Why do cats dig up around their water bowls while they are drinking?

Answer 1

It may be the water is not fresh, or tastes bad, mine did the same to his food when he knew I'd added a worming powder. (he watched me do it!) Try changing the water, or bowl or both, try putting fresh water somewhere else in the house. Answer: My cat used to do that when I add kitty grass in with the wet food. They'd dig around and only eat the food and not grass. But now that they're grown up, they love eating grass... As for the water, my cat wouldn't drink water if it's even a little bit less fresh. I ended up getting water fountain thingy that filters the water. Also doesn't like hard water, only wants to drink filtered water anyway. I try to wash all his water/food containers every day or every other day, and that helps the appetite as well as drinking water too.

Answer 2

Cats have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and can easily detect any decomposing proteins in their food or water. Cats, given the option, will only drink from the freshest water sources such as dripping faucets and toilet bowls.

Domestic cats, like their wild ancestors and cousins, are designed to get their moisture from their food, so will not often drink water out of a bowl or other water source unless very thirsty. Investing in a water fountain specially designed for cats is an excellent way of enticing a cat to drink, as the water is constantly moving and kept fresh.