Why does my cat wash her paws in her water?

Question

My cats' self-filling water bowl has started getting dirty rather quickly since we got a new kitten (who's now about 6 months old). There's quite often a bit of cat litter at the bottom of the bowl, so I assume that she's been washing her paws in it after using the litter box.

She seems to otherwise have the normal feline aversion to getting wet in any way, so it's odd to me that she'd be intentionally doing it. Is there anything I can do to break her of this habit? Should I just get rid of the self-filling bowl since I need to empty and wash it every day anyway?

Answer 1

Have you seen your cat doing this? Cats don't usually use water to wash themselves - they'll use their own tongues, even when it's something really gross like litter. (I have seen cats washing actual feces off themselves with their teeth/tongues.)

If you haven't actually witnessed this "washing" behavior, it's more likely that your cat is dipping her paw in the water bowl to drink from it, which is a common cat behavior (even in cats that hate getting wet).

The litter getting into the water from the cat's paws is a byproduct of this behavior. Try a different brand of litter that might be less "sticky", or make sure that you are scooping the litter box frequently so it's nice and dry in there.

I would be willing to bet that this problem will solve itself over time. Kittens are not notorious for their cleanliness, especially in the litter box. As the cat grows up she'll get better about keeping herself clean, and even if she still dips her paw in the water to drink, she'll make less of a mess.

Answer 2

Some of my cats will bite, swipe, and otherwise play with/at moving water (like from the pet fountain or from a tap). I see it as healthy play or hunting behavior so I don't think you can train her not to do it without substantial effort. Possibly from someone experienced in animal training (e.g. conditioning the cat over time to remove the behavior).

Try using a regular old-fashioned water bowl and see what she does with that. You may have to experiment some to find a bowl in a size that she prefers. She may not like a small bowl, or she may go wading and play in a large bowl. One of my cats likes to vigorously dig in large pans of water, quickly emptying them onto the floor.

Some cats like to drink by dunking their paws in water the licking their paws. This may be due to them not liking the sensation of their whiskers touching the side of the water bowl.

Answer 3

I have had a cat, who recently passed away, for 17 years. He washed his paws in his water dish every time he got out of his litter box. I changed litter brand and types probably 30 different times and he still washed his paws.

I currently have a 5 month old kitten, who started washing his paws at least once a day after using the litter box. He also drinks from a faucet and the remaining water in the tub. He does not like to get his head or back wet though. I think they just like having clean paws. I noticed litter between his toes, so I put a very shallow puddle of water in my sink and he dipped and shook until he was clean!