Katze trinkt zu wenig

Cat drinks too little

Is your cat drinking too little? Although cats don't drink much by nature, adequate fluid intake is important to prevent dehydration and health problems. Find out how much water a cat needs each day, how to tell if your pet is drinking too little, and how to encourage it to drink.
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Your cat drinks too little

Do you have the impression that your cat doesn't drink enough? Cats are generally quite lazy when it comes to drinking and have a low water requirement compared to other animals. Nevertheless, our house cats also need to drink enough liquid to avoid dehydration or developing serious illnesses. Find out here how much water a cat needs per day, how you can tell if your pet isn't drinking enough and how you can encourage your furry friend to drink.

How much should a cat drink per day?

Our domestic cats today are descended from steppe and desert dwellers who mainly met their fluid requirements through their prey. For this reason, our house cats also get by with a small amount of water per day. However, regular fluid intake is important for the cat's heat regulation, its organs and its ability to concentrate.

The exact water requirement varies from animal to animal and also depends on external circumstances such as extreme heat in summer. On average, cats need around 50 ml of water per kilogram of body weight. This means that a 4 kg cat should drink around 200 ml of liquid per day. Cats already cover most of this requirement through their food: Wet food, for example, consists of up to 80 percent liquid. Therefore, you should generally prefer wet food to dry food and, if you do feed dry food, make sure that your cat drinks enough.

If your cat does not drink enough and becomes dehydrated, this can lead to serious health problems.

[Drinks]

consequences of dehydration

If your cat eats mostly dry food but does not drink enough liquid, this can lead to metabolic problems such as constipation.

Since the cat urinates less due to the low fluid intake, its urinary tract is cleaned less frequently and crystals and Urinary stones can form. These are very painful and should be prevented at all costs – for example with specially developed diet food .

The increased concentration of urine in the body of the dehydrated cat also puts a strain on the kidneys. Substances that are excreted in the urine, such as uric acid or creatinine, are no longer excreted in sufficient quantities and poison the cat's body. If left untreated, this can lead to long-term overload of the kidneys and even Kidney disease can result in renal insufficiency . Pets with kidney disease absolutely need treatment from a veterinarian and can nutrient-rich special food .

In addition to long-term consequences, dehydration can also become an acute emergency. If your cat does not drink enough liquid over a long period of time, it will become increasingly dehydrated and lose valuable electrolytes. Since the symptoms of dehydration only appear at a very late stage, your animal must be treated by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Signs that your cat is not drinking enough

It is often difficult to determine whether your cat is drinking too little, as it covers most of its needs with food and probably only takes occasional sips from the water bowl. When it comes to outdoor cats, the drinking behavior is also influenced by the fact that they also drink water from puddles, ponds or other bodies of water outside and are therefore less thirsty at home.

However, if your cat drinks too little, this will sooner or later become noticeable through physical symptoms. A good way to check whether your cat is drinking enough liquid is the so-called skin fold test. To do this, you can squeeze the skin on your cat's back between your fingers for a few seconds. In a well-cared-for cat, the skin is elastic and smooths out again within a very short time. However, if the skin fold remains for an unusually long time and only smooths out again slowly, this is a sign of dehydration. You should bear in mind, however, that the skin of old and thin animals is less elastic anyway. If you suspect dehydration, seek advice from your vet.

In addition to checking the elasticity of the skin, you should also examine your pet's gums. The gums are usually pink and moist. However, if they feel sticky and dry to the touch, this also indicates a lack of fluids. In addition, cold paws, Fatigue and listlessness, strong-smelling urine and sunken eyes are among the possible symptoms of dehydration in cats.

Encourage your cat to drink

If you notice that your cat is not drinking enough, it is always advisable to consult a veterinarian. They can determine how advanced your cat's dehydration is and whether there may already be secondary diseases or underlying conditions.

In addition, it is important to prevent fluid loss from the beginning and to encourage your lazy house cat to drink. You can do this by offering the drink and by drinking it yourself.

How should water be served to a cat?

Due to evolution, cats do not like to drink in the same place where they eat. Therefore, you should not place the cat's water bowl in the immediate vicinity of the feeding place. Since cats are very clean animals, food and drink should also be placed far away from the litter box. It can also be worthwhile to place drinking bowls in different places in the apartment - this way your furry friend is constantly reminded to drink and has the opportunity to take a sip here and there.

If your cat avoids the water bowl, it may be that it doesn't like it. For example, some animals are bothered when their whiskers touch the bowl when drinking. So try a different shape, such as a particularly flat or wide bowl. The material of the bowl can also play a role: plastic or rubber bowls may give off a strange taste or smell. Therefore, use ceramic or glass water bowls if possible and clean them regularly.

Many cats are also attracted to moving water: a drinking fountain or water feature in the home can encourage them to drink. Perhaps the splashing sound of the tap being turned on as it is poured into the bowl will also attract your cat's attention and make them thirsty - try filling up the water in front of your cat and observe their reaction.

Tastes can also vary from cat to cat: some cats only drink fresh water, so you should change the liquid frequently. Other animals only go to the bowl when the water has gone a little stale. Observe your cat's behavior, try different things and try to match their taste.

What should I give my cat to drink?

You can also make adjustments to the liquid itself to make drinking as tasty as possible for your cat. If your cat is very lazy when it comes to drinking and eats mostly dry food, you should first consider switching to wet food. This could already cover a large part of the liquid requirement. You can find out how to best change food in this guide .

When it comes to cat food, it is advisable to offer your cat several small meals throughout the day and, if necessary, supplement them with a few extra tablespoons of water. This trick works for both dry and wet food, depending on your furry friend's fluid needs, and ensures that your cat casually consumes more fluids than usual.

If you live in a region where a lot of chlorine is added to the tap water, you may want to switch to bottled water: the chlorine in the water is unpleasant for cats and may cause them to avoid drinking it.

Especially on hot summer days, when your cat should be drinking more fluids anyway, you can give it an ice cube to drink or eat. Animals often find this interesting and like to lick it. If your cat likes this, you can also spray it with a little water - the subsequent grooming will also provide it with much-needed fluids.

A very good way to encourage your cat to drink is an alternative to water. However, you should definitely not offer milk, as the four-legged friends are generally lactose intolerant and cannot tolerate classic cow's milk. Instead, you can make drinking more palatable for your sweet tooth with unsalted meat broth or tuna water. There are also drinks specially developed for cats that contain the finest pieces of meat to encourage drinking. Adequate fluid intake has a positive effect on your cat's kidneys and helps prevent urinary stones.

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Your questions - our answers!

frequently asked Questions

The fact that cats drink too little often only manifests itself in noticeable symptoms when the animals are severely dehydrated. As cats need very little fluid due to their evolution, cover a large part of their needs through their food and it is unclear where and how often they drink in the case of outdoor cats, it is even more difficult to detect a lack of fluids. If you suspect that your cat is drinking too little, you should observe it closely and carry out a test if necessary. If you squeeze the skin on your cat's back with your fingers for several seconds, the wrinkle should disappear quickly. However, if the fold of skin remains for a noticeably long time and only smoothes out again slowly, this is a clear sign of dehydration. Ideally, your pet's gums should also be pink and moist - if they feel sticky and dry instead, attention is also required. If your tiger is also tired and listless, has cold paws, sunken eyes and strong-smelling urine, you should definitely visit a vet and try to encourage your cat to drink more.

If you notice that your cats are drinking too little, you should reconsider how and what you offer them. Animals cover a large part of their fluid requirements through their food. You should therefore favour wet food and add a few tablespoons of water if necessary. Cats also don't like it if the drinking bowl is too close to the food bowl. Therefore, try to clearly separate eating and drinking and place several drinking options around the home. Also try out different drinking containers and choose bowls that are as shallow and odourless as possible. Make sure that there is always plenty of fresh water available and, if necessary, make the water more attractive with a drinking fountain. You can make the liquid itself more palatable by switching from tap water to bottled water, adding ice cubes and adding unsalted broth or tuna water. Drinks specially developed for cats with small pieces of meat also ensure that your velvet paw's desire to drink is stimulated.

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