Daily water intake

[JulietteTruong]

Roughly how much water should an adult cat consume daily? Obviously this would depend on variable factors such as kitty’s age, weight, activity level, diet etc. so a rough average would be ideal.

She’s about 7 years old, 12 lbs, and good health.

The various internet sources tell me the minimum required daily water intake is 4 oz per 5 lbs of body weight. So for Juli that comes to 9.6 oz, if my math is correct. Let’s round it to 10 for simplicity.

According to this article, the average 5 Oz can of wet food is about 80% moisture. Juliette gets 5.5 a day, so let’s say 5 to simplify. That’s like 4 oz of water from her food. So she would need to drink another 6 oz to meet her minimal daily requirement for water. Ever since feeding her only wet food, she almost never drinks from her fountain. I’ve been adding a little water to her meals (she gets two a day), but just winging it. So I would need to add about 3 oz of water to her each of meals.

Does this seem right? I’m not like set on an exact figure, just a ball park figure would be okay. There’s so many different answers online it gets a bit confusing

 

[tabbytom]

Roughly how much water should an adult cat consume daily? Obviously this would depend on variable factors such as kitty’s age, weight, activity level, diet etc. so a rough average would be ideal.

She’s about 7 years old, 12 lbs, and good health.

The various internet sources tell me the minimum required daily water intake is 4 oz per 5 lbs of body weight. So for Juli that comes to 9.6 oz, if my math is correct. Let’s round it to 10 for simplicity.

According to this article, the average 5 Oz can of wet food is about 80% moisture. Juliette gets 5.5 a day, so let’s say 5 to simplify. That’s like 4 oz of water from her food. So she would need to drink another 6 oz to meet her minimal daily requirement for water. Ever since feeding her only wet food, she almost never drinks from her fountain. I’ve been adding a little water to her meals (she gets two a day), but just winging it. So I would need to add about 3 oz of water to her each of meals.

Does this seem right? I’m not like set on an exact figure, just a ball park figure would be okay. There’s so many different answers online it gets a bit confusing

Here's an article on how much water is needed per day for the cat :- tips-to-increase-your-cats-water-intake

Cats have a low thirst drive although probably you've seen photos of cats drinking from water fountain, taps or water bowls. But not all cats do that. Best is to feed wet food as they are full of moisture. And again, it depends on the brand of wet food. Some are more gravy type and some more like pate form. Wet food is definitely much better than dry food if in the case of your kitty does not drink much water.

The other is Raw feeding as you the amount of water is determined by you and raw meat have more moisture by itself too.

The other way is to add some filtered water into the wet food for additional moisture intake.

 

[MissClouseau]

It's usually said 50 ml water per kg in body weight, or 40-60 ml per kg. So about 200-250ml for a cat who weighs 4-5kg. The water they take from wet food also included to this. Basically any water they consume.

Ever since feeding her only wet food, she almost never drinks from her fountain.

That's very common. I also rely on wet food to keep my cat hydrated. Her diet is like about 65% wet & 35% dry food. I also add water to her wet food (she gets 2 cans of wet food in 4 meals). Usually she drinks from her water bowl only once now. Granted she does seem a bit dehydrated in her blood tests each time but it's mostly because the test is done after fasting and my kitty sucks at drinking water. So without wet food like on check-up days, something gets elevated connected to dehydration.

I’ve been adding a little water to her meals (she gets two a day), but just winging it

You mean she eats two meals a day? If so, smaller meals throughout the day is easier on the digestive system. Also much better for hydration.

 

[JulietteTruong]

It's usually said 50 ml water per kg in body weight, or 40-60 ml per kg. So about 200-250ml for a cat who weighs 4-5kg. The water they take from wet food also included to this. Basically any water they consume.


That's very common. I also rely on wet food to keep my cat hydrated. Her diet is like about 65% wet & 35% dry food. I also add water to her wet food (she gets 2 cans of wet food in 4 meals). Usually she drinks from her water bowl only once now. Granted she does seem a bit dehydrated in her blood tests each time but it's mostly because the test is done after fasting and my kitty sucks at drinking water. So without wet food like on check-up days, something gets elevated connected to dehydration.


You mean she eats two meals a day? If so, smaller meals throughout the day is easier on the digestive system. Also much better for hydration.

Well, sort of two meals, in that I put out her wet food (half of 5.5 oz) at 7 am and then at 5 pm. She’s a grazer, so she eats a little at 7 am, and then leaves it for a few hours and finishes it later on.

 

[MissClouseau]

Well, sort of two meals, in that I put out her wet food (half of 5.5 oz) at 7 am and then at 5 pm. She’s a grazer, so she eats a little at 7 am, and then leaves it for a few hours and finishes it later on.

In that case some of the water must be getting evaporated.

 

[suzeanna]

I always love seeing your sweet calico profile pic!

Susan (8 y/o, 15.5 lbs) gets 4 wet meals a day (7 a.m.-30g, 12 p.m.-20g, 5 p.m.-20g, 10 p.m.-40g). All in all, she eats ~110g of a pate-style food, to which I add an approximately equal amount of hot water from the kettle (e.g., for 20g pate, add 15-20g hot water), mash it up, then add a little cold water from the tap until it is lukewarm (and mix once more). It definitely helps to feed smaller/more frequent meals to do this, otherwise her stomach would probably not be able to hold so much water and food. She has 3-4 good sized pees per day.

 

[Antonio65]

The various internet sources tell me the minimum required daily water intake is 4 oz per 5 lbs of body weight. So for Juli that comes to 9.6 oz, if my math is correct. Let’s round it to 10 for simplicity.

A vet once told me that the daily water intake for a cat is 2 ml/kg/hour, that is twice what you said.
A 5 lbs (2.2 kg) cat should drinks 100-110 ml of water a day. A single 85-gram can of wet food contains about 65-70 ml of moisture, two cans make 130-140 ml of moisture/water intake, that should do the daily intake.
For my cats, I usually add 10-15 ml of water per meal, and they drink some 5-10 ml from the bowl. They do pee a lot!

 

[JulietteTruong]

In that case some of the water must be getting evaporated.

I’ve been trying to be diligent about rehydrating her food during the day

I always love seeing your sweet calico profile pic!

Susan (8 y/o, 15.5 lbs) gets 4 wet meals a day (7 a.m.-30g, 12 p.m.-20g, 5 p.m.-20g, 10 p.m.-40g). All in all, she eats ~110g of a pate-style food, to which I add an approximately equal amount of hot water from the kettle (e.g., for 20g pate, add 15-20g hot water), mash it up, then add a little cold water from the tap until it is lukewarm (and mix once more). It definitely helps to feed smaller/more frequent meals to do this, otherwise her stomach would probably not be able to hold so much water and food. She has 3-4 good sized pees per day.

Thank you!

A vet once told me that the daily water intake for a cat is 2 ml/kg/hour, that is twice what you said.
A 5 lbs (2.2 kg) cat should drinks 100-110 ml of water a day. A single 85-gram can of wet food contains about 65-70 ml of moisture, two cans make 130-140 ml of moisture/water intake, that should do the daily intake.
For my cats, I usually add 10-15 ml of water per meal, and they drink some 5-10 ml from the bowl. They do pee a lot!

Wow that’s a lot of water! That’s awesome!


Your Kitties must all be so well hydrated! It makes me so happy to know that cat hydration is such a priority with people. I really wish more cat folks would realize how important this is!

 

[JulietteTruong]

Here's an article on how much water is needed per day for the cat :- tips-to-increase-your-cats-water-intake

Cats have a low thirst drive although probably you've seen photos of cats drinking from water fountain, taps or water bowls. But not all cats do that. Best is to feed wet food as they are full of moisture. And again, it depends on the brand of wet food. Some are more gravy type and some more like pate form. Wet food is definitely much better than dry food if in the case of your kitty does not drink much water.

The other is Raw feeding as you the amount of water is determined by you and raw meat have more moisture by itself too.

The other way is to add some filtered water into the wet food for additional moisture intake.

omg so I got a little clear glass dish and ping pong balls from the dollar store to use another water bowl, in addition to my fountain. I just saw Juli drink from it! I’ll be getting a few more tomorrow to place in other areas around the home.

 

[tabbytom]

omg so I got a little clear glass dish and ping pong balls from the dollar store to use another water bowl, in addition to my fountain. I just saw Juli drink from it! I’ll be getting a few more tomorrow to place in other areas around the home.

That's good to hear. Please post photos.

 

[JulietteTruong]

So this morning at 6 am I put out the 3oz of wet food with extra water, only this time I used the can to make sure I added 3 oz of water to the food. It was soupier than usual. Juli hesitantly took one or two laps, and then left. She’s a grazer but normally she’ll eat about half of it and then leave the rest for later. I’m thinking okay, maybe the extra water is putting her off as a change from her usual routine. So I wait a few hours.

At around 10, the dish remains the same, which is unlike her. Of course being the worrying type I start to think, “uh oh, is her appetite decreased? Maybe I’m doing too much too soon?” So I put some of her freeze dried duck liver treats, which she loves, on top to entice her to eat. Again, one lick and walks away. Hmm...

An hour later, I really worry since she’s barely eaten by this point. I try enticing her with Greenies, she came running over from the sound so I figured she must be hungry. Nope. Still won’t touch her food. Finally, I try putting three kibbles on top. And she starts eating! She lapped all the water up and ate like 70% off the wet.

It’s weird because she’s not addicted to kibble. She’s been eating only wet food since this year with no issues. I always vary her food and change brands, textures etc so that she’s not stuck on one type.

Cats can be complicated lol.

Fed and resting.

 

[lueyfufu]

Maybe it was enough water to dilute the flavor? (Like when the ice melts in my Coke and makes it taste yucky.)

My kitty Gus seems to have a threshold of how much water he'll tolerate in his food. If I add too much, he's not having it!

 

[suzeanna]

Same -- there's definitely a point at which too much water makes it unappetizing and she just ignores it.

 

[kittenmittens84]

My cat drinks water from his bowl like once a week. He eats all wet food and pees normally so I’m not worried about it.

 

[tabbytom]

Finally, I try putting three kibbles on top. And she starts eating! She lapped all the water up and ate like 70% off the wet.

If you are leaving kibbles soaked together with the wet food, please do not leave the kibbles soaked for too long as wet kibbles tends to harbor bacteria when wet. This could be the result of your cat's tummy upset in your other thread.

 

[JulietteTruong]

If you are leaving kibbles soaked together with the wet food, please do not leave the kibbles soaked for too long as wet kibbles tends to harbor bacteria when wet. This could be the result of your cat's tummy upset in your other thread.

Oh of course not! I only put three kibbles to get her to eat her meal this morning.

 

[Antonio65]

So this morning at 6 am I put out the 3oz of wet food with extra water, only this time I used the can to make sure I added 3 oz of water to the food. It was soupier than usual.

In my opinion, it was too much water in the wet food.
I think that something between 10 and 20 ml per can is enough.
The cans I buy are 85 grams (equals to 3 oz) and I have seen that 10 to 20 ml of fresh extra water are enough. This would provide between 80 and 90 ml (again 3 oz) of water/moisture per meal. With two meals like this a day, it's 160-180 ml of water daily, plus the few ml of water from the bowl, which matches exactly the daily requirement for my older cat that is 3.7-3.8 kg.

Your cat is beautiful. After the torties, the calicos are my favorite cats

 

[JulietteTruong]

In my opinion, it was too much water in the wet food.
I think that something between 10 and 20 ml per can is enough.
The cans I buy are 85 grams (equals to 3 oz) and I have seen that 10 to 20 ml of fresh extra water are enough. This would provide between 80 and 90 ml (again 3 oz) of water/moisture per meal. With two meals like this a day, it's 160-180 ml of water daily, plus the few ml of water from the bowl, which matches exactly the daily requirement for my older cat that is 3.7-3.8 kg.

Your cat is beautiful. After the torties, the calicos are my favorite cats

thank you! she’s very precious