Why Do Cats Scratch The Floor Before They Drink Water

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.

Why do cats scratch the floor before they drink water.

Gracie has always scratched and clawed on and around the bowl before she drinks. It took me years to understand why my cat gracie does that. In fact your pet is demonstrating an instinct shared even by the big cats and it is a very positive sign that it is feeling at home in your house. Why do these cats dip a paw in the water and then use it almost as if they re licking a popsicle.

There s nothing wrong with your cat. She makes a mess. Many cat owners assume this is a clear sign that the cat isn t interested in the food. Why does my cat yowl at the water dish before drinking.

For other cats though a front paw becomes a vital tool when thirst strikes. 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. 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. 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.

This is not an unusual behavior. I have 4 cats and they all do the same thing. When she was a kitten i had to keep the water and food bowls separated because if the. For many cats drinking water is a simple process.

As was mentioned below they usually scratch around their food bowl either after eating or before if they don t like what you are feeding them. If you cat engages in this oddly cute behavior consider getting her one of those recirculating water fountains now commercially available for cats. Instead this is still him trying to be sneaky and not let predators know where he is. 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.

In the wild cats don t come back to a meal they ve stored for several days. Sometimes i would go through 3 or 4 cans of cat food being scratched at before the cat would eat someth.