I don't know if it matters but he is a Savannah and is 17 weeks old

 

had a cat that put toys in the water dish all the time, you might try putting the dihes in a tray or tub, or on a raised platform... sometimes kittens that came from a litter where everybody ate together have problems eating alone.. stay with him while he is eating pick up the uneaten food after, he just might by trying to hide for later..

 

I had a cat that put his toys in his water dish daily. The wierd thing was all of his toys were kept upstairs and his waterbowl was downstairs, so he had to drag them all the way down with him. He never did outgrow this. I just had to let things dry out.

 

Moxie does this too occasionally. Somehow I always thought this behavior was a cat's way of claiming or 'putting away' his toys. They're taking THEIR toys to THEIR food/water dish, for safe keeping. I read about a person who got a little spare bowl for their cat's toys. Every time the cat was done playing he would take his toys and neatly put them away. Try giving him a spare bowl just for toys near his food/water - might not do anything but it can't hurt right?

Then again I have heard that Savannahs like water, so he might just enjoy playing with wet toys.

(By the way, I feed raw too! If the toys are made of cloth or fabric I would think you could just wash them, either in the clothes washing machine or dishwasher. I wash mine in the dishwasher a couple times a month, just because our dishwasher gets things so hot I figure it kills likely kills lingering bacteria. Then I just let everything air dry.)

 

They're taking THEIR toys to THEIR food/water dish, for safe keeping.

Ding Ding Ding. Most likely answer. Many cats may do this, but our breeds (your Savannah and my Bengal) may have a greater tendency to do it.

And, amazing video. I'll have to see if my Toby would play with anything that size

 

Kyra does this with EVERYTHING. If I give her two treats, she eats one and puts SOMETHING on the other. Her food gets buried, her water gets buried. EVERYTHING. LOL Then she yells at me like she cannot/will not unbury it. XD Silly cat.

Oh, and I am convinced she would drag off her prey items if I didn't watch like a hawk(won't eat them, but wants to hide them, SIGH.)

Try feeding in a small room such as the bathroom? That is the next step with Kyra and Tucker. I don't want those germies all over the apartment. GROSS.