Why Do Cats Scratch The Floor When They Drink Water

Why do these cats dip a paw in the water and then use it almost as if they re licking a popsicle.

Why do cats scratch the floor when they drink water.

Many cat owners assume this is a clear sign that the cat isn t interested in the food. However most consider water less of a plaything than a dish best served fresh. Instead this is still him trying to be sneaky and not let predators know where he is. Sometimes i would go through 3 or 4 cans of cat food being scratched at before the cat would eat someth.

So it is that some cats prefer to drink aerated water directly from the tap a fountain or even the toilet. For other cats though a front paw becomes a vital tool when thirst strikes. Gracie has always scratched and clawed on and around the bowl before she drinks. She makes a mess.

This behavior is similar to burying feces in a litter box or on the ground. If you re feline pal has taken the time to physically cover his food rather than just pawing on the floor he s just going the extra mile. Like caching burying allows the cat to disappear by getting rid of its waste. They have a water dish on the floor by their food and also have a 4 cup measuring cup in the bathroom and before they have a drink they do some sort of scratching with one or sometimes both of their paws in front of the dish or cup before they drink.

To some cats that means moving water is preferable to the sort that sits still in a dish for hours. They walk over to the water bowl lower their faces near the surface of the water and stick out their tongues to get a little drink. It took me years to understand why my cat gracie does that. A common mistake cat owners make is that when their cat swipes their paw on the floor around their food dish they think that they are covering up the food like they would their poop in a litter box.

When she was a kitten i had to keep the water and food bowls separated because if the. In some cases cats will scratch at or bury food or other items they dislike. A cat sits and screams at her water bowl for several minutes before taking a drink and the behavior has been going on for four years. I have 4 cats and they all do the same thing.

In addition as cats often sleep where they eat burying waste can be a way of tidying a cat s personal space. For many cats drinking water is a simple process.