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Why Does My Cat Knock Over Cups? (Curiosity or Thirst?)

If your cat keeps knocking over cups you may be wondering why this keeps happening and what you can do to prevent it…

Why does my cat knock over cups?

Your cat may knock over your cups by pure accident because it feels thirsty or from pure curiosity. There are many more reasons, but these are some of the most common issues. If you confirm that the issue is your cat is just thirsty you will need to find a way to keep it well hydrated.

Use these to prevent spillage or knocked over cups:

Description Image My Rating
01. Cup with top cover (My Best)
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5 stars
02. Cat Water Fountain
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03.Sports water bottle
Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad
4 stars

So, now you know. But, how can you prevent this from happeing? What should you do once your cup is spilled? Could a cat d this just for fun? Keep reading for these answers, and so much more…

3 Main reasons why cats knock over cups:

Why does my cat knock over cups?

A glass of water on a surface.

Earlier I briefly explained some reasons why your cat may be knocking over your cups. In this section I will explain more detail about each one:

01. Accident

Sometimes your cat will be aimlessly walking past your cup, assuming you left it out in its way, and it may knock it over. This is therefore a genuine accident. And, one could argue that you could be as much to blame because it was left in its way.

02. Curiosity

If your cat has not seen your cup before, or it is wondering what’s in it, it may take a look out of curiosity. Unfortunately, it may topple over the cup in the process of inspecting it.

03. Thirsty

In some cases, your cat may be real thirsty and sees your cup unattended. When this happens it may have a sip and when it’s done trample and knock it over.

How can you prevent your cat from knocking over cups?

So, now you have an idea of some of the common reasons why your cat may knock over your cups. So, in this section I will share with you some techniques you can use to prevent it from happing:

01. Use cups with top covers

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A cup with a cover is great. Especially when the contents is hot. This will not only prevent it from spilling over but your cat scolding itself or staining your furniture with the spillage.

02. Use a cat water fountain

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A cat water fountain is ideal for cats that are thirst and keep stealing your water, and in the process, spilling it everywhere. Some cats may go for your cup even if they have a full water bowl. And, the reason for this may be because it’s dirty, in their opinion. Or, they just prefer running water.

If it’s the latter, this is generally from instinct. Why? Well, their wild ancestors prefer running water from streams because they know it’s fresh and deemed safe for consumption.

03. Use sports bottles (with spill-proof caps)

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A sports bottle with a spill-proof cap will help to stop your cat from spilling your drink all over the place. Also, let’s face it remembering to place your drink in a safe place is not always top of mind, right?

So, using one of these bottles (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad) means you don’t need to worry about that.

04. Do not leave cups near your cat

If you don’t want to invest in a new cup or bottle the next best thing is to get more careful and not leave the cup out for your cat to knock over. This sounds easy but, all it takes is one forgetful day.

05. Avoid leaving full cups next near electrical items

One of the most important things is keeping your cups of liquid away from electrical outlets or devices. These can cause serious issues and your cat can easily kick it over and trigger this.

06. Keep its water bowl clean

Earlier I talked about using a water fountain. This is because some cats may reject the water bowl because it feels it is not clean. And, if you look it may be obvious it isn’t. Sometimes leftover food gets knocked in, or some cats just don’t like minor traces of debris.

Therefore, in the absence of a water fountain, you will have to make sure that you regularly refresh the water to get around this problem.

What should you do if your cat knocks over your cup?

If your cat knocks over your cup you may be mad and want to react to this instantly. But, this is unlikely to get the results you want and may just freak your cat out and cause a trust issue in your relationship. Therefore, here are some tips on what to do when this happens:

01. Do not negatively discipline your cat

Firstly, do not respond negatively. I get it, it’s sometimes hard to do, but trust me, avoid this. To be precise, do not shout, pick it up (click here if it will only let you do this), or anything physical. Take a break, walk away and calm down.

02. Clean up the spillage

Why do I smell cat litter when I don't have a cat?

Cleaning a surface with rubber gloves and spray cleaner.

Rather than crying over the spillage simply clean it up and move on from it. Once it’s clean you will start to feel calmer about it.

03. Positive reinforcement

Instead of acting negatively use positive reinforcement. This means that you need to reward your cat (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad) for following your direction. This is a simple way to train your cat to do what you want it to do.

Could a cat knock over a cup just for fun?

Sometimes a cat will knock over a cup for fun. This is because they like to see how these objects react or they may be bored and just see it there waiting to be messed with. This is more common amongst you cats, or kittens. This is because they may not understand the boundaries clearly at that age.

If this is happening you will need to train your cat on what is acceptable and what it is not. This can include using positive reinforcement, as discussed earlier.

Could a cat knock over a cup while they explore?

While a cat explores it could easily knock over your cup. Cats love to explore their environment, whether that be inside, or outside. During their travels, they could easily bump into your cup and knock it over. Cats may be drawn to your cup if it sticks out or blocks their path.

So, if you may be wondering how your cat even got to your cup because it was out of the way, in your opinion, this is one of the reasons why it may happen.

Could a cat knock over a cup just for attention?

If your cat is starved of attention it may well knock over your cup to see your response. This is because cats love their owners and this can even make them protective. And, if they feel that they are not getting sufficient attention things like this may happen.

If you fear that this is the case then you will need to focus on giving your cat more attention. This can be as simple as spending an extra 30 -60 minutes a day playing with a toy ball (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad).

Can I drink from the same cup as my cat?

You can drink from the same cup as your cat, but it is not recommended. This is because you have no idea where its mouth has been. According to this site, it should not cause any big health issues. But, personally, I would be cautious.

Also, there is no need for you to drink from your cat’s cup, right? There is no real benefit that I can think of doing this. Therefore, it is not worth taking a chance.

Why is my cat so fascinated by water?

Some cats appear to be fascinated with water because they see it moving from your tap or sink. This is because moving water is more appealing to many cats. Why? Because, instinctively, moving water is perceived as being safer because it is not still and potentially stagnant.

This is why pet water fountains (Click here to see the price, on Amazon #Ad) are quite popular with some cats.

Is it OK to eat something my cat licked?

It is better to discard any food licked by your cat. There is a chance of infection being passed on. Some say it’s a low risk but in my opinion, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Lindsey Browlingdon