A typical cat should drink between 7–9 ounces of water every day, but making sure your kitty is well-hydrated can be tricky. After all, it’s not like we’re monitoring their H2O intake with fancy, graduated measurement water bottles.
Here are four simple ways you can encourage your cat to drink more water, from The Daily Paws.
Give Her Options
Some cats might like lapping from a bowl, while others enjoy a rippling water fountain. Try a few different kinds of dispensers placed throughout your home and see what your kitty comes back to.
For extra finicky felines, put down bowls made from different materials. Some cats might determine glass bowls are just better than plastic.
Keep It Fresh and Clean
If a water glass has been sitting out for days, you’re not going to want to drink it. Your cat is no different; she’s probably turning her nose up at her water dish because it’s gone stale.
If your cat’s water bowl has developed a film on the bottom, has some debris floating on the surface, maybe has a kind of slick feeling when you wipe it with your finger, those are sure signs the water needs to be refreshed.
Clean her bowl regularly—maybe even every day—and make sure she always has freshly poured water.
Try Different Types of Water
No, we’re not talking about sparkling vs. still—but rather what’s in the water.
Fluoride is added to our tap water to help prevent cavities and dental disease, but your feline friend might think it’s yucky. Try giving her fluoride-free bottled water or using a water filter from your fridge’s dispenser or a filtered pitcher you keep in your fridge (Note: filters won’t remove fluoride, but they do remove other particles and contaminants, and might make your tap water just taste better).
Experiment with different temperatures, too. Most cats prefer their drinking water at room temperature, but some might like their H2O nicely chilled.
Fill ‘Er Up!
Don’t stop at a half-full (or half-empty, if that’s how you see it) bowl. Cats can like their water to reach right up to the brim for easy lapping. (Though, this might turn their drinking area into a splash zone, so keep a towel nearby.)
Always monitor how much your cat is drinking and talk to your veterinarian if you notice any major changes, as they could be warning signs for something more serious, including kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, or diabetes.
Try these tricks at home, and talk to your veterinarian if your cat still shows signs of dehydration.
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Photo Credit: Creative Cat Studio / Shutterstock.com