So....my cat is odd. This is something I've always known. However, I have to wonder....does anyone else have a cat who cannot seem to eat her dry food without making a ridiculous mess all over the floor and in her water dish?

Check the mouth for sores and/or loose teeth/bad teeth/gums. Usually the culpret. Sores can indicate toxicity, viral infections, and autoimmune disease. These are the 3 I have had to deal with throughout the years.

Oh, seriously? I had no idea it could be something serious....I thought she was just sloppy *cringes* thanks for the heads up.

I never had a cat before I got my little guy-a shelter kitten. That was 12 years ago. He's the cutest cat I can ever imagine. But he does have strange eating habits.
He always tosses some of his dry food off to the side as he gobbles the rest. (to distract prowlers) He also splashes the top of the water with his paw while he drinks. Why?
I think they are required to be unique.

Lol. Nuts, I'm going to hope that's why my cat's eating habits are odd and that it's not anything serious (though I still intend to investigate the potential thereof).

I adopted my cat from a shelter as well, though she was seven and a half at the time....maybe that's why she does that....

My girl won't eat out of her bowl - she daintily places kibble on the floor or table next to the bowl. Wet food she can manage.

But, as I'm sure you already do, make sure the vet does a good oral exam at every check-up. Since your cat is entering her mature years, a semi-annual check up is best practice, but certainly annual. My two are about 6 or 7 (adopted as adults) - they've both had their teeth cleaned as they were developing placque. Luckily, it didn't go past that. But cats can develop oral problems that are not really apparent to the owner til it's gotten really bad.

Cat's don't like it when their whiskers touch the side of of their food bowls

I heard that ceramic causes rashes on the chin.

In the wild, a cat will "wash" their freshly caught prey in water, if water is nearby, and shake it around a bit in their mouth before eating. Some domestic cats retain some of that instinct. Don't worry about it too much if you see that happen.

Our younger cat, now about 5, pushes some of her dry food out of the bowl and eats it off the floor. She has always done this and it is just her way. We've tried all sorts of bowls, deep, shallow, all wide, and even plates. Plastic, ceramic; hasn't made a difference. So for her, it isn't the whiskers on the side of the bowl that interferes and forces her to move the food. I honestly think she just likes moving the bits around first. I'm just glad she has a hearty appetite.

Cats can't see very well within 6-8 inches, so eating is often more tactile and by smell than by sight. This might play into why paws are involved pushing into food and water. Both our cats (including the 19 yr. old) will stick their paws into the water first, maybe to prove that the level is up to the top? Or it might feel good, or could be fun; who knows. But the important part is that they do drink the water. I just wish they'd learn to drink though straws, but I've given up trying to teach them that.

We filter all pet water (ours too) with a Britta pitcher first. Cats are very sensitive to water impurities, much more so than humans. I honestly think filtering the H2O will extend their lives a bit.

+1 on having a vet look at a cat's mouth, and at any time in their lives. We lost one of ours due to a bad gum infection about 5 years ago, and to this day we feel responsible for not having her checked earlier. The symptoms began as overly finicky eating. There could be a dozen reasons why a cat can begin to have poor eating habits as they age.

Once in a while, my cat will put it on the floor to eat it. Though it's been a while since she's done that.

I got her the food and water bowl set from Wal-Mart, they're both stainless steel and sit inside a (some sort of) black metal, cat-shaped stand. That way she doesn't have to practically crouch on the floor to eat. I think she likes that part of it, at least.

That water filtering is a good idea. I may invest in a Brita pitcher this weekend

In the meantime, I'll be calling the Lombard Animal Clinic to make her an appointment.

stainless steel is great - plastic definitely has been linked to acne and other irritations in some cats.

And a lot of cats like the higher stands - especially for an older cat, it might help if they're developing arthritis, etc.

And good for you for making the appointment! The thing I found, after being very fearful of how much a dental cleaning would cost, is that it's sort of like a human dentist- get it done reasonably early, before much damage is done, reasonably inexpensive. Wait til there's major damage, well, pocketbook will hurt too, besides kicking yourself for not realizing your baby was in pain. Hopefully yours will have a clean bill of health right off the top.

My cats' cleanings weren't that bad, expense wise - considering there was sedation involved, and I opted for the more complete blood work prior to the procedure.

Update for anyone interested:

I took my Nikki to the Lombard Animal Clinic on Wednesday. She's a healthy 7.5 lbs with a little tartar buildup on her back teeth. The vet said that she's incredibly healthy for an almost 14-year old cat. She does have a slight heart murmur, but he said that can be normal with age and it's not something to be concerned with at this point. She also has a small cyst on her chin that was attributed to her earlier use of a plastic dish.

As it turns out, it appears that her sloppy eating habits are behavioral....much to my relief.

Anyway, just thought I'd update everyone who offered insight for me. Now I just have to figure out what to do about her ridiculously dry skin.

I'm off to get her a new Kitty tooth brush later today

I have a stainless bowl. It does not stop the mess. I did notice that the mess is less after we bought cat food that is in larger pieces. I broke down and bought a water fountain, cuz he loves splashing ,even in the toilet (yuk).

I ALWAYS close the lid on the toilet. He loves to play with water-and drink it. He likes to watch anything I do in any sink. And often taps it and tastes it.

water fountains are good! especially for boy kitties. Seriously, fountains are often recommended, especially for cats at risk of UTI's. My two love their fountain - I have the Drinkwell 360 now.

South & Nuts, Nikki does the same thing with the toilet....I have to explain to all of my house guests that we need to close the lid. God only knows what kind of germs and cleaning chemicals she could ingest if she drank out of it regularly. I'm also thinking about asking my landlord for a new sink handle in the bathroom, since she discovered that when she rubs her face on it the handle lifts up and the water comes out. I oftentimes find her sitting in my bathtub, just staring at the faucet as if she's trying to will the water out of it too, lol.

South: the stainless steel doesn't stop the mess, just reduces the risk of health complications.

How much would one of those fountains cost?

On a side note: the stand for the dish set that I bought my cat has now been MIA for over a month. My daughter bought her a name tag for Christmas and she hadn't mastered how to eat and drink without the tag getting caught on the stand. Once the tag was caught, she would freak out because she was attached to the stand and she would try to run away, oftentimes ending with a puddle of water in my kitchen and a trail of kitty dishes and the stand throughout my hallway. I came home one day to that scenario, minus the stand....I still can't find the thing.

Got mine at amazon for around $45 - Platinum Drinkwell. Cat no longer begs for water from tap. We do have to completely take it apart every 2-3 weeks and clean (including motor), but its worth it.

I think the Drinkwell 360 runs around $60 over at Petsmart, maybe less. I clean mine once a week on Sundays - takes me maybe 10 minute tops, includng explaining to girl kitty that mommy has to replace the water. Definitely worth it. Both mine starting drinking more, which is great since my boy had struvite crystals and just doesn't like wet food all that much.

Of course, I'm now getting a water filtration system for under the kitchen sink - sure, part of the reason is that I have good drinking water.... :-)