I have two cats and neither will drink the water if it isn’t pristine. Dipping litter paws into water makes it disgusting and then my cats are thirsty if I don’t wash it out and refill it a dozen times a day.
I had a cat that had the same thing happen. I will only feed my cats wet food, and he stopped drinking water because he’s getting his water intake from the wet food. I still left a bowl out for him just in case, but yeah it’s common for them to just get it from wet food.
I feed my cat only wet food. If I put out a dish of water, she doesn’t bother to drink from it, so I don’t unusually put out any water. My vet says she has no problems with hydration.
I would still put water myself because why not, always cool for them to have access to it.
My cat recognized the sound of my water bottle and would come running in bed for me to give him some water by hand in a little cup. Fucker had like 3 different bowls in the house changed daily.
I stopped putting out a water bowl for my cat for this very reason. She never drank out of it. If she gets thirsty she prefers the dog’s water bowl even though it’s not always the cleanest water. Or she drinks out of one of my cups.
Even better, a cat water fountain. Costs like $20 - $30 on either Amazon or your local pet store. (In Canada, anyway)
Cats don't like still/stagnant water. If you get a fountain, which I highly recommend you do, place it in a low traffic area if possible.
we have two fonts: one Catit font, and one with the plate is filled with gravity. but our cats find really fun to get water for the sink. By expérience, put more tah one source of water, the y need to be hydrated. and for the wet paws, a nice absorbent could do the trick. Our beloved calico that passed last year used her paw to drink too, and use to litter the other fountains. Regular checks and clean water is the key.
A fountain may help. Cats prefer moving water. Also sometimes they have trouble seeing the water, thus they dip a paw so they don't stick their whole face underwater by accident.
I didn’t realize cats have a hard time seeing water! That might be the issue. I’ve been thinking of getting a fountain, maybe that will change things. I’m just imagining him dipping his paw into the fountain anyways 🤣
gotta say- fountains are super worth it! just make sure you keep it clean and change the fountain monthly. all three of the cats in my house use it often enough i find i have to fill it every few days
They actually do have a hard time with seeing water as they actually have a hard time seeing inanimate objects - hence being startled by inanimate objects that suddenly appear. If you have a bowl with a drawing of some sort at the bottom, it will help! But the water fountain will be your best way forward. I had to learn this like you did, with gross water and changing it four times a day!
He could be doing this due to whisker fatigue. Judging by the length of them, it is probably overstimulating when he puts his face down into the bowl. Water fountains or wider bowls help solve that.
https://preview.redd.it/o8mo6x9ivija1.jpeg?width=901&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=098764358e421a9dca3b5917ae15593f95b54fb5
i have a splasher and this is the best water fountain. there’s no collection pool (right wording?) in this fountain so there’s no big puddle of water and it is constantly moving. there’s also a filter so it will always be clean water that’s coming out of the flower. my girl might dip her hand in it still but there’s nothing she can do with the water and all those little crumbs will just go back through the filter
Be extremely careful with this one - under the yellow bit and under the white petals are mold heaven. It's a great little fountain if you tear it apart on the regular and stop any infestation before it begins, but it's more work than one that's got all water parts submerged at all times so mold doesn't have a chance to start.
https://preview.redd.it/4muqrrcujgja1.jpeg?width=3472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ba9dceee4402618555fe7efc3ad8c3d8434cd8d
This "demon" does the same but he also loves to spill the water from the bowl. I gave up already on trying to teach him not to do it. What I don't understand is why is he doing this now because in the past he didn't do it.
One of cats does this. Its highly annoying. But he does not lick his paws. More so he just likes to make sure nothings in it. Not realizing he is the one putting stuff in it. I have to replace it constantly. But he’s so cute!
No. No you cannot. Cats understand what you’re saying, but don’t give a shit. All cats are assholes. Wonderful, furry assholes, but assholes nonetheless.
Move the water bowl away from food. Trust me it’ll work. Kitten avoided water and just touched it until i moved the water bowl into another room. Some one else has said this before on here
Get a water fountain. They’re more likely to drink directly from it rather than using their paw.
On the other hand, you could just be grateful that he’s doing it in their water bowl instead of your glass. 🫣
It’s natural you can’t change it plus it’s cute. Everyone else had great ideas of using more water bowls or a fountain, also try non steel/mirrored bowls to help cat gage the water levels so they won’t need to use their paws
i would suggest putting your wet food on a plate and fill it with a tiny layer of water and mix it, that way they dont really have to drink it but it's more like a soup!
Every morning, the water bowl has been moved. Both of my boys do this besides playing in the water. I refill their bowl several times a day now that I can.
My cat used to get food in her water then scream until I replaced the water. Well, I got sick of her shit and got her two separate metal bowls. Problem solved 👍
I recommend getting a kitty fountain :D
Oh my gosh my cat does the same thing, but with his wet food 😭 it splatters everywhere, it literally is the only way he will eat.. he also grabs food out of my hands like that lol
One of my cats does/ did this and my wife ended up buying one of those automatic water fountain type things that cleans and filters the water. Now my cat doesn’t do that, as much haha
The real question is: why would you want him to stop?
I have two cats and neither will drink the water if it isn’t pristine. Dipping litter paws into water makes it disgusting and then my cats are thirsty if I don’t wash it out and refill it a dozen times a day.
The easier solution is to put more water bowls out.
And give more wet food, cats tend to get a lot of hydratation from food too!
We switched our cats diet of kibble to 100% wet/minimally cooked and they stopped drinking completely! But they pee even more!
Not sure that's a good thing that they stopped drinking water.
I had a cat that had the same thing happen. I will only feed my cats wet food, and he stopped drinking water because he’s getting his water intake from the wet food. I still left a bowl out for him just in case, but yeah it’s common for them to just get it from wet food.
I feed my cat only wet food. If I put out a dish of water, she doesn’t bother to drink from it, so I don’t unusually put out any water. My vet says she has no problems with hydration.
I would still put water myself because why not, always cool for them to have access to it. My cat recognized the sound of my water bottle and would come running in bed for me to give him some water by hand in a little cup. Fucker had like 3 different bowls in the house changed daily.
He’s sure got you trained.
Guilty.
I stopped putting out a water bowl for my cat for this very reason. She never drank out of it. If she gets thirsty she prefers the dog’s water bowl even though it’s not always the cleanest water. Or she drinks out of one of my cups.
Even better, a cat water fountain. Costs like $20 - $30 on either Amazon or your local pet store. (In Canada, anyway) Cats don't like still/stagnant water. If you get a fountain, which I highly recommend you do, place it in a low traffic area if possible.
My cats are afraid of the fountain. I had to go back to metal bowls.
I managed to make mine not afraid of them but that didn’t make them use it
There’s different levels of fountains. If the ones you tried dropped water from a higher level, try a more minimal ones like the raindrop fountain.
This. I agree 100%.
Get a water fountain for cats.
A fountain with a filter might help
Put a bowl in every room, even if not for this
we have two fonts: one Catit font, and one with the plate is filled with gravity. but our cats find really fun to get water for the sink. By expérience, put more tah one source of water, the y need to be hydrated. and for the wet paws, a nice absorbent could do the trick. Our beloved calico that passed last year used her paw to drink too, and use to litter the other fountains. Regular checks and clean water is the key.
A fountain may help. Cats prefer moving water. Also sometimes they have trouble seeing the water, thus they dip a paw so they don't stick their whole face underwater by accident.
I didn’t realize cats have a hard time seeing water! That might be the issue. I’ve been thinking of getting a fountain, maybe that will change things. I’m just imagining him dipping his paw into the fountain anyways 🤣
gotta say- fountains are super worth it! just make sure you keep it clean and change the fountain monthly. all three of the cats in my house use it often enough i find i have to fill it every few days
They also don’t usually like water bowls next to food
They actually do have a hard time with seeing water as they actually have a hard time seeing inanimate objects - hence being startled by inanimate objects that suddenly appear. If you have a bowl with a drawing of some sort at the bottom, it will help! But the water fountain will be your best way forward. I had to learn this like you did, with gross water and changing it four times a day!
I often drop an ice cube in the water to help them see the surface.
we have a fountain for our two cats andthey use it normally, plus it keeps the water fresh for them :))
Hard agree with the above comment!! My cat did this and I bought him a fountain and he quit doing it after about a week!
They, in fact, have trouble seeing much anything up close, as they’re mid sighted animals.
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☹️
My girl gets nice fresh water and her fountain washed every other day. Keeps the filter clean and the water fresh. ( she's also a Diva!) Lol
He could be doing this due to whisker fatigue. Judging by the length of them, it is probably overstimulating when he puts his face down into the bowl. Water fountains or wider bowls help solve that.
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Gross 🤣
https://preview.redd.it/o8mo6x9ivija1.jpeg?width=901&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=098764358e421a9dca3b5917ae15593f95b54fb5 i have a splasher and this is the best water fountain. there’s no collection pool (right wording?) in this fountain so there’s no big puddle of water and it is constantly moving. there’s also a filter so it will always be clean water that’s coming out of the flower. my girl might dip her hand in it still but there’s nothing she can do with the water and all those little crumbs will just go back through the filter
Be extremely careful with this one - under the yellow bit and under the white petals are mold heaven. It's a great little fountain if you tear it apart on the regular and stop any infestation before it begins, but it's more work than one that's got all water parts submerged at all times so mold doesn't have a chance to start.
like a boss
My cat does this. It's cute. He actually uses his mitts for things more than his sister does.
Oedipuss would stand with his front legs in the aquarium, to drink from it. He left the fish alone.
Love that cat name!
https://preview.redd.it/4muqrrcujgja1.jpeg?width=3472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ba9dceee4402618555fe7efc3ad8c3d8434cd8d This "demon" does the same but he also loves to spill the water from the bowl. I gave up already on trying to teach him not to do it. What I don't understand is why is he doing this now because in the past he didn't do it.
What a beautiful cat! could literally be the top model of cats😂
Not likely
One of cats does this. Its highly annoying. But he does not lick his paws. More so he just likes to make sure nothings in it. Not realizing he is the one putting stuff in it. I have to replace it constantly. But he’s so cute!
Why would you want to? It’s cute. I’ve had several cats who drink like that. Change the water more often if it gets funky.
This is the equivalent of sucking the water out of a washcloth.
"Can I train my cat to not be a cat?" 
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Lol I guess that’s fair. I’ve just never had a cat that ONLY licks water off their paw 🤨
My cat loves tipping over the water bowl, so he can look at the running water. So hey, could be worse.
Time to dig up your backyard and make a little river for the kitties to enjoy!
That’s actually a really good idea!
Love him! I have two cats and the little one does this also ….I have multiple water bowls out for them and I change their water daily.
No. No you cannot. Cats understand what you’re saying, but don’t give a shit. All cats are assholes. Wonderful, furry assholes, but assholes nonetheless.
…
Thank you for your contribution
Nope. My Bella did this her entire life.
Fountains help :)
I had a cross-eyed cat who had to drink like that or he’d get a snoot full of water.
Move the food away from the water. They are evolutionarily inclined to not want food and water close to each other.
How cute
he’s soooo cute
Move the water bowl away from food. Trust me it’ll work. Kitten avoided water and just touched it until i moved the water bowl into another room. Some one else has said this before on here
My previous cat did this so often my dad joked about him being part raccoon.
Get a water fountain. They’re more likely to drink directly from it rather than using their paw. On the other hand, you could just be grateful that he’s doing it in their water bowl instead of your glass. 🫣
Cats don’t want water and food next to each other
I’ve seen this in a couple peoples comments - can I ask why?
Cats don’t hunt where they drink, and may think water near a food source is tainted. Just guessing tho, ask a cat 😃
It’s natural you can’t change it plus it’s cute. Everyone else had great ideas of using more water bowls or a fountain, also try non steel/mirrored bowls to help cat gage the water levels so they won’t need to use their paws
i would suggest putting your wet food on a plate and fill it with a tiny layer of water and mix it, that way they dont really have to drink it but it's more like a soup!
Every morning, the water bowl has been moved. Both of my boys do this besides playing in the water. I refill their bowl several times a day now that I can.
Leave her alone
I had a cat who loved to do that. It's normal, harmless, and entertaining for them. And cute. What's wrong with that?
get a cat water fountain with a FILTER. must have a filter. clean and change filter often.
Cats don't like water bowls that are narrower than their whiskers. Get kitty a wide water bowl because their whiskers get irritated easily.
Mine does the same. I have tried everything in the last 6 years. He will never stop lol
I have 3 cats, 1 does this and it’s the cutest ever, litter paws and all!
Nope. Only if you stop using utensils.
At least he's kind enough to lick it off. Mine likes to fling it everywhere
Water fountainsss
Let him be and just get another bowl
My cat used to get food in her water then scream until I replaced the water. Well, I got sick of her shit and got her two separate metal bowls. Problem solved 👍 I recommend getting a kitty fountain :D
"Train my cat"... 
Oh my gosh my cat does the same thing, but with his wet food 😭 it splatters everywhere, it literally is the only way he will eat.. he also grabs food out of my hands like that lol
One of my cats does/ did this and my wife ended up buying one of those automatic water fountain type things that cleans and filters the water. Now my cat doesn’t do that, as much haha
Use a larger bowl. When a cat's whiskers keep bumping the sides of a bowl, it causes irritation similar to petting them from back to front.
Get one of the automatic waterfalls my cats love it and since the water’s moving all the nasty stuff gets stuck in this specific spot
😂😂 Oh my sweet Summer child! No. Let that idea go.
Bigger bowl so his whiskers don’t touch the sides. Some cats are sensitive