Nautical songs for a nautical cat.

The Culprit

I have a trail of muddy little paw prints making circles on the kitchen floor, and then leading through the living room. They make a quick stop to adore the Christmas Tree, and they proceed up on the coffee table, across the runner, and down onto the floor again. They stop at the patio door.

Our cat Sydney loves water more than most cats I've met. Maybe it's because I've always given him baths, ever since he was a tiny kitty. I think they help to decrease his shedding, and his fur always looks so soft and fluffy after a bath. Plus I'm just that kind of cat owner... the slightly off kind.

But lately Syd's water love has become a bit bothersome for us. We got him a water dispenser like this:
And lately he's taken to splashing out all of the water, an entire jug's worth of water, all over the kitchen floor. He's had this water dispenser since last Summer but only recently discovered how much fun it can be.

So the water is a bit annoying, but the real problem comes when he uses his catbox (also in the kitchen much to our dismay and lack of non-carpeted surfaces in this house). He steps out of the catbox onto the wet floor he created, and then we have mud. Gross kitty-litter mud, too. Eeew.

So far we've tried limiting the water (he'll still splash it out), using placemats and trays, and surrounding the area with towels. The last option seems to be the only real help - not to prevent the problem but to assist with the constant cleanup. Anyone have any brilliant ideas here? Between the water games and climbing the Christmas tree, Syd's got me following him around with towels and the vacuum these days. Maybe he's just preparing us for little Olive.