Topic: How much does your cat drink? (Read 3133 times)

Yvonne · « **Reply #20 on:** December 11, 2007, 23:02:52 PM »

Cats like to drink water well away from their food, you could place a bowl at the opposite end of the room from their food. Cats also like dripping taps, you may have discovered this, in the sink or the bath. Sometimes cats will also drink from a mucky puddle or an outside fishpond, I know mine do it must taste better.

karenjet · « **Reply #19 on:** December 11, 2007, 22:51:14 PM »

In the 8 months I've had my kittens the one and only time I've ever seen them drink water was when Belle was licking at a tap that had been left dripping. I give them fresh water every time I feed them but the bowl never looks touched. My friend leaves a bowl of water in her living room with some pebbles at the bottom, as if for decoration, but it's just for her two cats to drink. They seem to think they're stealing it and can't get enough. I might do something like that with my 4.

berties mum · « **Reply #18 on:** December 11, 2007, 20:25:36 PM »

Thanks all ... maybe the other two drink more than I thought but from weirder places

We're at the vet's this week anyway as Minnie is having her claws clipped on OH's insistence (playtime turned into lacerations - oops

) so I will mention her thirstiness then ...

Liz · « **Reply #17 on:** December 11, 2007, 17:32:31 PM »

The Cl;an cats drink from the following: The dogs water bowl they also clean feet here! 3 Water fountains, 5 bowls downstairs and 2 up stairs, also plant trays outside and any puddle that is there!

I would watch the drinking as we found out Tiger our alpha male was drinking a lot and as it turns out is diabetic so maybe a blood test just to confirm that its nothing nasty

Tiger will tell us along with Amber any water bowl that needs filled - Amber does a nightly patrol before we go to bed and yowls if we miss one!

carl (billy and baggys dad) · « **Reply #16 on:** December 11, 2007, 16:12:45 PM »

Quote from: LeighK on December 11, 2007, 15:21:43 PM

Of my three the only one that I observe drinking once or twice a day, especially in the morning, is Frankie my big black cat and he prefers to drink circa 24 hour old water. They all eat wet food twice a day and also dry food. I occasionally see Alfie and Suzie drinking but not very much. I learned that rather than put fresh water out twice a day, mornings and evenings in their four water bowls, two bowls get twice-daily fresh water and the other two only once daily. I read somewhere that cats don't like the chlorine in the water as it irritates them and my observations bare that out so 24 hour old water is the solution that works best for my lot. I guess that they all get plenty of water in their wet food so that's why they don't drink so much. Suzie, when she was my mum's outdoor cat was to be frequently observed drinking stale rainwater from a trough in the garden and she's now 17!.

Cheers

Leigh

Thats interesting Leigh - I've noticed Baggins once or twice lapping from a glass thats been by my computer for a day or so (I know, I know, I'm slovenly). Must be why, the chlorine I mean.

Baggins eats more dry food than Bilbo too, so that'd explain why I've seen him drink a couple of times and not seen Bilbo, from what I can remember.

Team Svartalfheims · « **Reply #15 on:** December 11, 2007, 15:43:09 PM »

Mine drink quite a lot but they always have done. The bigger the cat the more they'll drink as the more of themselves they've got to keep hydrated, you wouldn't expect a 4kg cat to drink the same as a 9kg cat. Of course if cats eat wet food then they will get some/most of their water from that depending exactly how much of their diet is wet.

DaveD · « **Reply #14 on:** December 11, 2007, 15:31:35 PM »

The chlorine, and cats' aversion to it. is another reason that drinking fountains are such a good idea. The moving water allows the chlorine to evaporate more quickly.

dolcetta46 · « **Reply #13 on:** December 11, 2007, 15:22:48 PM »

Quote from: Rosella moggy on December 11, 2007, 13:45:18 PM

I forget who suggested it on here but we now have 3 bowls of water dotted about the house including the one by their food bowls. The one by their food bowls is barely touched but the other two are used frequently. That seems to stop the attraction of drinking from loo, drains etc! I'd say they get through a small bowl of water between 3 everyday. They eat both wet and dry food.

Interesting idea, I may try that... I like the idea also because Oliver often gets a piece of food in the water bowl and gets it all mucky and icky!

LeighK · « **Reply #12 on:** December 11, 2007, 15:21:43 PM »

Of my three the only one that I observe drinking once or twice a day, especially in the morning, is Frankie my big black cat and he prefers to drink circa 24 hour old water. They all eat wet food twice a day and also dry food. I occasionally see Alfie and Suzie drinking but not very much. I learned that rather than put fresh water out twice a day, mornings and evenings in their four water bowls, two bowls get twice-daily fresh water and the other two only once daily. I read somewhere that cats don't like the chlorine in the water as it irritates them and my observations bare that out so 24 hour old water is the solution that works best for my lot. I guess that they all get plenty of water in their wet food so that's why they don't drink so much. Suzie, when she was my mum's outdoor cat was to be frequently observed drinking stale rainwater from a trough in the garden and she's now 17!.

Cheers

Leigh

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #11 on:** December 11, 2007, 13:45:18 PM »

I forget who suggested it on here but we now have 3 bowls of water dotted about the house including the one by their food bowls. The one by their food bowls is barely touched but the other two are used frequently. That seems to stop the attraction of drinking from loo, drains etc! I'd say they get through a small bowl of water between 3 everyday. They eat both wet and dry food.

clarenmax · « **Reply #10 on:** December 11, 2007, 13:38:33 PM »

I only notice Max drinking now that his preferred water bowl is upstairs in the lounge, he only used to have one in the kitchen before. He's drinking a bit more at the moment as our warm air heating really dries the air out, he probably feels it the same way as we do in that respect.

ccmacey · « **Reply #9 on:** December 11, 2007, 13:23:42 PM »

My cats like to have a good old knees up every Friday night

Catjane · « **Reply #8 on:** December 11, 2007, 12:55:11 PM »

Out of my lot, Sabby hardly drinks at all, but hardly ever eats dry food. Shanti eats about half in half, and drinks moderately from time to time, Meesha prefers a dry diet, but drinks accordingly! Especially she like to drink from the tap at bedtime

berties mum · « **Reply #7 on:** December 10, 2007, 23:54:58 PM »

Oh, and Susanne - maybe the vet meant that you've got a problem if a cat who doesn't normally drink much starts drinking a lot? Because Minnie has always been like this since we've adopted her, which is six months ago now ...

berties mum · « **Reply #6 on:** December 10, 2007, 23:53:36 PM »

She does prefer dry food - maybe that's what makes the difference. I tend to keep the air in the house as humid as possible because I've got eczema and OH has asthma (we're a great couple

), so I don't think that's to blame. I did mention it to the vet, who didn't seem worried about diabetes and said they're "all different" ...

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #5 on:** December 10, 2007, 23:52:27 PM »

They don't drink much. A small stainless steel bowl lasts them both a couple of days. They do eat wet food though and I add a little water to that, so I wouldn't expect them to drink much.

At Jaffa's last visit the vet told me that it was normal to not notice them drinking and that it was when you notice it that you have a problem. I don't think that's strictly true as some cats just drink a lot and are perfectly healthy and some that don't drink may be dehydrated, but I understand what he was getting at. And of course it does depend on whether they eat wet or dry food.

dolcetta46 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 10, 2007, 23:50:12 PM »

I was worried about the same thing with Oliver, as he hardly ever touches the water in the bowl either. (The loo now that's a different story, we are in for a trouble when we forget to shut it.

)
If they eat their wet food regularly chances are that enough moisture is already included in their intake there for them. Does Minnie prefer dry biscuits? Dry food only cats are said to drink much more, naturally. How is the air like with heater on during the winter? Since the heater got turned on in our flat about a month ago, the air is much drier and now I see Ollie taking a little slurp every now and then.

berties mum · « **Reply #3 on:** December 10, 2007, 23:48:31 PM »

She's seven, and spends about 21 hours a day asleep and the other three playing outside ... she doesn't seem to wee a lot, which is incredible considering how much water she seems to put away!

unseeliechylde · « **Reply #2 on:** December 10, 2007, 23:44:46 PM »

Wow - that's quite a lot! My two barely drink at all, in fact they drink so little that we are thinking of getting them a drinking fountain to encourage them to drink more. How old is Minnie? Do you think she could be diabetic? Probably hard to tell, but does she seem to wee more than normal, or sleep more than normal?

berties mum · « **Reply #1 on:** December 10, 2007, 23:41:17 PM »

Every day until I adopted Minnie, I would put a bowl of water down for Bertie and Bella every day and they'd hardly touch it - Bertie prefers to drink from the tap in small amounts, and Bella never really seems to drink anything. Since Minnie moved in, two bowls of water are disappearing every day, which I assume must be her as she's the only one I ever see drinking from the bowl. Does this seem a lot to other people?

Author Topic: How much does your cat drink? (Read 3133 times)

ccmacey