My Cat Is Drinking a lot of Water
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In general, a cat drinking more water than usual is not normal and is usually a symptom that something is wrong. An average cat weighing 4 kilos (8.8 lbs) should take approximately 180 ml/day, if they are overweight and also urinate a lot, it means that something is happening and we should go to the vet. The exception is when the weather is generally hot, when the animal must compensate body temperature and fluid loss by increasing the intake of water, something quite common in all animals. Especially if we talk about very active cats, this may be the reason.
However, it is not common to see a cat drinking large amounts of water by themselves. In fact, it is often their owners who should encourage the animal to eat the minimum daily amount. This reduced consumption in felines comes from their ancestors, cats who lived in the desert and adapted to survive in this habitat. This does not mean that the cat does not need water to live, because nowadays, due to the industrialization of food and other changes in the domestic cat's routine, we know that water intake is essential to maintain a good quality of life. However, when a cat drinks more water than usual, and does so suddenly, it is normal for us to be alarmed. Therefore, at AnimalWised we will talk about why your cat is drinking a lot of water and how to proceed.
How much water does a cat drink in a day?
First of all, it is important to consider the normal amount of water a cat should drink per day. To do this, it is necessary to know the cat's routine and personality, as polydipsia (when a cat drinks more water than normal) and the consequent polyuria (when the cat urinates more than usual) are symptoms that can go unnoticed and, therefore, carers may take some time to realize that something is not going well.
How much water should a cat drink per day?
The intake of water considered normal in a domestic cat is 45 ml/kg/day or around 2-4 ounces/day, an increase in this amount will also produce an increase in excreted urine, so if a cat urinates too much, probably water consumption has also gone up. Since this sign is often the first symptom perceived by the animal's tutor, the veterinarian can choose to perform a series of laboratory tests to examine the cat's urine and calculate the difference between water intake and the amount excreted in order to achieve a better diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment. Some procedures sometimes require sedation and the passage of a catheter through the urethral duct, so only a specialist is able to perform them.
However, there is a method you can try at home to check if your cat is drinking more water than normal. This technique is none other than using a drinking trough with measurements, or measuring it with a separate meter to measure the amount you put in the bowl at the beginning of the day, and the amount they drank at the end of the day. Once you have obtained the amount taken, simply divide this value by the weight of your cat. If the final result is greater than 45 ml per kilogram, contact the veterinarian. Of course, for this method to work you must check that your cat only consumes water from their bowl, and they are not one of those who prefers to drink water from other sources, such as glasses, plants, taps, etc... Also, if you live with more than one cat and they all use the same bowl of water, the result will not be reliable.
Why is my cat drinking a lot of water and urinating a lot?
As mentioned above, polydipsia and polyuria are symptoms, not diseases. So, if your cat drinks a lot of water and urinates a lot, these are common signs of the following health problems:
- Diabetes.
- Kidney or urinary tract infections.
- Thyroid diseases.
- Liver failure.
- Hyper or hypoadrenocorticism.
In addition, the use of certain medications such as steroids and some anti-inflammatory drugs also cause the animal to increase the amount of urine, which they try to compensate with an increase in water intake.
On the other hand, if your cat is an adult, suffers from obesity and you have noticed that they drink a lot of water and urinate more than usual, do not hesitate to go to the vet as soon as possible, because if the cause of the problem is not treated in time, the pathology suffered could be fatal.
My kitten drinks lots of water, is it normal?
If you have just adopted a kitten and have noticed that they drink a lot of water and also urinate too much, check with your vet for the possibility of any of the above mentioned problems, as well as for urinary tract infections. If the problem is detected early on, the animal will take the whole treatment process better. Also, if for example they are diagnosed with diabetes or a thyroid-related disease, the sooner the new changes regarding their daily diet and care routine are implemented, the better for them, since there is no cure for these problems.
My cat drinks a lot of water and is vomiting
As we have already said, often the symptoms of cats are not perceived by owners in time, which complicates the clinical picture and contributes to the imbalance of the body as a whole, leading the animal to worsen the initial signs and present other related signs, such as vomiting, apathy, loss of appetite, etc.... Therefore, if your cat drinks too much water and doesn't eat, or eats too little, it may be because the underlying cause is advanced.
For all the above reasons, when the first symptom in your cat is detected, be it an increase in water consumption, an increase in urine, vomiting, lack of appetite, weight loss..., go to the veterinarian immediately, since the pathologies mentioned in previous sections must be treated as soon as possible. In the meantime, we recommend that you refer to the following article to find out "What to do if your cat vomits" and apply first aid.
This article is purely informative. AnimalWised does not have the authority to prescribe any veterinary treatment or create a diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian if they are suffering from any condition or pain.
If you want to read similar articles to My Cat Is Drinking a lot of Water, we recommend you visit our Other health problems category.
