How much water does a healthy cat need? The total amount consumed in a day by your cat depends on several factors, and they range from your cat\u2019s size (and weight), your cat\u2019s age, and even the time of the year to your feline companion\u2019s diet. If you feed your cat only dry cat food, it\u2019s natural that he or she might need a bit more water so as to ensure the body\u2019s necessary hydration levels.<\/p>\n
In this article, we\u2019ll discuss several aspects that are important when it comes to keeping your cat hydrated, but the simplest and shortest answer to this question is that your cat needs between 2 and 5 ounces of water per day depending on the aspects we\u2019ve told you about already.<\/p>\n
The issue that arises when it comes to cat parents is that people who spend ten hours out of their homes have a hard time estimating the amount of water that the cat has consumed while they were away. This is especially true if you care for a cat that goes outside, as he or she might drink water<\/a> from sources you know nothing about.<\/p>\n One way of circumventing this would be to integrate wet food into your cat\u2019s daily diet because your pet will get at least a small amount of extra water from it.<\/p>\n There are several details that could give you pointers with regard to whether your cat is drinking enough water. If you notice that your cat is not urinating two to three times per day, the animal\u2019s coat is shiny, and he or she doesn\u2019t have normal physical activity, then you should start worrying. Unfortunately, cats don\u2019t drink as much water like dogs, for example, which makes it challenging for you to tell whether your pet isn\u2019t getting dehydrated.<\/p>\n Skin elasticity is another clue you can use to tell whether something is wrong in this sense. Pull the skin at the base of the animal\u2019s skin. If it doesn\u2019t spring back right after you release it, your cat might be dehydrated.<\/p>\n Other common symptoms of dehydration range from depression and loss of appetite to sunken eyes<\/a> and panting. Many of these go unnoticed if you have a lot on your plate in terms of work or school, so the last and maybe the most worrying symptom would be your cat urinating less. If your cat isn\u2019t able to pee on account of having a urinary obstruction, for example, it\u2019s quite likely that the overall water consumption per day will decrease.<\/p>\n Some cats don\u2019t drink water if the bowl is too close to their food source. As a general rule, you should keep the litter box, the food bowl, and the water bowl in separate areas of the house.<\/p>\n One important note that must be made in this respect is that many cats have a fascination toward running water, and that\u2019s logical seeing how it\u2019s considered fresh compared to the stale one from their bowls. If you notice that your pet is predisposed to consuming more water from the kitchen or bathroom faucet whenever you turn them on, you might have to get him or her an automatic device that recirculates the water so that it is kept fresh.<\/p>\n On top of everything, there\u2019s a thing called whisker fatigue that cats have to manage as best as possible. As you might know already if you are a cat parent, your pet\u2019s whiskers are sensitive organs, which means that if you are using an inappropriate bowl where the whiskers are constantly in contact with the sides as he or she drinks water, the animal might just refrain from doing it altogether.<\/p>\n Fortunately, you can fix this issue by purchasing a flat bowl. The important thing to consider when you\u2019re making this decision is that the sides of the bowl shouldn\u2019t be too high so as to touch the cat\u2019s whiskers.<\/p>\n Your cat\u2019s body is composed of 70% (more or less) water, so even though felines don\u2019t like to drink that much water compared to other species, water consumption should always be observed, especially if you have the means available to do that.<\/p>\n Some cats drink more water than others, and while that might be physiological for bigger cats because they need more since their bodies are larger, you might notice fluctuations in your pet\u2019s water consumption.<\/p>\n Diabetes is one of the possible medical conditions that your cat might suffer from if you\u2019ve noticed an increase in water consumption recently. Yes, cats can have diabetes<\/a> just as humans and a host of other animals. If this does occur, you\u2019ll notice that the water bowl is practically empty by the time you get back home from work or school, which is never a good sign with cats.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the animal\u2019s body might activate a protection mechanism if there is a urinary dysfunction that needs to be handled as best as possible. If your cat can\u2019t urinate or eliminates only a part of the urine, his or her kidneys<\/a> might not be capable of doing their job properly, in which case, there\u2019s no need to strain their functionality by consuming more water.<\/p>\n Some cats might simply not like water on its own, without you adding a bit of flavor by means of extras such as a bit of clam juice or tuna. Chicken broth can also be utilized for this purpose.<\/p>\n If you have an indoor cat that\u2019s also an explorer, you could place several water bowls all throughout your home so as to make sure that wherever he or she is having fun, there\u2019s always something to hydrate the animal.<\/p>\n Another aspect that has to be considered is that cats loathe stale water and they won\u2019t consume any if you have forgotten to change it every day. By the way, you might also have to go the extra mile and clean the bowl so that it retains no unpleasant odors or potentially harmful bacteria.<\/p>\n There are cats that prefer bottled water over tap, and the other way around. To solve this mystery, you could have two bowls in your house with different water sources so that you can tell which one is preferred by your feline friend. You could also filter your tap water.<\/p>\n In case you\u2019re having trouble telling whether your cat has a urinary infection that might also affect her water consumption, you could use only a small amount of litter in the box so as to collect at least some urine.<\/p>\nWhy Is Your Cat Not Drinking Enough Water?<\/h2>\n
Situations Where Changes in Water Consumption Can Be a Sign of Disease<\/h2>\n
How to Make Sure That Your Pet Gets Enough Water<\/h2>\n
Is There Something Wrong with Your Cat\u2019s Urine?<\/h2>\n