Cats never drink water

Yes, I know, you all are going to say "they do, just not when you are looking!"

While they might, it has to be so little that you may as well say they dont.

I change their water everyday and the water line is the exact same as when i changed it!

This has been three years now.  

They are healthy, I think, they play and behave the same as they always have, so I do believe they are healthy.

But, I am fearful that its really hard on their kidneys that they don't drink water.

I understand that by feeding them wet food, they get most, if not all, the moisture they need.

BUT, do they need to also drink plain water to help their kidneys function?

Or is that just for us humans?

It depends. I have one cat with urinary problems, and I work in quite a bit of water into his wet food to ensure he gets enough water. He doesn't drink out of a bowl, either, but will occasionally drink out of the toilets. If you are really worried about it, you might try adding some water to their wet food.

i have tried to add in water, they refuse to eat when i do, however

i was hoping someone would know if it is going to affect them in the long run

crica said:

 
Yes, I know, you all are going to say "they do, just not when you are looking!"

While they might, it has to be so little that you may as well say they dont.

I change their water everyday and the water line is the exact same as when i changed it!

This has been three years now.  

They are healthy, I think, they play and behave the same as they always have, so I do believe they are healthy.

But, I am fearful that its really hard on their kidneys that they don't drink water.

I understand that by feeding them wet food, they get most, if not all, the moisture they need.

BUT, do they need to also drink plain water to help their kidneys function?

Or is that just for us humans?

Click to expand...

Some cats prefer stale water.  So the trick is to have several different water dishes, so they can choose.   IS it possible they do drink somewhere - stale water?   Perhaps somewhere in the bathroom?    or if its dropping somewhere.

Another option to get reluctant cats to drink more is to use water fountain.  Often works nicely.

do i need to get them to drink plain water is my question?

is the wet food i feed them (fancy feast classic chicken pate) not enough?

there is no possibility they are getting water from anywhere else

im housebound nearly 24/7 and the bathroom doors stay closed when we are not using them

there are no leaks in the house, no condensation on anything at all

we dont leave drinks or food out ever

I understand that raw meat is about 70% water. And cats in the wild don't often drink water. Canned cat food is usually 80% water. So I think that's plenty for them, if they only eat canned food. But still always keep a bowl of water around, just in case.

May i ask were the water is? I hade tne same problem with my cat he would not drink water, my cat dosent like his water in a metal bowel hasto be seramic bowl and away from his dry food try puting the water in a diffrent location , chamge it when u get up and change it bevore you go to bed thi is what i do and he drinks water now pluse i put luck warm water in the wet food just a litel

StefanZ said:

 
Some cats prefer stale water.  So the trick is to have several different water dishes, so they can choose.   IS it possible they do drink somewhere - stale water?   Perhaps somewhere in the bathroom?    or if its dropping somewhere.

Another option to get reluctant cats to drink more is to use water fountain.  Often works nicely.

Click to expand...

These are great suggestions: someone in a local pet food store told me there should be several water dishes in a home, preferably away from the food, something @milky07 mentions. And fountains can be very helpful.

All that said, our cats rarely seem to drink out of their bowls, either, though I occasionally see little bits of food in the water bowl. They eat only wet foods of various sorts and there are plenty of pee clumps in the litter box each day so I'm not concerned.

Just to add to the other suggestions ensure the water is filtered. Not only are some of those added chemicals in tap water harmful to cats; some cats refuse to drink tap because of those added chemicals. 

In some instances they are able to smell the additives in the water. 

My cats drink a lot of water, seriously. They have a fountain water dish and we have several fountains and bird baths outside. Mine are free feed dry food and split a Fancy Feast Broth pouch (they won't touch pate type foods and lap up just the liquid of anything else).

That said, they LOVE drinking water. We have to refill the indoor fountian atleast every 4 days and thats not just evaporation. I see all three drink daily and significantly. Link even follows my Mom around when she's filling the outside fountains and baths and will drink from each one as she goes. They don't go for the stale water much. But moving water they are all over. Link is currently housebound but he still drinks a lot. I usually have to clean 2-3 good size pee spots in the litter box (I have a normal size scooper and his barely fit in one scoop).

The cost of an indoor per fountain is so worth it.

We don't ever actually see Kit drinking water (unless one of us leaves a water glass on the coffee table, lol), but she has so many pee clumps in her litter box I am not worried.  Also, if she does drink water, she dips her paw into it first, then licks her paw.  I've seen her play with her water bowl more often than actually drink out of it though.

~Kit's Mom Now~

Cats have an instinctive need to clear the surface of the water from leaves and other debris, as if they were in the wild. One of my cats will completely empty a bowl of water trying to "clear" it. He prefers to drink out of the toilet right after it's been flushed, and I also have a fountain for him. He will drink the water coming out of the spout. I think they prefer running water.

My cats have several different water dishes to choose from. They have a ceramic one and a metal one that are just plain dishes and they have a metal water fountain as well. The fountain is their favorite. I see Carrot drinking from the fountain at least a few times each day. He eats a mix of wet and dry food.