WHY is my cat doing this??

[Anonymous]

For the third time in two weeks (and probably the fourth time in his life) my cat has just knocked a glass off the table and broken it. One had water. One was empty. This one had orange juice.

I've also been catching him on the kitchen counter around the sink, which is not normal. He has one of those cat fountains, which he seems to love. And it makes noise when the water gets low, so it's not like he's been finding his dish empty. We can't ignore it because the noise is so annoying.

What the heck? Gr!

[Anonymous]

It sounds to me like he's looking for water. I have a cat who loves fresh water with ice. And yes, he gets it way more than he should.

[Anonymous]

Yep, looking for water. You could provide variety like pp suggested with ice cubes in his bowl, the fountain, leaving the tap running so he can lap the stream of water, etc.

Maybe the bigger question is: why all of the sudden is your cat craving water, because I'd have him checked for diabetes just to be safe.

[Anonymous]

I'd also have his kidneys checked.

[Anonymous]

My vet says cats should have many sources of water around the house on all floors, etc.

[Anonymous]

And they supposedly prefer their water NOT near their food

[Anonymous]

It may also be the heat...

[Anonymous]

My cat does this to everything. I don't think it is the feline kidneys, but rather the feline brain that is to blame.

All kidding aside, my cat switches around on his preferred water sources. Sometimes he is into the sink, other times the dog water bowl, sometimes his own bowl. Cats are funny.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks all.

Cat had a checkup about two weeks ago; he got shots and some meds for a chronic condition flare-up. Maybe he's mad about that? I thought of and rejected the "seeking water" idea because cats are so into scents, and only one of the glasses had water in it. It doesn't make sense that he would look for water in a dry glass, or one half-full of OJ. Or in the soapy sink.

We did change his food, but again, I can't see why that would make him go for the juice. Much less knock it off the table.

Does this mean I'll actually have to start picking up dirty dishes? Ugh.

[Anonymous]

I have a different take -- cats see a multitude of things as prey that we would never conceive of. He may have inadvertently knocked into the glass while jumping up on the table and then the motion of the liquid excited him. He then started batting the glass around. More motion, more excitement. He's now associating the glass with prey or with a fun game.

[Anonymous]

My cats love to drink from the tap or in cups left around. Cups do get knocked over sometimes.
I'd start putting away the cups if you don't like it.

It's a quirky cat trait. Amusing until they knock stuff over.

[Anonymous]

My cat intentionally knocks things off of tables and countertops on a daily basis. It makes me feel like I'm picking up after a baby in the high chair who just want to see what happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks all.

Cat had a checkup about two weeks ago; he got shots and some meds for a chronic condition flare-up. Maybe he's mad about that? I thought of and rejected the "seeking water" idea because cats are so into scents, and only one of the glasses had water in it. It doesn't make sense that he would look for water in a dry glass, or one half-full of OJ. Or in the soapy sink.

We did change his food, but again, I can't see why that would make him go for the juice. Much less knock it off the table.

Does this mean I'll actually have to start picking up dirty dishes? Ugh.

Yep, they will try the oj. I have a cat who does this. Sometimes he does knock stuff off the counter. We try to pick things up and not leave them lying around unattended. He will also try and drink water out of the sink if there is a bowl with water in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks all.

Cat had a checkup about two weeks ago; he got shots and some meds for a chronic condition flare-up. Maybe he's mad about that? I thought of and rejected the "seeking water" idea because cats are so into scents, and only one of the glasses had water in it. It doesn't make sense that he would look for water in a dry glass, or one half-full of OJ. Or in the soapy sink.

We did change his food, but again, I can't see why that would make him go for the juice. Much less knock it off the table.

Does this mean I'll actually have to start picking up dirty dishes? Ugh.

Did your cat have a blood work-up at that time? If they didn't check the kidneys, they should. If the kidneys are fine, then it's behavioral. Better safe than sorry in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd also have his kidneys checked.

Are you feeding a diet of dry cat food. If som this can cause a cat's urine to crystalize. Take cat to vet.