my cat is OBSESSED with water

hi all!

I suppose this isn’t necessarily a “behavioral issue” per se, but I’m looking for advice.

my sweet boy just turned two this year, so I know he’s still young and full of energy. however, this cat is absolutely OBSESSED with water, and I do not mean drinking it.

he will get in the sink and splash around in the dishes, cry at the bathroom door until I let him INSIDE of the shower with me, will go outside on my patio to stand in the rain… the other day he was SITTING IN THE TOILET just hanging out in there.

now normally I wouldn’t really be too concerned about it, except for the fact that I’m not too sure what to do about his water situation. I’ve tried bowls of water, he flips them over and rolls around in the puddles. I’ve tried gravity water dispensers, he flips those over too. I’ve gotten 2 different water fountains, and somehow he’s managed to completely dismantle them and leave the pieces of the fountain scattered around my apartment.

whenever he actually drinks water, he’s always drinking it from the toilet which 1. Is gross and 2. I worry about cleaning the toilet and him ingesting cleaning products. he won’t drink from a running faucet, either.

I feel totally out of ideas. maybe a more durable water fountain? i’ve tried a cheap one from Amazon, and i’ve tried the PetLibro one. If anyone has any suggestions please help, I’m all ears!

some info: he is neutered, we’re in the USA, have a vet & can afford care. he’s a totally healthy cat!

for backstory and possible relevance, if anyone cares: he walked into a friend’s house on my college campus while their front door was open. nobody claimed him, and we couldn’t find the owner so naturally I took him in. got him his shots and got him neutered, and there was no health issues aside from giardia (I wonder where he could have gotten that from🙄). he does have some strange hyperfixations aside from water, such as trying to eat Q-Tips, floss picks, and rubber bands. I’ve finally gotten him to leave me alone when I am eating/be less interested in human food, as he used to try to steal my food and dig through the trash.

TLDR; I need better solutions for my cat’s drinking water, as he is obsessed with playing in water and not drinking it.