Why does my cat put her paws in her water bowl?

two reasons

cats are finicky to the point that they will drink water that is still....but prefer it to be moving as in a stream of fresh water.

also they can't see the water very well down in the bowl and they don't like to get their faces or any other part of them wet. so they take their paw and stir the water with it.....to move it and to see it move.

i found this out myself by observing my own cat. she does that too

and i soon noticed that she would tap the water several times in her bowl and if the faucet is leaking enough in the bathtub or the sink she will drink that water that is running into the drain.

i love cats they are so crazy

I read once that cats can't see the surface of the water in the bowl when they are so close to it which is one reason they prefer a running faucet to get a drink. Maybe your kitty keeps her paw in the bowl to give her an idea where the water is so she doesn't stick her whole snout in the water. I don't know why she prefers a wet paw though. Then if she gets in the litter box while her paw is wet, like my kitty, litter goes everywhere.

Many cats have a depth vision problem When they look in their water dishes they can not tell how high the level of the water is in their water dish. So they put their paws in to check the water level before they drink. Be sure to keep a consistent level of water in his bowl. It also helps to use a water bowl that has a design on the bottom, which will help him gauge the depth.

Who knows with cats. I have one that does the same thing. She always paw at the water until she plashes out about half of it on to the floor. Same cat will drink out of the toilet if you forget to put the lid down and while you shower she sits on the tub between the liner and the curtain. Soon as the water is shut off, she is in the tub to catch any drips still coming from the facet

My cat does the same thing. In fact, he gets water everywhere because not only does he drink the water off his paws, but he also bathes in there. I am constantly having to change the water!

Plus... he has a lot of wet paws... but I do love him! :)

It's just her strange affectation - you just need to change the water more often. We had a cat once who figured out it was a washing bowl - he would dip his paw in and stand there and wash - cute, but irritating.

is it a multi cat household?

I have a cat who does that with ALL ingestibles. Food, Water, catnip. The vet told me he's "guarding his catch" like a big cat would.

Its the worst when he has cold wet paws and feels the need to rub them on my face when I'm asleep.:)

Do not worry, this is normal for a cat, they always do what they want. My cat always sits on the window frame and watches the outer world in only 3 legs.

They all have little quirks. My little one uses the downstairs lamp as her "sun lamp" when we have it on, and she likes to sit in the kitchen sink and lap up the water dripping from the faucet. Cute as that is, I constantly wonder why she always has to sit in the disposal side. Just a little thrill-seeker, I guess.