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
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.
Answered By - hairboat