Water
Do you have a habit of nagging at your cat? Every single day, I nag at both my husband and cat to drink water. I realised I repeat the same dialogue to the both of them (some of which include “I told you to drink water right!”; “Can you please drink?”), ranting like a mad woman whenever I bring them a glass of water each. I wonder if this is normal… Do you guys do that? Share with me in the comments!
Cats in general, do not like to drink water and chronic dehydration is detrimental to a cat’s health. Often, it will lead to urinary tract infection, constipation or permanent damage to the kidneys.
A rough guide to the amount of water a cat will need to drink is 50ml per kg of body weight. So a cat weighing 3kg will need about 150ml of water a day. Water from their food will count towards the requirement.
To tell whether your cat is drinking enough water, you can do a simple test to see how hydrated it is. Pinch its skin lightly and let go. If its skin bounces back immediately, it means that your cat is sufficiently hydrated. If it takes some time for its skin to bounce back, it means that your cat needs to drink more. You can pinch the area where there is “excess” skin such as the back of its neck or somewhere near its thigh.
There are several ways to help encourage your cat to drink more if it doesn’t drink enough. They are:
- Syringe feed (see video below)
- Syringe feeding may look difficult but it is actually quite simple. All you have to do is to point the syringe at an angle at the side of your cat’s mouth then slowly push the plunger. If it is thirsty, it will lick and swallow all of it. If not, be prepared for it to spit it out. Ning can be extremely annoying at times. If she doesn’t want to drink and I syringe feed her, she’ll clench her teeth tight and let whatever water that goes in flow back out. Whenever that happens, I will give her small amounts (3-5ml) each time throughout the day. If she is thirsty, she can drink 10ml – 20ml at once.
- Soaking kibbles in water
- Most cats prefer flavoured water. You can try soaking kibbles in water to see if your cat drinks more.
- Most cats prefer flavoured water. You can try soaking kibbles in water to see if your cat drinks more.
- Broth
- Ning drinks a lot when I give her broth. You can try boiling or steaming a slice of fish, mash it up and mix it with the water/broth you boiled the fish in. In this way, when your cat eats the fish, it will also lick up the broth. Pork, fish or chicken broth is fine as well as long as you do not add salt or other spices in it.
- Ning drinks a lot when I give her broth. You can try boiling or steaming a slice of fish, mash it up and mix it with the water/broth you boiled the fish in. In this way, when your cat eats the fish, it will also lick up the broth. Pork, fish or chicken broth is fine as well as long as you do not add salt or other spices in it.
- Lactose free milk
- Some cats love milk, like Ning. However, generally cats are lactose intolerant. Drinking milk might cause undesirable side effects such as vomiting or an upset stomach. Therefore, if you want to give your kitty milk, you can try giving it milk that is lactose free. For instance, Harvey Fresh lactose free milk. Let it try a little first to see if its tummy can tolerate the milk. If its stools become loose or watery after taking the milk, stop it immediately, it is a sign that the milk is unsuitable for your cat. Do not give milk in large quantities since it should not be replacing its meal. This method should just be a form of supplement. It should not be used to replace water.
- Some cats love milk, like Ning. However, generally cats are lactose intolerant. Drinking milk might cause undesirable side effects such as vomiting or an upset stomach. Therefore, if you want to give your kitty milk, you can try giving it milk that is lactose free. For instance, Harvey Fresh lactose free milk. Let it try a little first to see if its tummy can tolerate the milk. If its stools become loose or watery after taking the milk, stop it immediately, it is a sign that the milk is unsuitable for your cat. Do not give milk in large quantities since it should not be replacing its meal. This method should just be a form of supplement. It should not be used to replace water.
- Leave cups of water around the house
- Leaving cups of water around the house is also a good way of encouraging your cat to drink. Cats can be assholes sometimes. You buy them the prettiest and biggest water bowls but they don’t drink from it. Instead, they will sneakily drink from your cup when you are not looking. That was what happened to me! Once, I was watching TV and I heard a monotone noise which sounded like water dripping. The sound was very familiar but I just couldn’t make out what it was. Whenever I looked around, the noise would stop. When I turn my attention back to the TV, the noise would start again. This went on two to three times before I caught two big eyes looking at me as she dipped her tongue into my cup nonchalantly. Ning was drinking from my cup!!! OMG! I can’t bear to think how many times we shared the same drink. Since then, I bought her a cup and she loves it. Not sure if she still drinks from my cup though. Hopefully not!
- Leaving cups of water around the house is also a good way of encouraging your cat to drink. Cats can be assholes sometimes. You buy them the prettiest and biggest water bowls but they don’t drink from it. Instead, they will sneakily drink from your cup when you are not looking. That was what happened to me! Once, I was watching TV and I heard a monotone noise which sounded like water dripping. The sound was very familiar but I just couldn’t make out what it was. Whenever I looked around, the noise would stop. When I turn my attention back to the TV, the noise would start again. This went on two to three times before I caught two big eyes looking at me as she dipped her tongue into my cup nonchalantly. Ning was drinking from my cup!!! OMG! I can’t bear to think how many times we shared the same drink. Since then, I bought her a cup and she loves it. Not sure if she still drinks from my cup though. Hopefully not!
- Bring the water to your cat (See video below)
- Ever since Ah Mao passed and we moved to a new place, Ning is lazy AF. She is always waiting for me to bring her water. She can be thirsty as hell but she can’t lift her stubby short legs to get to her cup. How do I know she’s thirsty? Whenever I bring her her cup, she would look damn eager and would spend a good few minutes lapping up the water. She’s so lazy, she don’t even sit up. I have to tilt the cup so that her tongue can reach the water. At times she doesn’t even want to drink from the cup so I tried syringing the water into her mouth and she gulped everything in seconds. My husband feels that I’m spoiling her. Perhaps I am but if I were to leave her to drink on her own, it is highly likely that she will not drink enough. I would rather make her drink than watch her get renal problems like Ah Mao. If your cat is lazy like mine, you can try bringing water to it. You’ll need to find out the best time to bring it. Usually, Ning will be more willing to drink after she wakes up from a long nap.
- For ageing cats or cats with medical issues, they might have some difficulty walking to their bowls. So leaving a few water bowls around the places they frequent can help them gain access to water easily.
- Ever since Ah Mao passed and we moved to a new place, Ning is lazy AF. She is always waiting for me to bring her water. She can be thirsty as hell but she can’t lift her stubby short legs to get to her cup. How do I know she’s thirsty? Whenever I bring her her cup, she would look damn eager and would spend a good few minutes lapping up the water. She’s so lazy, she don’t even sit up. I have to tilt the cup so that her tongue can reach the water. At times she doesn’t even want to drink from the cup so I tried syringing the water into her mouth and she gulped everything in seconds. My husband feels that I’m spoiling her. Perhaps I am but if I were to leave her to drink on her own, it is highly likely that she will not drink enough. I would rather make her drink than watch her get renal problems like Ah Mao. If your cat is lazy like mine, you can try bringing water to it. You’ll need to find out the best time to bring it. Usually, Ning will be more willing to drink after she wakes up from a long nap.
- Keep their water clean/Get a cat fountain
- Cats can be rather fussy about the cleanliness of their water. If they find a few strands of fur, dust or food crumbs in their water, they might reject it entirely. Therefore, ensure that you replace the water frequently. If not, consider purchasing a water fountain which has an inbuilt filtration system for them. The moving water might encourage them to drink.
- Cats can be rather fussy about the cleanliness of their water. If they find a few strands of fur, dust or food crumbs in their water, they might reject it entirely. Therefore, ensure that you replace the water frequently. If not, consider purchasing a water fountain which has an inbuilt filtration system for them. The moving water might encourage them to drink.
- Give wet food
- If you are mainly feeding your cat dry food, there is a high chance that it will not meet its daily water intake requirements. Canned/wet food contains moisture. This water content will count towards the cat’s daily water intake requirements.
If you’re stressing over your cat not drinking enough water, fret not! I’m sure one of the methods above would work somehow! Just have a little bit of patience, all will be fine!
Love,
TG