Expert: Dear Tabbi - 7/12/2008

Question
Yes i have 3 cats the male is always peeing in his water dish i clean the litter box regularly and change his water/. What can i do to get him to stop peeing in his water dish

Answer
Nyah,

There are a number of possiblities that could cause your kitty to urinate in the water dish.

Are your cats neutered? If not then when they go into heat, or smell a female, you can get a number of behavior problems.

Often behavior like his is a the result of a medical issue. He may have a urinary tract infection or urinary crystals. You may want to have him checked for that by a vet. Both are very painful so the cat associates the litterbox with the pain and goes elsewhere. If they cause a complete blockage it is fatal to male cats.

Is your cat a Bengal, or have any Asian Leopard Cat history in him? These type cat's ancestors liked and lived near water and the subservient wildcat urinated in the water to cover the odor (the dominant cat does not cover his urine or feces because it is a sign of superiority). Your cat could be a throwback to that and showing his dominance over the other males.

One of the most common feline responses to stress is inappropriate elimination. The bladder is the cat’s stress target. It is a possiblity is that the you or the other cats may have upset the cat in some way and that is the only way he knows to let you know that he is stressed about it. If that is the case, you will have to play detective to figure out the reason.

OR...it just may be a quirk of your cat's personality, and only  
he knows why she does it.

The best way to put a stop to it is to raise the water dish off the floor. PetSmart/Petco/etc. sell raised dog dish sets you can get ideas from. Also use a water bowl with a very thin rim, such as aluminum dog dishes to make it harder to balance on.

Did you ever leave the cat in the bathroom with the toilet seat up to see if she uses the toilet? Some cats 'toilet' train themselves and it sounds like yours has a head start!

Tabbi