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cats need fresh water and renewed daily. They may be a little special with food, but when it comes to water, they are even more so. In addition to their scrupulous behavior, owners often find it difficult to calculate the daily amount the cat drank throughout the day. Some tend to drink too little and others, on the contrary, too much.
In this article by PeritoAnimal we explain to you how much water should a cat drink per day, entering variables such as age, sex and food. These are some of the points we should keep in mind when answering our veterinarian about this simple, but at the same time, problematic question.
What does your water intake depend on?
It can be a very complicated answer. Water intake may depend on the size of the cat, time of the year where it finds itself and, as we all know, its food.
If our cat feeds only on commercial food, which only has 10% water in its composition, we should give it between 60 to 120 ml more than to cats that feed on wet food, which can contain up to 80% water. Therefore, a cat fed only dry food, should drink more water than cats fed wet food, all to stay properly hydrated.
If we refer to the age of the cat, we should know that kittens and old cats should drink more water than adults. But there is no rule for this in age, only in weight. One 5 kg cat of weight should drink 250 ml of water per day under normal conditions. It is always important to know how much water our feline's drinking fountain can contain and, if possible, not to fill it until it is empty. However, a cat should drink as much water as it wants, so it is always a good idea to encourage it with different containers in different places in the house, so that it never forgets.
Finally, it varies in small proportions depending on the time of year. It's not the same in summer, where they suffer from the heat, as in winter, when they don't want to leave the heater for even a second, not even to drink water. We must be rational in these cases so as not to be unnecessarily alarmed.
When should we worry?
Extremes are never good, so you should start paying more attention to your cat whether she drinks too little or too much water. A dehydrated cat may have some symptoms, as explained below:
- Fur little shiny and with scales
- Skin that is not flexible (you can do the skin test on the neck. Pull the skin in this area a little and if it takes more than 2 seconds to get back to normal the cat may be dehydrated).
- Reduced physical activity, apathy and bad mood.
- Urine a few times a day
Water deficiency, in very extreme cases, can lead our cat to have problems with its urinary tract, such as crystals in the urine, kidney stones, etc. Chronic kidney failure is the most common cause of death in older cats. Other problems will be visible on the skin, but you can also see a bad odor in the mouth, ie halitosis.
THE excessive water intake or polydipsia, may be indicating that the cat is losing fluid on the other hand, whether through urine or other means. Polydipsia will often be accompanied by polyuria, a condition that causes the cat to urinate more than usual. We can detect it if we observe more than three urines a day, even outside the litter box. Changes should be gradual but when you notice them, it may be too late. We should consult the veterinarian when we see that something is not right.
Tips for hydrating a cat
- Avoid plastic drinking fountains, as they tend to give off flavors that do not please the cat and stop drinking there. It is preferable for them to be stainless steel or glass in various places in the house, especially important in older cats with reduced mobility.
- Always keep the water fresh and clean.
- Dry food can be moistened with a little fish or chicken stock (without salt or onion) or hot water to enhance the aromas and encourage the cat to drink more water.
- Give him a small portion of wet food each day.
- Don't stop drinking tap water because it's a habit that cats love. Nowadays there are already small fountains for cats. Research about them.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.