My pyroar, Nala, really likes sticking her paw in her water when she’s drinking. Like she’ll be lapping up the water and then all of a sudden, boom, she’s pawing at it. It gets water everywhere and so I was curious as to why she does this strange thing

There are two reasons why a cat-like pokémon may paw at their water, but because your pyroar is actually drinking it with her tongue, the first may not be relevant. (For those curious, some cat-like pokémon find it more comfortable to drink water from their paws, rather than risk getting their whiskers or fur wet.) The other reason, meanwhile, is simple: she’s playing. Water forms a still, reflective surface, so she may be amused by her own reflection, by the way light is playing off the surface of her water, or simply by the shapes the waves make. It may be frustrating to clean up, but it’s perfectly normal, even for a partial fire-type like pyroar.