drinking water

Hi.

Have a question regarding my newly adopted cat.  She is now adjusting very well to her new home.  Eats good, plays, etc.  But she uses the litter box only at night which is fine but I just realized that I have not seen her drink water.  She must drink only at night.  Is this normal? 

I have NEVER seen my cat drink water, only play with it. I adopted him around 5 months ago. I'm not too worried though because he gets wet food and I add a bit of water into it each time. I also see the water level of the bowl go down once in a while... although I'm not sure if he's playing or drinking it. 

I tried a few things to encourage my cat to drink in case he isn't. I put ice cubes in his bowl (he just stared at them). I put catnip in the water (he didn't notice). And I bought a water fountain (he likes to stare at it once in a while and dip his paw in the water). You might just have a stealthy water drinker!

If you're really concerned about water intake, you can feed her wet food once a day (if you aren't already) and/or add some water to her food (dry or wet).

Another thing I thought about: where is your litterbox located? Maybe she only goes at night because that's when she feels safe without any humans walking around. But I'm not sure if going only at night is normal or abnormal. Hopefully someone will chime in!

Does she get wet food only? If she does, she may well be getting sufficient fluids from her food. Cats are designed to get around 80 % of their fluid intake from their food, and consequently have a very low thirst drive. My new girl barely drinks too, but her urine output is good and she gets a mixture of wet and raw food, so I'm not too worried.

If your girl is getting kibble as even part of her diet, then her lack of drinking is more concerning. There are loads of ways to get a cat to drink more - from water fountains to flavoured water (such as the liquid chicken was poached in).

Keep an eye on her urine output too. If anything seems abnormal then a vet visit is a good idea - just to rule out any physical causes.

This is a great article about how to get a cat to drink more http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake

Edit - using the litterbox at night only could be an issue, but only if the urine output itself is low. I use clumping litter and expect at least 3 big clumps per cat in a 24hr period.

Thank you!  I did just put some ice cubes in and she just stared at me then the cubes. lol

She does get wet food as well as dry so since she seems in good health I guess I should not be concerned. My last kitty (boy) drinked all the time and love to jump in the tub after my shower and drink from the sink. Quite opposite from this little girl.   

Well, the litter box is still in my bedroom cause that is where she stayed for the week until she got use to the house.  I am the only one home here so I do not think that going to use it during the day would be a problem.  I would like to move it but at this point she seems to like it just where it is.  

You can put another litter box where you want it to be and then slowly, each day, move the litter box in your room towards the second one. Or she might just realize the other one is awesome and use that one! 

Anyway, like @Columbine  said, I would watch her urine output and make sure it's normal (2-3 clumps a day is normal for my cat). 

Your previous cat sounds fun! I love a cat that loves water! 

Thanks!  I will try the second litter box.  And yes, I do find good clumps of urine in the box...so I know she must be doing just fine.      

Do you have any cut flowers standing around in water in your home? I noticed my cat often ignores the (clean!) water bowl in favor of drinking from the vases

Thank you...but no...  Now we have a set back with new noises this eve.  This is the time she comes and plays but is in hiding again...  Umm i guess this furry friend will take more time than I thought.