What About A Cat Whos Not Drinking Water
Its very unusual for a kitty to not drink enough water if their food intake is normal. If you think your cat isnt get enough water, though, try a kitty water fountain. Some cats prefer moving water to sitting water, and the noise of running water attracts them to the fountain to drink. Here are some additional tips and tricks.
One possible cause for decreased water intake, though, could be a food change. If you start incorporating canned food or another higher moisture content food into your cats diet, your pet may drink less water from their bowl since theyre getting more water at mealtimes. This is perfectly normal, so no need to worry.
But if your kitty is also eating less than usual, or if you are concerned, go ahead and schedule a veterinary appointment.
On the other end of the spectrum, if your cat is drinking more water than usual in combination with not eating, this could be a symptom of a health problem such as diabetes or kidney disease. Its important you talk to your vet if this is happening to your pet.
How Much Water Is Enough
In order to stay hydrated, your cat needs around-the-clock access to fresh drinking water. Keep her bowl clean and fill it regularly, especially if it’s placed near her food dish, as she may drop a few food crumbs into her drinking bowl.
But how much water per day does she actually need? Not as much as you might think.
“Cats don’t drink as much per kilogram of body weight as do dogs,” explains the Committee on Nutritient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. Therefore, the amount of water your cat needs varies with the food she eats and her environment. The committee notes that cats usually drink about an ounce of water for every half ounce of dry food they eat. Wet food, on the other hand, provides your kitty with food and moisture at once and can help her stay hydrated.
What Do You Do When Your Cat Wont Eat
If your kitty at any age stops eating, do you need to take them to the vet right away? Or, is it okay to wait until morning or even to monitor for a few days if your kitty is acting normal otherwise?
With cats, dont wait to see if appetite will improve. Cats who dont eat for more than a day or two are at risk for a condition called fatty liver, which can cause liver failure. Fatty liver, or hepatic lipidosis, happens when the body moves stored fat to use for energy during anorexia. The process overwhelms the liver, which is involved in processing the stored fat. Obese or overweight kitties are at the highest risk, but fatty liver can happen to any cat.
Other potential complications of not eating include dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, weight loss, and delayed healing and recoveries.
If your vet has ruled out a medical condition and has determined your kittys loss of appetite is due to picky eating habits, they can discuss techniques to establish a healthy eating schedule. Your vet may also recommend trying a new food or try switching from dry food to canned food. Some cat owners have also had success with mixing in fish oil or a small amount of canned tuna into their cat’s meal. Just remember, you don’t want to rely on feeding you cat human foods as your pet won’t get all of the nutrients they need .
Prompt care will also help your kitty feel like their normal self again as soon as possible.
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They Dont Feel Comfortable
If you have a multi-pet household, your cat may not feel safe or secure while drinking water. In the vulnerable position of drinking, cats can be attacked by other animals in the house or be knocked out of the way by an animal that wants to drink instead. If you only have one cat, is the water bowl in a noisy location of the house? Does a toddler often try to grab the cat while theyre drinking? If so, your cat isnt going to want to use the bowl for long.
Try moving your cats water bowl location to a more peaceful area of the house. You can also try adding multiple bowls in different rooms to give your cat options. If one area of the house is noisy, they can find a water bowl in a quieter spot.
Changing From Commercial To Homemade Cat Food
If your cat has been on commercial cat food for most of its life, his digestive enzymes and digestive system has most likely acclimated to this unnatural diet. Slowly transition over to raw food, 1 teaspoon at a time, over the course of a month.
You will want to follow the advice of your veterinary professional, but for many this will look like:
Day 1-5: Mix 1 teaspoon of raw food into whatever your cat normally eats.
Day 5-10: Increase the raw food by double.
Day 10-15: Feed your cat half raw, half what they were eating before.
Day 15 on: You may be able to switch to all raw food as your cat has had time for their digestive system to catch up. If your cat is fussy, continue the slow transition.
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Serious Health Conditions Linked To Dehydration In Cats
Contact your vet right away if you believe that your cat isn’t drinking enough water. Dehydration can be an indication of a serious underlying condition such as kidney disease, heatstroke, or diabetes. When it comes to your cat’s health it is always best to err on the side of caution.
Note:The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. For an accurate diagnosis of your pet’s condition, please make an appointment with your vet.
Cats Have A Weird Way Of Drinking
Cats do not lap water the way dogs do, ladling up a ton of water with every gulp. Roman Stocker, an associate professor at MIT who specializes in fluid mechanics, spent hours filming cats drinking.
According to the study, How Cats Lap: Water Uptake by Felis catus published in Science, each little lap brings up only 2/100ths to 5/100ths of a teaspoon to the cats mouth. Thats a teeny-weeny bit. Drinking from a bowl is not an incredibly efficient way of hydrating.
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What Is The Treatment For A Cat Whos Not Eating Or Drinking
Treatment for a kitty whos refusing their food consists of two components: treating the underlying cause and providing supportive care.
Directly addressing the underlying cause is important to ensure the loss of appetite is truly resolved . Without treating the underlying cause, anorexia could return after supportive care is discontinued.
To determine why a cat stopped eating, a veterinarian will take a detailed history and perform a physical exam to check your pets overall health and look for any abnormalities that could explain the loss of appetite .
Diagnostic tests are commonly needed to reach a diagnosis, since these tests give your vet more information about whats going on inside your pets body. Common tests include:
- A fecal check .
- Bloodwork and a urinalysis.
- X-rays or ultrasound.
- Tests for infectious diseases.
- Depending on your cats history and symptoms, additional testing may be recommended, such as biopsies or a food trial on a prescription diet.
Once a diagnosis is reached, targeted treatment is prescribed. For example, a cat with a bad tooth will be scheduled for a dental procedure to remove it, and a kitty whos stressed about a change in the home may be prescribed calming supplements.
Regardless of cause, supportive care is important to help a sick cat feel better, prevent complications of not eating, and promote healing.
Supportive care varies depending on a cats needs and symptoms, but common treatments include:
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How Much Water Should Dogs Drink
Now that you know how long dogs can live without water, its time to understand how much water dogs should consume daily.
The American Kennel Club states that an average adult dog should drink no less than an ounce of water for every pound they weigh. For example, if a dog has a body weight of 25 lbs, it will need to consume 25 oz throughout the day.
Its important to note that puppies need different amounts of water to function than already grown dogs. When transitioning from milk to solid food, they need about half a cup of water every other hour.
Although these guidelines are good to follow, your pups water needs may vary depending on factors like weather, health, and activity levels. Changes might not be a big deal, but you should still check for signs of dehydration.
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They Used To Get Enough Water From Their Prey
According to The Purrington Post:
Cats originated as desert animals obtaining most of their water supply from their prey small rodents and the like. While modern versions of cat food do offer some degree of hydration, the comparison is far from fair. Since cats received so much water from their prey in the past, they never took to drinking enough water by itself. This leaves the modern house cat open to a serious risk of dehydration and other health issues, caused by the lack of water necessary for their systems to function as they should.
If your cat eats mostly or entirely dry kibble, consider adding some canned food to their diet. It has a higher water content than kibble. Alternatively, you can try adding chicken broth or water to your cats kibble to help them get more moisture from their food.
The Cautionary Tale Of One Dehydrated Cat
A cat not drinking water could lead to serious complications. A couple of years ago, my cat Pugsley was spending a lot of time in the litter box, straining to pee. Nothing was coming out. Something told me this was not good. When I picked him up around his middle and he cried out in pain, I knew he was in trouble. It was Friday night at 10 and I rushed him to the emergency vet. Thank goodness I did.
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Pugsleys urethra was clogged with urinary stones one of the side effects of a cat not drinking water, or a cat not drinking enough water. They are like a plug of soft, compressible material consisting of minerals, cells and mucus-like protein. Urine backs up and the kidneys cant remove toxins from the blood or keep fluids and electrolytes in balance. This can lead to death within 24 to 48 hours if not treated immediately.
Thankfully, Pugsley was treated in time, but the vet told me the No. 1 way to prevent him from reblocking and possibly requiring surgery was to keep him hydrated. You better believe I started looking into ways to get my cats to drink more water.
Is your cat not drinking water, or not drinking enough water? Avoid having a dehydrated cat by getting your cat to drink more water:
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Signs & Symptoms Of Dehydration In Cats
If your cat is dehydrated their health could be at serious risk. If your cat isn’t drinking enough water they can become dehydrated quickly. Here our vets have shared a few ways you can tell if your cat is dehydrated:
- Dry Mouth – Examine your kitty’s gums. Your cat’s gums should always be pink and moist. Pressing your finger against your cat’s gums will make the spot you are pressing turn white, but if they don’t return to a healthy pink color within a second or two of removing your finger your kitty may be dehydrated.
- Skin Elasticity – Check your cat’s skin by gently pinching the extra skin between their shoulder blades to form a tent-like shape. Once you let go your kitty’s skin should snap right back to normal in less than a second. If your cat’s skin doesn’t snap right back, your feline friend could be dehydrated.
- Panting – Unlike dogs, cats don’t often pant. If your feline friend is panting they may be dehydrated.
- Constipation – Do a litter box check. When cats are dehydrated they often become constipated. If your cat hasn’t been passing as much stool, as usual, dehydration may be to blame.
- Sunken Eyes – Take a good look at your cat’s eyes. If your kitty’s eyes seem to lack focus or appear sunken or dull, dehydration may be the cause.
They Prefer Running Water
In the wild, cats would generally prefer to drink from a running stream than a standing puddle. Its natural that domesticated cats may want to avoid water thats been sitting out, possibly accumulating dangerous organisms. Wide Open Pets says:
When it comes to water, running is always better than still. One theory behind this is that cats instinctively may be wary of still water since stagnant water isnt always safe to drink in the wild. Another potential theory is that hunching over a bowl to drink is simply more uncomfortable than drinking from a tap. When a cat is hunched over a bowl, it puts them in a more vulnerable position to be pounced on by another animal. A final theory is that running water simply tastes better!
Its also thought that cats hear running water much better than they can see flat water in a bowl. Besides, dont you prefer drinking water fresh from a filtered tap rather than out of a glass thats been sitting out all day? Try buying a pet fountain to get your cat to drink more water.
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Does My Cat Have Access To An Appropriate Water Bowl
When they put their face into their water bowl to drink, their whiskers could graze the side of the bowl and it could cause discomfort,Patrick Mahaney, VMD, a holistic veterinarian in Los Angeles explains. Look for a wide bowl that doesnt brush up against the whiskers. Or, for kitties that want a more tantalizing water source, consider a trickling fountain.
How Do I Know If My Cat Is Drinking Too Much Water
Here we are, all worried about cats who dont drink enough water, and yet, drinking too much water can be a problem, too.
Its not the water drinking itself that is a concern, its what excessive water drinking indicates.
Increased water intake is called polydipsia, and it can be a sign of kidney or liver disease, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, or urinary tract infection.
The best way to tell how much your cat is drinking is to measure how much water you put in her bowl at the beginning of the day, and then how much is left at the end of 24 hours. Subtract the leftover amount from the amount you started with. If you suspect your cat has been drinking more than usual, this helpful data point will allow your vet to calculate whether drinking more is drinking too much for your particular cat.
Dawn LaFontaine is a lifelong animal lover who always seems to have a little pet hair in her keyboard. Her blog, Kitty Contemplations, helps cat guardians better understand and care for the special beings they share their lives and homes with. Her cat-products business, Cat in the Box, sells beautiful, well-made, and award-winning products that she designed to meet the biological needs of cats.
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FOOTNOTES
Ledford, Heidi. Out of the Desert, on to the Sofa. Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 28 June 2007, www.nature.com/news/2007/070625/full/070625-10.html.
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Why Won’t My Cat Drink Water Out Of A Bowl
Is your cat more keen on drinking from the toilet and taps rather than the pristine bowl of fresh water next to his food dish?
If the answer is ‘yes’, then remember that fresh tap water is normally treated with chemicals and often chlorinated. The bowl itself may smell of the detergent with which it was cleaned – and therefore is an unattractive prospect to a cat. As cats are many times more sensitive to detergent contamination than humans, much more rinsing than usual is required.
You should also get into the habit of changing the water frequently to prevent bacterial build-up.
New Is Always Better Than Old
Would you want to drink water from a cup that had been sitting out for hours or even days? Well, neither does your cat. We all love fresh water. The longer your cat’s water bowl sits out, the more dirt, dust, and bacteria will accumulate on the surface of the water as well as in it. This is especially true for cats that enjoy playing with the water in their water bowls. Clean your cat’s water dish and add plenty of fresh, clean water daily.
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Why Wont My Cat Drink Water From Her Bowl
Cats are notorious, and they are very picky when it comes to eating food and drinking water.
They put you in charge of the entire house and refuse to eat their food. Shell be thirty and still refuses to drink from her bowl, preferring instead to run and drink from the bathtub. If youre wondering why wont my cat drink water from her bowl, it could be due to the temperature of the water or whisker fatigue.
There are many reasons related to it. Do you want to know? Then keep reading!