Enough water?

[dkb817]

And it's once again time for your regularly scheduled Anxious Cat Parent(tm) post:

Simon has his kitty water fountain that is cleaned and refilled regularly (has to have the fountain, otherwise he just plays in it and spills it all); Our tap water around here is....tolerable and safe, but not something I enjoy drinking as a person, so I've always erred on the side of caution and filled his fountain with bottled water.

The problem is that I don't see/hear him drinking from the fountain often and there's often quite a bit of water left when I change it (roughly once per week which is also when the fountain gets cleaned), which doesn't lead me to believe that he drinks from it all that much. He gets a good amount of moisture/fluid from his canned wet food (that he gets twice a day), and is urinating enough that I'm not concerned about crystals or anything like that. My last two cats both drank their water normally without the aid of a fountain, so it was changed daily.

Is that normal? Do some cats just not like to drink water all that much?

 

[tabbytom]

which doesn't lead me to believe that he drinks from it all that much. He gets a good amount of moisture/fluid from his canned wet food (that he gets twice a day), and is urinating enough that I'm not concerned about crystals or anything like that.

Cats have low thirst drive and not all cats will drink from water fountain or plates bowls.

You are feeding him wet food and he gets his moisture from there. As long as he's peeing normally with the normal amount of pee and maybe at least twice a day, I wouldn't be too concern.

However, to increase his water intake, you may add a little filtered water to his wet food. Not too much that changes the taste of the food and he may not eat at all.

My boy is totally on wet food and he gets his hydration from there and sometimes I do add a little more water to it so that he gets more moisture. He pees twice a day and in normal sized clumps.

 

[maggie101]

I have bought a variety of water fountains. Not all liked. Now I have ceramic elevated water bowls which they really like. Easier to clean than a fountain and very little residue

 

[Bobsk8]

I use a Pure water filter on my kitchen faucet and I fill my Cat Mate fountain from that filtered water. Cat drinks all the time out of fountain, never out of a bowl. I did discover that I had to locate fountain away from the are where her food dish is placed, before she started using the fountain.

 

[Azazel]

Cats should be obtaining moisture from their food. If a cat is regularly going to a water fountain or bowl they are likely dehydrated (at least mildly). Cats on all wet food diets rarely, if ever, drink water. This is normal. Cats are descended from desert animals that are physiologically built to retain moisture from their food. They have very low thirst drives. This is one of the reasons why you often hear that kibble is not good for cats. It's completely dry and dehydrating. If you're worried about water intake then the best remedy is to feed all wet food and add a little water to it when serving. If you never see your cat go to the water bowl again and they're eating all canned food and peeing regularly then they are perfectly healthy (much healthier than a cat who drinks water every day - that would be a sign that something is wrong).

 

[Bobsk8]

Cats should be obtaining moisture from their food. If a cat is regularly going to a water fountain or bowl they are likely dehydrated (at least mildly). Cats on all wet food diets rarely, if ever, drink water. This is normal. Cats are descended from desert animals that are physiologically built to retain moisture from their food. They have very low thirst drives. This is one of the reasons why you often hear that kibble is not good for cats. It's completely dry and dehydrating. If you're worried about water intake then the best remedy is to feed all wet food and add a little water to it when serving. If you never see your cat go to the water bowl again and they're eating all canned food and peeing regularly then they are perfectly healthy (much healthier than a cat who drinks water every day - that would be a sign that something is wrong).

My cat eats about 95% canned food, pees regularly , and drinks out of the fountain ???

 

[nomeowing]

My cats get one can a day. I put a little water in the can after I put it on the plate, swirl it around and put that on the plate. They lap it up. Always. I do see them drink. I also do this with the cats at my workplace especially with hot weather coming. Put a little water on the wet food and they all lap it up. I think it's a good way to get a little extra water in them.

 

[Azazel]

My cat eats about 95% canned food, pees regularly , and drinks out of the fountain ???

How often? Some cats on all wet diets will still drink water here and there. It's possible that your cat just likes the fountain. If the drinking behavior has always been this way since you have started feeding 95% canned food then I wouldn't worry, but if they suddenly have started drinking more then it may be a health issue. It is also possible that you're feeding kibble with added salt that dehydrates the cat so that they drink more from the fountain.

 

[Uncled]

I have two cats, litter mates, they have always eaten canned food for every meal,were even weaned onto canned,I have seen Elliott only once drink water and his brother Will, occasionally in the two years we have had them.

 

[MissClouseau]

I didn't read everything sorry if it's been said already but you need to change the fountain's water every other day at least. And always have more than one source for water. My Hima is a big challenge to drink water -- she has a fountain, and a steel bowl of water. In the summer also a glass bowl of water at home, and one plastic out on the porch. The one outside has tap water. The ones at home are filled with bottled water. I change the water daily, for the one that is in the bedroom where she spends most of the time twice a day. (The water doesn't go to waste. I use it to water the plants.) Not to say you need 4 bowls. Just have more than one source and not keep them all at the same place.

But if Simon mostly eats wet food and you add a bit extra water to that too, he might be hydrated enough already. Hima doesn't drink a sip of water when like 80% of her daily food intake is wet food, I add water to each portion too. Especially if the weather isn't hot where you are yet and/or she sleeps a lot. Daily hydration need depends on factors like weather and exercise level too, as well as weight. They need about 44 to 66 ml of water per kg in body weight (or 20 to 60, according to some other sources.) But consider how much water does she get from wet food.

I myself never feel confident if mine is hydrated enough, what I can recommend the next time you will get a blood test and kidney levels, pay attention on how much water did she get in the last like 10-12 hours and discuss what if anything the kidney levels show about hydration. That may or may not give some idea. e.g. Sometimes BUN level increase a bit (to normal creatinine) due to dehydration.

 

[three4rd]

This thread seems to pretty well answer my recent one. I also have a fountain (don't clean it out as often as I should sorry to say).