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Pawing at, playing with or even splashing in a water dish is not as unusual for cats as you might think. Though the conventional wisdom might dictate otherwise, some cats love water –– as long as it’s not aimed at them, as it is during a bath, and consider water a fun toy. They love its reflective surface and the way it splashes when they hit it.  However, most consider water less of a plaything than a dish best served fresh. To some cats, that means moving water is preferable to the sort that sits still in a dish for hours. So it is that some cats prefer to drink aerated water directly from the tap, a fountain or even the toilet. Cats who splash their water before drinking may, in fact, be attempting to achieve a similar effect. If you cat engages in this oddly cute behavior, consider getting her one of those recirculating water fountains now commercially available for cats. At the very least, you should change the water in her bowl twice a day.