Many cats do this (including my Holly).  I solved the problem by placing her
bowl in one of those plastic vegetable bins -- the type with one low side,
designed so they can stack and a person can reach in to each level.  The low
side permits the cat to easily drink from the container.  The three high
sides prevent water from splashing out.  Any spilled water would be
contained within the plastic bin.  Ironically, though, Holly doesn't splash
water as long as the bowl is within this containment, but she and Duffy both
drink readily from it.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly:      >'o'<
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

My cat did that ALL the time as well and I know how frustrating it can be.
This may seem weird but what solved it for her was... I started putting her
water in coffee cups. One near her food bowl and one on my nightstand. It
ended the splashing immediately. The odd time when I have been away for a
few days, she will behave for the neighbour that looks after her but will
tip the contents when I get home... within the first 15 minutes. I think
this is her way of punishing me for going away. It's worth a try anyway.

--
rach

"Hipsters - UNITE!"

lFloat a colored piece of plastic in it.  FI the plastic sealer from a
bottle.

I was able to stop my cat from doing this every ding-dong day by
purchasing one of those largish dog water bowls which has a rubber rim
around the bottom rim of the shiny steel bowl. Not too large but too
large for a cat, or so the clerk remarked: this is for a dog, not a
cat. If my cat prefers a dog water bowl, that's her right. So there.

We have a cat in foster care with the same problem.  We've cared for lots
of cats of the years, but we've only seen this behavior once before, and
not nearly as serious as this cat.

If you hear of a way to curtail the behavior, please share it with us.
Until then, we're are keeping the water bowls in the bathtub!  The cat
splashes to her heart's content, with no harm done.  We figure she will
tire of the game soon and move on to other mischief.

Sharon Talbert
Friends of Campus Cats
www.campuscats.org

One of our cats loves to splash water in the area around his water
bowl before drinking. He does this with his paw - looks like he is
trying to clear debris (water is clear) or is trying to establish
where the surface is.

I'm getting tired of cleaning up the floor. How can I stop this
behavior without discouraging him from drinking? I've even switched to
a Drinkwell fountain with the running water and he still splashes
water all over the place.

Dick Ballard
ballardr@att.net

We've had a couple of cats who like splashing in water. One of them used to
splash in the toilet so if we forgot to close the lid you'd end up sitting
on a really wet seat.
I keep a small throw rug under the water bowl and food bowls. When they dump
the water bowl at least I don't have it running across the floor. When the
rug gets too gross I can just pick it up, shake it outside and dump it in
the washer.