Making sure your cat is hydrated is incredibly important to its overall well-being. Cats should consume around 1-2 milliliters of water per day. kilograms of weight every hour, which for a 10-pound cat means an average of one cup of water daily.
Read more in the article below to learn how to monitor your cat’s water drinking habits, encourage them and notice any signs of insufficient water intake in cats.
How much water should a cat drink?
When thinking about the ideal amount of water your cat should drink, an easy general rule of thumb is that cats should drink about half a cup of water per day. 5 pounds of body weight each day.1 This will vary depending on your cat’s activity level and whether it eats dry or wet food.
How to make sure your cat drinks water
Most cat parents know what it’s like to worry about their cat’s drinking habits, and there are ways you can increase the amount of water they drink throughout the day. Placing several water bowls around the house is a great way to promote better hydration in your cat.
You should always ensure that the water is fresh, cool and free of dust or hair particles. The best places to place the water bowls are quiet corners around the house where your cat will feel most secure. Remember that cats love to live by a routine, so once they learn where the water bowls are, don’t try to change them and move them around.
You can also add a cat water fountain in your home because moving water is more likely to attract your cat’s attention.2
The importance of proper hydration
Water is just as important to our pets as it is to us. Water affects your cat’s entire body and ensures healthy organ function, digestion, circulation and proper transport of nutrients. Drinking enough water daily also ensures that your cat’s kidneys are working properly, flushing toxins out of the body.
Poor hydration carries with it many health problems, including urinary problems, low blood pressure and even an increased risk of constipation.
Our favorite cat water fountain
Making sure your cat drinks enough water can take a little creativity and the right fountain choice! A nicely made product like Hepper’s Stainless Steel Cat Water Fountain will encourage your cat to stay hydrated by providing fresh, running water. We particularly like this model because it is easy to clean and offers excellent triple filtration, multiple flow modes and a large capacity.
Hepper Stainless Steel Cat Water Fountain
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Signs that your cat is not drinking enough water
It can be challenging to notice if your cat is drinking enough water daily. Cats tend to find other sources of water, not only in your house, but in the yard and neighborhood. This can trick pet parents into thinking their cat isn’t staying hydrated enough and become a serious cause for concern. The best way to know that your cat is not staying hydrated is to look for any minor signs of dehydration in cats.
Your cat’s appearance can tell you a lot about its hydration levels. Sunken eyes and dry, pale gums can mean your cat isn’t drinking enough water, and another sign to look out for is “skin tenting”. The best way to check this is to take the skin on the back of your cat’s neck, right between the shoulder blades, pull it gently upwards and let go.
The skin should bounce back quickly under normal conditions, but if your cat is dehydrated, the skin will likely remain tented.
Other signs of dehydration include:
Final thoughts
Hydration is an essential factor in the life of any living being. Just like humans, our pets also need to stay hydrated to function normally and stay healthy. Because proper hydration affects your cat’s entire life, including their physical and mental well-being, you can worry about it a lot. While we can’t know if our cats are staying hydrated enough throughout the day, there are ways we can encourage their water drinking habits.
We can also watch for minor signs of dehydration, such as loss of skin elasticity and dry gums and dry mouth. Be sure to give your cat enough water and ensure proper hydration before any of the more serious signs of dehydration appear.
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Featured Image Credit: Vershinin89, Shutterstock