Does your cat not drink that much? No worries, that's normal, cats don't drink much by nature. After all, they descend from wild cats, who had to survive for a long time without water in the desert. Still, your little house tiger should be getting enough fluids to avoid dehydration problems like urinary tract stones. How do you get your cat to drink enough?
- Serve your cat water, which is the ideal drink for them. Milk is often not a good idea. Of course, kittens still drink breast milk or replacement milk (if they no longer have a mother), but many adult cats are lactose intolerant and therefore cannot digest milk.
- Always provide fresh and clean drinking water for your cat. Cats are very picky. As a result, they sometimes don't want to drink water because it’s been there for too long. So change it at least once a day. And don't hesitate to switch between tap and bottled water.
- Place drinking bowls in different places in the house (or on each floor) and outside, especially if you’re the cat lady and have several cats living together.
- Don’t be afraid to place a drinking bowl up high. Cats love a bird’s eye view to keep an eye on the environment from above, while they drink quietly. When it comes to drinking, there’s more than one way to skin a cat.
- Don’t place the water right next to your cat’s food bowl. Better to put it about a meter away from its food. After all, food and drink are completely separate for cats. Therefore, your cat won’t want to drink from its drinking bowl if it’s next to the food. You won’t have a cat in hell’s chance getting it to drink if you do.
- Don’t place the drinking bowl next to the litter box. Unpleasant odors are quickly transferred to the water and cats notice this very quickly due to their remarkable sense of smell. Your cat is also picky in this area.
- Use a drinking bowl with the right shape. Your cat may be ignoring a bowl that is too small because its whiskers touch the rim when your pet wants to drink out of it. Cats especially like shallow and wide drinking bowls.
- Get a drinking bowl made of the right material. Plastic can retain unpleasant odors, so your cat may also leave a drinking bowl made from this material. Sometimes it takes a while to find the material that your cat thinks is the cat’s meow. But your furry friend’s health is worth it, right?
- Buy a drinking fountain, because most cats love running water. This purchase will significantly improve your cat’s water intake. Moreover, the water is always fresh.
What if your cat wants to drink too much?
Then it may be suffering from something. For example, your kitty might have a urinary tract infection, problems with its kidneys, liver or thyroid, diabetes ... Fortunately, many conditions can be treated well. But be sure to visit your vet for a medical examination! After all, your cat only has nine lives.
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