Jan
1
2010
My 2 four mo. old cats put 2 homemade catnip toys in their water dish all the time. Why?
These toys came from a house with other cats, but I have a feeling it has more to do with the catnip in the toy. Has anyone else every seen this? Or maybe know why the cats do this?
It’s simply a way of them "claiming" the toys and marking territory (water dishes). It may seem a bit odd, but this is a very normal behavior.
January 1st, 2010 at 3:56 pm
my cat does this too!!! and i am sorry i dont know why
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January 1st, 2010 at 4:24 pm
It’s time to face the facts. Your kitties have a drug problem. By placing the catnip in the water, they are able to maintain their high throughout the day, even when they are unable to find the toy. You should check them into Kitty Rehab immediately.
Honestly, though, I have seen other animals do this, but really don’t know their reasoning. I generally figured it was an accident.
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January 1st, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I don’t know the answer to your question, but I used to have a cat who would regularly drown his favorite toy mouse in his water bowl too, in fact, he even took it outdoors through the cat door once in a while. I guess just dry off the mouse and change the water.
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January 1st, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Cats have a very keen sense of smell, maybe they smell the other cats and are trying to wash them away, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Why don’t you get them some new catnip toys & see what they do.
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January 1st, 2010 at 5:44 pm
catnip flavored water…its all the rage now
just think if we bottled this water we could be millionaires…..
its just a shame that a feline thought of it first!
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January 1st, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Cats look upon their food area as part of their territory, and that particular area of their territory usually doesn’t change from day to day – so the cats are likely putting their favorite toys away in a "safe" place. Some cats will consistently put away their toys when they’re through playing with them – you might try putting your cat’s toys in a small basket near the water dish
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http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/whycat.htm
January 1st, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Sometimes, cats get caught up in play(especially when on catnip) and end up getting their toy in the water bowl. Then, they don’t take it out because the kitty doesn’t want to get wet; or they are bored of the toy.
A definite way of solving this problem is to remove the water bowl from play areas. If your cats have free range of the house, pick it up and leave it on a counter so that they can reach it but not get their toy in it.
The ONLY way that toy will end up in the water bowl is if they jump up with the toy.
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Cat Owner, Studying Cat Specialist
January 1st, 2010 at 8:01 pm
We came home from a short vacation one time and found toys, hair clasps and a bunch of smaller items in the TOILET.
We always make sure the lid is closed whenever we leave the house so nothing gets sacrificed to the Bog-God but when we left to go to Florida for three days over New Years, we looked at each other in a panic halfway down and realized we didn’t close the lid to the toilet. Nothing was in it when we came back…but the water dish had two fuzzy mice in it.
As far as the toilet, we don’t understand why Peepers would jump up and drop something in, a different way to play perhaps? I know she has watched the water spiral down a lot when it would get flushed and she might have been wanting to see that…
As far as the water dish though, we’ve watched her play and she just seems to go in the direction of her water bowl…or a pair of our shoes.
Everything else gets trapped under the large appliances. We calculated one time and there has to be at least a couple of hundred fuzzy, colorful mice between the fridge, dryer, washer and stove…because when she loses them, we will immediately go out and buy her a new pack of 16.
We’re such suckers!!
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January 1st, 2010 at 8:49 pm
It’s simply a way of them "claiming" the toys and marking territory (water dishes). It may seem a bit odd, but this is a very normal behavior.
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January 1st, 2010 at 9:28 pm
I’ve read that moisture brings out the scent of catnip, BUT at four months of age, they aren’t old enough to be attracted to the scent of catnip. Cats don’t respond to nip until they’re sexually mature, and yours are a few months shy of that age.
I guess they just like to put their toys in the water. I’ve heard of other cats doing that, but I can’t imagine why.
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January 1st, 2010 at 9:33 pm
My younger cats do this with anything they find. They also do it with their food. I dont know why but it is not unusual.
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January 1st, 2010 at 9:42 pm
My 4 year old cat puts dog goodies in the water dish. I have no idea why, but she is quirky.
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