In general, a cat drinking more water than usual is not normal and is usually a sign that something is wrong. An average cat weighing 4 kilos should drink an approximate amount of 180 ml/day, if it exceeds this and also urinates too much, it means that something is happening and we should go to the vet. The exception is when we find ourselves on very hot days, in which the animal must compensate for body temperature and fluid loss by increasing water intake, something quite common in all animals. Especially if we are talking about very active cats, this may be the reason.
However, it is not common to see a cat that, on its own, drinks large amounts of water. In fact, on many occasions it is the guardians who must encourage the animal to ingest the minimum daily amount. This low consumption in felines comes from their ancestors, cats that 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 currently, due to the industrialization of food and other changes in the routine of the domestic cat, we know that water intake is essential to lead a good quality of life. However, when a cat drinks more water than usual, and it does so suddenly, it is normal for us to be alarmed. Therefore, on our site we will talk about why your cat drinks a lot of water and how to proceed.
How much water does a cat drink a day?
First of all, it is important to take into account the normal amount of water that a cat should drink per day. For this, it is necessary to know the cat's routine and its personality, since polydipsia (when the cat drinks more water than normal) and the consequent polyuria (when the cat urinates more than necessary) are symptoms that can go unnoticed and, therefore, it may take some time for tutors to realize that something is wrong.
How much water should a cat drink a day?
The water intake considered normal for a domestic cat is 45 ml/kg/day, an increase in this quantity will produce, also, an increase in urine excreted, so if a cat urinates too much, water consumption has probably increased as well. As this sign is often the first symptom noticed by the animal's guardian, the veterinarian may choose to perform a series of laboratory tests to examine the cat's urine and calculate the difference between water consumption and the amount excreted with the goal of achieving a better diagnosis and prescribing the correct treatment. Some procedures sometimes require sedation and the passage of a catheter through the urethral canal, so only a specialist is capable of carrying them out.
However, there is a method you can do at home to check if your cat is drinking more water than usual. This technique is none other than using a drinker with measurements, or using a separate meter to measure the amount you put in the bowl at the beginning of the day, and the amount you has drunk at the end of it. Once you have obtained the amount taken, you simply have to divide this value by the weight of your cat. If the final result is higher than 45 ml per kilo, go to the vet. Of course, for this method to work you must check that your cat only consumes water from its bowl, and is not one of those that prefers to drink water from other sources, such as glasses, plants, taps, etc. Likewise, if you live with more than one cat and they all use the same water bowl, the result will not be reliable.
Why does my cat drink a lot of water and urinate a lot?
As we have previously pointed out, 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 he alth problems:
- Diabetes.
- Kidney or urinary 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 an increase in the amount of urine, which you try to compensate for with increased water intake.
On the other hand, if your cat is an adult, suffers from obesity and you have noticed that it drinks a lot of water and urinates more than necessary, do not hesitate to go to the vet as soon as possible, since if it is not treated the cause of the problem in time, the pathology suffered could become fatal.
My kitty drinks a lot of water, is that normal?
If you've just adopted a kitten and you've noticed that he drinks a lot of water and urinates too much, consult the vet the possibility of suffering any aforementioned dysfunction, as well as the presence of infections in the urinary tract. If the problem is detected in time, the animal will better carry out the entire treatment process. Likewise, if, for example, he is diagnosed with diabetes or a thyroid-related disease, the sooner the new changes regarding his daily diet and care routine are implemented, the better for him, since there is no cure for these problems.
My cat drinks a lot of water and vomits
As we have already said, often the symptoms presented by cats are not perceived by guardians in time, a fact that complicates the clinical picture and contributes to imbalance of the organism as a whole, leading the animal to worsen the initial signs and present other related ones, such as vomiting, apathy, loss of appetite, etc. In this way, if your cat drinks a lot of water and does not eat, or eats little, it may be because the underlying cause is advanced.
For all of the above, at the first symptom you detect in your cat, be it increased water consumption, increased urination, vomiting, lack of appetite, weight loss…, go to the vet immediately, since the pathologies mentioned in previous sections must be treated as soon as possible. In the meantime, we recommend you consult the following article to learn "What to do if your cat vomits" and apply first aid.
