My cat is drinking way more water than usual... Should I be worried?

[wali_the_cat]

I adopted my cat (7 years old, male) 1.5 months ago. Until a couple days ago, I had never seen him drink water from his water bowl. I have been adding water to his wet food to compensate for his apparent lack of thirst.

Recently he started eating only half of his wet food so I started leaving out dry food for him to nibble on.

A couple days ago, I noticed him drinking out of my water glass, so I gave him his own little water glass. Now he's drinking water out of the glass several times a day.

Should I be concerned about Wali's increased thirst? Could it be related to the addition of supplemental dry food to his diet?

Is it possible there is a connection between his increased thirst and his habit of only eating half of his wet food? (He'll eat a full serving of wet food in the morning, but in the evening only ever eats half— which is why I've started leaving him dry food to nibble on).

 

[Purr-fect]

I would be concerned your cat is diabetic.

The same thing happened to a wonderful cat we once had in our lives. She suddenly started drinking alot from the bathroom sink tap. At first we thought it was cute and did not realize she was ill. She started to loose weight and then we got her to the vet asap.

If your cat hasnt been to the vet recently, I would take him in for a check up. He might be trying to tell you something.

 

[neely]

Could it be related to the addition of supplemental dry food to his diet?

Yes, it could definitely be related to supplementing with dry food. Have you noticed if he's urinating in the litter box more due to his increased thirst? If he's drinking more and not using the litter box as often then I would be concerned. Either way you can always contact your vet to check and put your mind at ease.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Although diabetes is always a concern, it is somewhat less because he is eating more dry food, and we'd expect an uptick in water intake. However, give your vet a call, being sure to tell him about the change in diet. My cat refuses anything but kibbles, and sucks back water like a camel in August. I drove her and her vet crazy for three years panicking over it until I was told, "She's fine. She's fat and thirsty, but she's FINE. We'll check her annually, and if she starts losing weight, we'll jump on it sooner."