betterwithcats.net

Why Do Cats Put Things In Their Water Bowl? 5 Reasons 

1. Hiding Their Prey

Many cats perceive their feeding area as a major part of their territory. Therefore, your cat probably considers her water bowl as a safe place to keep her prey.

2. Just For Fun

Your cat probably just enjoys playing with water and watching it move around. So, if your cat puts things in her water bowl – she might just like dropping things in water!

3. Collecting Things

This is a rare case, but some cats will like to collect different things, such as rubber bands, pieces of paper, or pencils – in their water bowls.

4. Teaching Their Owners How To Hunt

Our cat sees her water bowl as the main part of her nest, and she might be moving fresh prey to this safe location – in order to teach you how to hunt! This is a part of cats’ natural instincts.

5. A Matter of Convenience

This might be just a practical thing for your cat – she can’t drink water while holding a toy in her mouth, so, she will drop anything she has in her mouth to the bowl to be able to drink water.

Should You Stop Your Cat From Putting Things In Her Bowl?

This shouldn’t be a serious behavioral problem.  You should just make sure that the items are water safe, and that your cat won’t eat them.