Drinking behaviour in cats

If you never see your cat drink, he’s probably not drinking enough. Drinking enough water is very important for prevention and treatment of several conditions. Especially cats that are sensitive to bladder infections or obstipation have to drink enough. But also cats that have problems with concentrating their urine, or cats who have diarrhea should drink a lot of water.

How can I make sure my cat is drinking enough

• Most cats don’t like their water near their food bowl, so make sure this is separate.
• Give fresh water, at least once a day.
• Cats prefer big bowls of water (big enough so the whiskers don’t touch the edges) and completely full. Some don’t even want to drink anymore when there's already some water out of the bowl.
• Not every cat likes tap water, so you can also try mineral or rain water.
• Boil a piece of chicken and make ice cubes of the water the chicken was boiled in. Now every time you give fresh water, you can put an ice cube in the bowl for a nice flavour of the water. Note: make sure to always give this water as an extra option, besides the normal drinking water.
• Purina Proplan Hydracare are ready-made sachets that promotes water absorption.
• A drinking fountain is very interesting to a lot of cats, the water flows over a (replaceable) filter so it stays fresh! Especially cats that like to drink out of the shower/sink/tap like this. (In our clinic we have a fountain you can borrow to see if your cats likes it).
• Make sure you have several bowls of water in your house, not just one.
• If these tips don’t work you can also give wet food (mixed with water) instead of dry food.

Note: If you see your cat suddenly drinking a lot, this is NOT good. In this case please always contact the vet.