My cat does not drink water: why it happens and tricks that get it drinking more
A cat that barely goes near its water bowl is more normal than it seems: it comes from a desert animal that got its water from its prey. The problem is that concentrated urine encourages cystitis, stones and blockages. The fix is wet food and a few changes around the home.
Why cats drink so little
The domestic cat descends from the African wildcat, an animal of dry regions that got almost all its water from its prey, which is about seventy per cent water. That gave it a fairly weak thirst drive and kidneys able to concentrate urine strongly so as not to waste fluid. That adaptation, an advantage in the desert, becomes a problem when the cat lives in a flat eating dry food with ten per cent moisture. Many cats do not drink enough to make up for it, and their urine comes out highly concentrated day after day.
How much water a cat needs
As a guide, an adult cat needs a total of about 40 to 60 millilitres of water per kilo of body weight a day. For a 4 kg (9 lb) cat, that is 160 to 240 millilitres, roughly a glass. That figure is the total, including the water in its food. A cat that eats only wet food can get almost everything it needs from its pouches, and it is normal for it to hardly drink at all. One that eats only dry food has to drink almost all of it. That is why the same sentence, “my cat does not drink”, is reassuring in one case and worrying in the other: it depends on what it eats.
Why it matters: urine
Urine that is concentrated for a long time encourages crystals and stones to form, such as struvite or calcium oxalate, and is linked to feline idiopathic cystitis, the most common cause of urinary problems in young cats. In males, those crystals and plugs can block the urethra and cause a urinary obstruction, an emergency that can be fatal within one or two days. Drinking more dilutes the urine and greatly reduces that risk. That is why vets insist so much on hydration, and why wet food is part of the treatment for almost every urinary problem.
How to tell if it is drinking too little
Look at the litter tray, which is the best indicator. A well-hydrated cat produces several good-sized clumps of urine a day; if the clumps are small, few or very smelly, it may be drinking too little. Skin on the scruff that is slow to fall back into place after a gentle pinch, dry or tacky gums and constipation are also signs of dehydration. And if it suddenly does not pass urine, makes many attempts with little result, cries in the tray or there is blood in the urine, it is not a question of water: it is an urgent trip to the vet, especially if it is male.
The trick that works best: wet food
No fountain or bowl provides as much water as switching part of the diet to wet food. A single pouch a day already gives your cat around 60 to 70 millilitres of water, a large share of what it needs. You can go further by adding one or two spoonfuls of lukewarm water to the wet food and stirring, which most cats accept without fuss. If you add wet food, remember to take away the equivalent amount of dry food so as not to add extra calories. Some owners also soak dry food, but in that case it has to be removed soon, because it spoils within a few hours.
The bowl: place, shape and material
Many cats prefer not to drink near their food, a quirk explained by the fact that in the wild, water next to prey could be contaminated. Put the water away from the food bowl and, of course, away from the litter tray. Spread several bowls around the home, in quiet spots and along the cat’s routes, and at different heights. Many cats prefer wide, shallow bowls where their whiskers do not brush the edge, and ceramic, glass or steel rather than plastic, which holds on to smells. Change the water every day and wash the bowl often: cats have a very keen sense of smell and refuse water that smells stale.
Fountains and moving water
Many cats are drawn to running water, perhaps because they associate it with freshness. Some cats spend the day asking you to turn on the tap, and for them an electric fountain can make all the difference. They cost between €20 and €60 in Spain and have a filter that needs changing every few weeks, as well as thorough cleaning at regular intervals, because otherwise they build up a slimy layer of bacteria. Not every cat uses one: some are put off by the noise or the movement. Try it without removing the usual bowls, and let the cat decide.
Other small tricks
Some cats drink more if the water is slightly cool, others if it is lukewarm: experiment. A few ice cubes in the bowl in summer can become a game. Some people offer a little water from cooking chicken or fish, unsalted, without onion or garlic and cooled, as a treat that hydrates; if you do, make it homemade and unseasoned, never shop-bought stock, which contains salt and often onion. In multi-cat homes, have more bowls than cats, so nobody has to walk past another cat to drink. And if your cat drinks from your glass or the tap, leave it a large glass of its own.
The opposite: a cat that drinks a lot
If your cat, which used to drink little, starts visiting the water bowl often, emptying it or looking for water in the sink, and the litter tray has more urine than usual, it is not good news. Suddenly drinking a lot is a classic sign of chronic kidney disease, diabetes or hyperthyroidism, especially in cats over seven or eight years old. It warrants a vet visit with a urine sample if you can collect one. We explain it in the article on the cat that drinks a lot of water.
In short
A cat that eats dry food and barely drinks is not in immediate danger, but it is more likely to develop urinary problems in the medium term. What helps most is including wet food in its diet, placing water away from food and the litter tray, using wide, clean bowls spread around the home and, if it likes one, a fountain. Watch the litter tray, which tells you how much it drinks better than the bowl does, and at any sign of trouble urinating, especially in a male, go to the vet without waiting.
Cats drink little by nature; what matters is total water, including what is in their food. Add wet food, put wide bowls away from food and the litter tray, try a fountain and keep an eye on the tray. A male cat that cannot urinate is an emergency.
Educational content from Michipedia, translated from the Spanish original. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.