A mouse is something like 70-80% moisture, like most living creatures, where dry kibble is about 10%. Most cats no matter how much you see them drink will not make up that lost percentage in a day and many dry foods add a fair bit of salt as well.

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

 

It's not that cats don't drink. It's that they don't have a high thirst drive, so when they are fed kibble, it's very difficult for them to make up that HUGE moisture deficit in their diet. Kibble is only around 8% moisture, whereas both canned food and natural prey are around 80% moisture.

While there are cats who just like water, more often than not, excessive thirst is an indicator of dehydration. That's why you'll typically see owners who feed kibble report that their cats drink plenty of water. Of course they do. The kibble dehydrates them, so they have to spend more time at their water bowls trying to rehydrate their bodies. But that's not the way feline physiology is designed to function. Felines are designed to get the majority of their moisture requirement from their food sources.

BTW, cats don't generally eat feathers. They pluck birds before they consume them. And feral cats can generally find water sources when they need them.

Laurie

 

I find it hard to believe that cats won't drink enough water on their own. Both of my cats drink water all the time. I have a Drinkwell fountain and another gravity dispenser and they drink from both. I really think it just differs from cat to cat.

I've known people who feed only kibble throughout their cats entire lives and they never had issues with diabetes or crystals at all.

 

I've known people who feed only kibble throughout their cats entire lives and they never had issues with diabetes or crystals at all.

I know people who have smoked for 60+ years and didn't get emphysyma or cancer.

I know people lived to be 80+ years old and ate cold bacon fat right out of a jar.

I know people who are morbidly obese and eat sugar like no one's business and don't have diabetes.

Just because these people have done that does NOT mean it's a good idea to smoke for 60 years, eat bacon fat right out of a jar or be morbidly obese and scarf down candy. Taking steps to PREVENT problems.. does jsut that. It helps to PREVENT them. If a person wants to take chances with their health that is their perogative. PErsonally, I adopted my boys and swore that I'd care for them to the best of my abilities. I plan on doing that.

You can BELIEVE what you want, what is fact is that cats don't have a high thirst drive and cats who eat kibble don't usually drink enough water to cover the deficit from the kibble.

 

I appreciate your responses, but a little mouse, even at 80% moisture, doesn't yield much water. Feathers or no....thank heavens I haven't had to witness that yet... it just seems like they would have to eat a lot of prey to satisfy their needs. I agree that for many, many years cats didn't have a canned food option......and many of them did just fine. Now that we are better educated (partly from forums like this) we are paying more attention to details....all for the better of our furbabies. It upsets me when some think that because some cats really like their water....that they are suffering from some underlying problem.
Just as a matter of curiosity....question to everyone....how much water does your cat drink if he/she is mostly or completely a housecat?

 

It upsets me when some think that because some cats really like their water....that they are suffering from some underlying problem.

Lennie, think about it this way. When do YOU tend to drink more water? Is it when you have been exercising and losing fluid (dehydrating) or when you have been eating dry foods (dehydrating)? Or is it when you walk past a faucet and think, "I LOVE water! I'm going to have a drink!"? As a general rule, all animals, including human animals, drink water when they need to, not when they want to.

Laurie

 

I rarely, if ever, see my younger cats drink water. I feed them canned food mixed with hot water into a thick gruel, and raw prey model. My middle-aged cats rarely, if ever, drink water. They get 2 tbs of EVO kibble and a raw prey model meal daily. My old cats are in varying degrees of kidney disease. Because of their decreased appetites, I allow them to eat as much as I can convince them to eat of whatever they want to eat. As a result, some of them tend to eat more kibble than the middle-aged cats. The increased kibble in their diets and their renal insufficiency cause them to drink excessively if I don't provide adequate subQ fluids to keep them properly hydrated.

Laurie

 

Leelu drinks very little water. She takes a few licks from the tap, but I rarely see her drink from the bowl. I used to be worried, but the vets have always said she's well hydrated. She's on 100% canned and I always add a bit of water to that.
I do remember when I adopted her I got a bag of dry food with her and she used to drink a lot more while on dry food.


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My cats are housecats and drink fairly regularly - I'm not sure how much but they do use the water bowls I have out. They are completely fascinated by faucets / showers / water and love the sink or watching me shower.

They eat raw or canned food, so they get plenty of water. But I still see them drinking out of the water bows.

Yes, there isn't a lot of water by volume in a mouse - but if everything they typically would eat is 80% water, they need to drink a lot to make up for it if they are eating just kibble.

 

I've done the math...if a cat eats 1/2 cup of kibble per day, it needs to drink 5/8 cup of water in order to get from 10% moisture to 70%. Most cats will drink about half of that even if they love water.

 

All I can say is that I see my cats drink more when they get some dry food but if I measured it, it really isn't that much. On the other hand, I see my cat drink after he has eaten a critter. And really weird, I haven't watched but there aren't feathers around after he has caught a bird. I don't find the bird either. My other cats always took the feathers off.

 

All I can say is that I see my cats drink more when they get some dry food but if I measured it, it really isn't that much. On the other hand, I see my cat drink after he has eaten a critter. And really weird, I haven't watched but there aren't feathers around after he has caught a bird. I don't find the bird either. My other cats always took the feathers off.

Your observation regarding the bird feathers really had me laughing. Though I've had cats for a lot of years, Sammy is my first to sample his catches. So far it has only been mice. Katy-Did would bring all her catches to show me, but they were all very much alive, unscathed and able to be released after I caught them.....the birds were a challenge (don't think they are all that bright). The only fatality was the hummingbird! The reason I thought is was funny was because I've extracted grass many times that was hanging out of their bums.....wasn't looking forward to feathers.
I really do thank you all for your comments. I know my cats are healthy, they get regular vet care and are fed primarily wet food. They just like water!....bowl, faucet and sink. And their pee patties in the litterboxes weigh a ton. I figure the in and out is about equal.....which for all of us, cats and people can't be a bad think. A flushed system shouldn't be as prone to crystals. So I feel comfortable that they are fine....and your input was helpful.
Okay, Marcia.....I'll find something else to concentrate on.....like cleaning my house! Ugh!
And Doodlebug....God bless you.....I can't believe you did the math on that! Thank you for your trouble!
Love this cat forum!

 

My cats drink water when there is a need. The variable in that is "need". They may need to rehydrate. They may need to wash down what they just ate. They may need to use a quick "I'm here for a purpose" diversion when staring at the other anoyed, cat trying to eat. lol They may have a need to solve their curiosity as to why a water bowl is placed 'here'.

I too, behave in a simular fashion. I drink when I need to, but the "need" is always changing.
I tried doing the stuff of drinking the amount they claim we are suppose to drink to be "properly" hydrated. ...It didn't last.

I think drinking JUST water, and not water mixed in something is hugely beneficial to ANY animal. I love seeing my cats drink and will encourage it much like a mum does for her kids but I don't get fanatical about amounts.

- I have a water bowl outside (the most popular one) and when it rains they love the taste of the fresh rainwater. Perfect, drink kitty, drink lol
- I have a water bowl in the bathroom, the floor is heated and they ALL love to hang out in there. They get up, stretch and saunter over to the water bowl and have a few licks. Great! another result!
- And of course they have water by their food bowls for after eating.

They get wet foods and I put a couple tea spoons of very warm water in and stir in order to release the smell of the food more. They love the gravy is kind of makes. One or two laps of that. Fantastic.
They also eat dry food as well (about 1/4 of their diet, maybe a bit more at times)
They like to drink after eating that. Thumbs up, more water consumed.

It all adds up and my cats are far from dehydrated.

I think as long as you are aware and you sound as if you are, how you and your cat get water in the diet is down to personal "needs". As long as no one is dehydrated then everyone should be happy. Differnt folks are going to do differnt things for their cat because we are all different and so are our kitties

 

Lennie, opinions about the amount of water a cat will drink on his own vary. Everyone has an opinion. It sounds like your cats are just fine. Canned food, access to plenty of fresh water and they actually LOVE water - they are just fine. I would not stress over this if I were you. Too many things in life to fret over.

 

I dont remember a time I saw my cat drink from her water bowl. I feed her all canned food, which is around 80% water and add some water to each meal, which makes a sort of "broth" which she is happy to drink when she has her meals. Im not much worried about her being dehydrated. I still leave out a bowl of water in case she needs it though.

 

I haven't seen Midas drink since I switched him to raw. He might, I keep water bowls down for the dogs, but I haven't personally seen it. He also doesn't pee as much as when he was on canned. I am not sure why that is but my guess would be that the raw is less salty, so he doesn't feel the need? Or maybe the raw does have less moisture, I certainly don't add a lot of water to the raw like I used to do with the canned.

As far as kibble goes, don't forget that the cat not only is ingesting something that is only 10% moisture, the body also has to hydrate that food to a certain point to make it digestible which sucks out more moisture. A cat on raw or canned doesn't have to add water to make the food digestible. Basically, a cat is supposed to take water from something it ingests, not have to add water to it!

Even with people they have shown that we get much of our water from food, and the 8 glasses of water a day thing is kind of a made up number. We do need that amount, but we get a lot of that from food already. Though I suppose if we just ate popcorn we would probably need to drink most of those 8 glasses. The fact is that most animals have evolved to eat things with moisture in them, not dried foods.

 

I hardly see ET drink from his fountain and the water level of the fountain doesn't seem to go any lower, which is telling me, he's not drinking. But he does pee alot everyday. I know wet food is 80% moisture and I do add something between 1/2-1.5tbs water into his wet, but yet I think the output far exceeds the input, so, I just don't understand.

 

Not ALL cats are prone to diabetes or forming cystals. In fact a large portion of cats are this way which is why they well could go all their lives on dry food only and never develop these issues.

A bit like saying everyone should to drink lactose intolerant milk. Some people are lactose intolerant but most people aren't.

 

A bit like saying everyone should to drink lactose intolerant milk. Some people are lactose intolerant but most people aren't.

I disagree. There isn't a way to know your cat is prone to these issues until you have a serious problem. I, personally, would rather avoid a gamble with a cat's health.



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