Feline confession: I’m descended from desert cats. My instincts tell me drinking is optional. The result? We cats are champions of quiet dehydration, and our kidneys foot the bill (kidney failure, cystitis, bladder stones). Your mission, human: get me to drink without me even noticing. Here’s my complete manual of water-based manipulation.
How much water should I be drinking?
Roughly 50 ml per kilo per day, everything included (water I drink plus water in my food). For a 4 kg cat, that’s 200 ml. If I eat kibble (8% moisture), I have to drink almost all of that myself. If I eat wet food (80% water), a big chunk is already in my bowl.
The 10 tricks that actually work
- Add more water stations: one bowl in each strategic room, and always one per floor. I drink more when I “stumble” onto water by chance.
- Keep water away from my food bowl: in the wild, we never drink right next to our prey (risk of contamination). Instinct really does run the show.
- Keep water away from the litter box: this one’s purely a matter of standards.
- Change the water every day: my nose detects stale water long before yours does.
- Go for wide, shallow bowls: when my whiskers touch the edges it’s uncomfortable (the famous “whisker fatigue”). A wide ceramic bowl – Amazon makes all the difference.
- Try a water fountain: moving water fascinates and reassures us (water that moves means fresh water). A quiet ceramic fountain – Amazon is often the spark for stubborn non-drinkers.
- Switch to daily wet food: this is the single most effective trick of them all. It’s all in my guide to natural feeding.
- Add water to the wet food: one or two tablespoons of lukewarm water turn dinner into a gourmet soup.
- Homemade broth: cooking water from chicken or fish, no salt, no onion, no garlic. Broth ice cubes in summer: a guaranteed hit.
- The tap game: if I drink from the tap, let me have my fun now and then, but the fountain stays the sustainable, money-saving option.
Water fountains: how to choose the right one
- Quiet: a noisy motor and I’ll never go near it again
- Ceramic or stainless steel rather than plastic (better hygiene, fewer cases of feline chin acne)
- Filters that are easy to find and replace (every month)
- A full clean every week: a dirty fountain is worse than a clean bowl
Special cases: seniors, kibble eaters, urinary problems
A senior cat, a kibble eater, or a cat prone to cystitis needs to drink more than the rest. For seniors, combine a fountain plus water-enriched wet food plus the right supplements, see my top supplements for senior cats. And if your cat has already had urinary trouble, switching to wet food is no longer optional, it’s a necessity.
In short
Wet food every day, more water stations spread out and kept away from food bowls, a wide bowl, a quiet fountain: with this combo, I drink without even realising it. My kidneys applaud (quietly, they’re kidneys after all).
Purrs, Sachat 🐾
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a cat that won't drink to drink?
Set up several water points away from the food bowls, offer a fountain and a wide bowl, and above all switch to wet food, which provides 80% water.
How much water should a cat drink a day?
Around 50 ml per kilo per day, counting water drunk and water from food, so about 200 ml for a 4 kg cat.
Is a water fountain useful?
Yes, moving water encourages a cat to drink more. Choose a quiet ceramic or stainless steel model, cleaned each week.