To understand why the Maine Coon digs water, you need to remember its origin and original habitat.
It is believed that the place of origin of these big cats is this Maine. Since the Coons are a naturally bred nature, they were forced to survive in the difficult conditions of this state, respectively, they had to get their own food and water, which is definitely not easy to do in such conditions.
Accordingly, these factors explain this feature of Maine Coons. With such movements, they raked leaves and grass accumulated on the surface of the water with their paws, and prepared it for consumption. Many note that Coons also like to drink water from fountains, from the tap in the sink, and some notice that the Maine Coon even drinks water from the toilet.
Over time, the demand for these actions disappeared, as cats domesticated and began to live with people, help them catch rodents, and get tasty food for it, but the movement remained on a subconscious level.
Interestingly, many coon owners who breed them have noticed that the mother cat teaches her babies these habits, that is, it can be assumed that this feature is passed down from generation to generation.
However, you need to know that not all Maine Coons rake water with their paws, just like not everyone likes to swim and to bi in water in general. And some are distinguished by the fact that they are happy to splash water around, climb under the stream of water into the sink or into the basin, but do not want to wash at all. In some, the ability to push water apart with their paws is lost with adulthood.
Some Maine Coons do not move the water apart with their paws, but they will definitely touch it before drinking, or even drink from the paw, dipping it into the water.
In any case, I think that it looks very nice, although there is a lot of splashes and water near the drinker.
Does your Maine Coon have this feature?