bowl, drop it in, and leave it there. We have no idea why. We used to think it was accidental, but we’ve seen her do it, and the water bowl is now a good six feet from the food bowl. But there’s a single piece of food in there every morning and every evening when I get home from work. One of my cats did this. You can’t leave cat food in a water dish because it turns into something from a horror movie. I solved this by moving the dish to the upstairs bathroom. I always had a feeling it was a visual thing. The cat needed a reference point to judge the bottom of the dish. She always seemed to advance on the ever changing water line like it was a trip wire to a grenade. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-puts-stuff-in-the-water-dish-why/590579/24 "2011-07-31T18:44:40Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Generally speaking, cats do a lot of stuff just to annoy humans. Or at least that’s what I’ve always maintained. > [@MissTake](#): > > The DrinkWell water fountain thingy came in the mail today. > > Dot thinks it’s a swimming pool. FML. No toys in it yet, but since her fuzzy butt is in it, there’s no room for toys. And Dot is now proving **Lynn’s** theory 🙂 I used to find toys in the water bowls, but they don’t seem to put them in the drinkwell. However, at the same time I got the fountain, I also got them a toybox (a magazine holder) and started picking the toys up and dropping them in the toybox everytime I walked by. I’ve watched Lucky put toys and shiney things he’s swiped from my desk in the toybox. Bottom line: cats are teh weird. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-puts-stuff-in-the-water-dish-why/590579/25 "2011-07-31T23:54:46Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > One of ours will–pretty much as soon as the water bowl is filled–go get one piece of food out of the food bow, carry it over to the water bowl, drop it in, and leave it there. We have no idea why. We used to think it was accidental, but we’ve seen her do it, and the water bowl is now a good six feet from the food bowl. But there’s a single piece of food in there every morning and every evening when I get home from work. My cat does this, I see it as a very primitive way to flavor the water - to make soup! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-puts-stuff-in-the-water-dish-why/590579/26 "2011-08-01T02:31:54Z")
One of our cats is always putting his toys in his food bowls. I’m convinced it’s because he associates fun things with his toys and with food. Sometimes he puts his toys in the water dish. This is particularly annoying when it’s the colored feather on his toy, because the dye is water-soluble, so the cats end up with a bowl of blue water. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-puts-stuff-in-the-water-dish-why/590579/27 "2011-08-01T17:51:23Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Our cat sometimes puts a leaf in her water dish. I thought she was just making tea. I’ve heard of cats doing something similar with their catnip toys - letting them steep, and then drinking the catnippy water. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-puts-stuff-in-the-water-dish-why/590579/28 "2011-08-01T18:09:53Z")
> [@MissTake](#): > > The DrinkWell water fountain thingy came in the mail today. > Dot thinks it’s a swimming pool. No toys in it yet, but since her fuzzy butt is in it, there’s no room for toys. hey, we have rules on this site about kitty threads… and a post about fuzzy-butt-in-the-water-dish shows a level of cuteness that DEMANDS a pic… I’m gonna have to report you to the mods… ---
**Author:** ![Kalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df705f/32.png) [@Kalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalypso)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-puts-stuff-in-the-water-dish-why/590579/29 "2011-08-01T21:00:39Z")
Pi likes to put a hair band or other little piece of flotsam into the food dish. I always figured that she did it as an eff you to our other cat, Joule. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-puts-stuff-in-the-water-dish-why/590579/30 "2011-08-01T21:13:14Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > … I suppose **BetsQ’s** tray idea would work, but I’m really trying to make my house less petcentric and more of a human habitation (limiting the dogs to only a dozen toys on the floor instead of 30, etc.), so I kind of hate to make the water dish an even more conspicuous feature than it is… I feel ya. We use a big clear plastic “crystal” catering tray, which blends in better than the boot trays and other things I considered, and was pretty cheap at a party supply place. Party Pig IIRC, and like $8 or so. Has space for two water bowls, used by our two cats and one dog (though the dog always politely waits for the clawed terrorists to finish before he dares have a sip). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-puts-stuff-in-the-water-dish-why/590579.md?page=1)