5 Ways to Make Your Cat Drink More Water
It’s no secret that cats (usually) don’t like water all that much. While some cats may be more inclined to drink water or play around in a pool, many cats seem almost designed to despise water. This is disinterest in water can also show up in your cat’s dietary water intake. Cats originated as desert animals and most desert mammals; their bodies are designed to retain moisture from prey that they ingest. Cats are born hunters and it is most likely because their survival depends heavily on maintaining a steady amount of water through their diet.
Most modern pet cats do not get the necessary amount of water intake from their diet to maintain a healthy body. Whether it is from living a sedentary lifestyle confined in a home with no toys or room to exercise or from eating a diet that is severely water lacking, too many pet cats are or have dealt with dehydration. Dehydration in cats is very serious and can lead to reduced health, crystal formation, and it can be fatal if not addressed quickly. Crystal formation is costly to fix and requires a veterinarian to relive.
If your cat is having trouble producing urine, is producing bloody urine, cannot produce urine, or seems restless and tries to urinate several times without success it is vital to bring your cat to a vet immediately. Crystals can become fatal is male cats very quickly!
Luckily, there are several things you can do to help increase your kitty’s water intake. Let’s look at 4 strategies you can take to get more water in your cat today!
Option 1: Add Water to Your Cat’s Dry Food
If you feed primarily dry food to your furry family member there is an easy solution to increasing the water intake your little furball gets. Try soaking your cat's kibble in some warm water for about 10 minutes before feeding. The water will hydrate the dry food and the warmth will make the food more enticing to your kitty as it will mimic the warmth of fresh prey. An electric kettle like this one is ideal for heating water for your cat’s cuisine, just be sure not to get the water too hot, your furry family member will not appreciate a burnt tongue!
As an added bonus, when you hydrate dry food before giving it to your kitty it will expand in the bowl as the moisture soaks into the kibble and creates an equilibrium state. This is very beneficial and helpful for reducing the likelihood of your cat throwing up their meal. When cats eat dry food too quickly the kibble will absorb moisture from your cats’ body and will expand in their stomach. Cats have an average stomach size of 3 ounces and if the dry food expands too much their body will automatically vomit it back up.
Option 2: Feed Your Cat Wet Cat Food
If soaking dry food sounds like too much work or if your kitty doesn’t like soaked food, there are alternate ways to increase water intake. Another excellent option for increasing your cat's water intake is by switching to feeding a wet cat food diet. Wet cat food has the benefit of being more tasty, healthier, and more moisture-filled than dry cat food. Wet cat food is processed and cooked less than dry cat food and as such the animal proteins are not as denatured and are more complete. Wet food also has on average 9 to 10 times the moisture of dry food.
The added moisture of wet cat food will keep your cat’s body healthy and functioning properly. As an added bonus, trips to the vet to fix a crystal problem can be expensive and will cost much more over time than switching to a moisture-filled wet cat food diet. Most cats that develop crystals will do so throughout their whole life if their water intake is not increased significantly, this is especially true of kitties that only get dry food. While some wet cat foods have more moisture than others, any wet food is better than a dry-only diet.
If you are looking for high-quality moisture packed wet food diets that are affordable, and your cat will love, check out these awesome diets from pet companies that have your pet’s wellbeing in mind instead of trying to just make money.
Looking for a delicious high-quality wet cat food that has plenty of moisture? Look no further than WeRuVa's B.F.F. pouches. With 83% moisture and dolphin-safe tuna, your kitty will love this food and the hydration it offers!
If your cat loves seafood then this wet food from Tiki Cat is an excellent choice! Treat your kitty to a seafood dinner overflowing (literally) with moisture, at 84% moisture, you'll have a hard time finding a high-quality wet food with this much moisture.
If you have a picky cat that only eats select foods you should consider trying Fussie Cat, from the makers of Zignature dog food. With over 84% moisture and a wide range of flavors, Fussie Cat is perfect for giving your cats quality food that will keep them perfectly hydrated!
Option 3: Feed Your Cat Raw Cat Food
If you want to give your precious feline the last word in moisture and nutrient-loaded pet food, try out a raw cat food diet. Raw cat food is the least processed form of commercial cat food diets and has the highest moisture content and offers the most bioavailable nutrition to your pet. Feeding raw pet food has many benefits and moisture content is very high on the list. Some people are hesitant to feed raw pet food due to worries of bacterial contamination, while this is a valid concern, commercial pet food brands have processing techniques designed to make their raw food as clean and sterile as possible.
Looking for a great quality-oriented raw pet food brand? Check out Raw Paws Pet Food today! Raw Paws is a company that is invested in creating a high-quality raw pet food that will keep your furry family member happy, hydrated, and healthy. Raw Paws Pet Food offers various raw pet food products from raw beef tripe loaded with nutrients to maintain your cat’s digestion to complete frozen raw diets for dogs and cats, Raw Paws is a great brand to introduce your furry family member to raw pet food.
New to Raw Paws Pet Food? Check out these coupons below to get you started!
If you are new to raw pet diets, this complete raw diet is the perfect introduction. This turkey formula is made with 80% muscle meat, 10% organ meat, and 10% bone. With over 70% moisture this complete diet will keep your furry family members happy, healthy, and hydrated!
Surf 'N Turf is not just for people, now your feline companion can enjoy a delicious and nutritious meal loaded with beef and mackerel! This diet is comprised of 85% beef & 15% mackerel to ensure your pets get maximum nutrition and hydration.
Option 4: Invest in A Quality Cat Drinking Fountain
Cats are not overly interested in drinking water from a bowl for a few reasons, one of which is that still water is boring! Cats are more attracted to moving things and water is no different. Cat water fountains are ideal for getting your kitty to drink more water because the moving water is more appealing. Most pet water fountains generate a moving current of water using a small motor that is enclosed in part of the fountain to prevent water from getting into the motor.
In addition to being more appealing to your furry family member, moving water is healthier. As water is moved throughout the fountain it becomes oxygenated and provides your cat more nutritious water. Pet water fountains come in a variety of sizes and water volumes, whether you are looking for a small fountain suitable for 1 cat or a larger fountain for your miniature cat pride, there are several options to choose from that will encourage your kitty to drink more water.
This stainless-steel pet fountain is a great product to help increase your cat's water intake. The falling action of the water adds extra oxygenation for extra healthy water!
When you need a real watering hole look no further than this circular stainless-steel pet fountain. With several water spouts to choose from, this fountain is sure to entertain!
Option 5: Train Your Cat to Love Drinking Water from a Bowl/Bottle
While cats may be opposed to drinking water from bowls and containers, that doesn’t mean they can’t be trained to do it. An easy method to train your cat to drink more water from bowls is to flavor the water with tuna juice or something similar until they enjoy drinking from the bowl and want to go back for seconds. Once your cat is addicted you can gradually reduce the flavoring until your cat is going back for pure water. This method is easy and is usually effective at getting your furry family member more interested in water in bowls. Flavoring water in a pet fountain is not recommended!
A fun trick you can try with your cat is to use tuna flavored water in a hamster water bottle like this one. It takes a bit more effort to convince your cat to drink water from a raised drinking bottle, but it can be done. Using a drip-resistant bottle helps keep water off the floor which can be very helpful if you have a kitty that has a fondness for playing in drinking water or is just a messy drinker.
At the end of the day, regardless of the method you choose, it is very important to ensure your feline companion is receiving a healthy amount of water to keep them healthy, hydrated, and happy. Happy hydrating!