If you have a cat, one of the struggles you will face is how to get your cat to drink more water, especially in warmer weather when there is a greater possibility of the cat becoming dehydrated.

Cats in the wild do not often want to drink water because they obtain all the necessary moisture through their diet, which is mainly meats that are rich in moisture.  Drinking stagnant water can sometimes be dangerous to cats in the wild, and so not wanting to drink stagnant water applies to domestic cats as well.

I know that my own cat, Bess, will not often drink from the water bowl, and I struggle to get her to drink.  Methods I have used to encourage her include ensuring that the water in the bowl is fresh and clean, that the water bowl is far away from your cat’s litter box, and that the water level is always the same.

Make sure that the water in the bowl is fresh and clean

If you want to try to get your cat to drink more water, you should ensure that the water bowl is clean and that the water is fresh because the water could become stale and dirty.

You should also try washing out the bowls every day, being careful to rinse them out thoroughly afterwards so that your cat will not be able to taste the washing up liquid or detergent you used (my cat, Bess, had not used to want to drink or eat from the bowl after I had washed it up, so I now know to ensure that I have rinsed it out thoroughly).

If the bowl is dirty, your cat will not want to drink from it and will be unhappy with you and will show this displeasure by refusing to drink from the bowl.

It is imperative that you change the water in the bowl every day to ensure that it is fresh and clean – this will hopefully mean that your cat is more tempted to drink the water.  If the water gives off what cats consider to be a bad smell, they will not want to drink it.  Water that has been in the bowl for some time may become stagnant.

You could also place water bowls throughout the house – since your cat probably has the run of your house (I know Bess does!!), this will be a constant reminder that it should drink more often.  If your cat has a favourite spot, try placing a bowl of water there to try and encourage it to drink.

Another reason to ensure that the water in the bowl is replaced daily is so that you can check how much water is being consumed.  If water is being consumed more or less than usual, it could mean that your cat is suffering from a health issue, and should be checked out by a vet so that the best course of action can be taken.

It is possible, however, that your cat could drink more in warmer weather than in colder weather, so it is imperative that you ensure that water is always available to your cat.

If your cat still refuses to drink water, it can be tempting to give your cat milk instead, but this would not be the best action to take because milk contains lactose that your cat has trouble digesting.  Drinking milk could lead to your cat suffering from diarrhea and becoming dehydrated, which is an occurrence you are trying to avoid.

 

Place the water bowl away from the cat litter box and food bowl

You should place your cat’s water bowl far away from its litterbox so that the water will not be contaminated by the contents of the box.  Cat litter can be very dusty (I know that a great plume erupts when I clean out Bess’s litter box and replace it with clean litter) so if the water bowl is too close, dust particles could enter the water, causing it to become contaminated.

This could render it not only unappetising for your cat to drink, but also possibly harmful to it as well.

It is prudent to place your cat’s water bowl in an area that is easy to clean, and also to ensure that the bowl is placed in an area where the cat has easy access to the bowl.

When thinking about the best place for the water bowl, you should avoid placing it against the wall as your cat will feel vulnerable because it has its back to you or to other cats, and feels it could be subjected to an ambush, especially if there is more than one cat in the house.  This may make it less keen to drink the water from the bowl.

You could also try moving your cat’s water bowl away from its food bowl because your cat may not want to smell the food whilst it is drinking water.  Food could also drop into the water, leading to it becoming contaminated.  Some cats do not like their water bowl to be too close to their food bowl for this reason.

 

Some cats drink from the tap or faucet

Some cats like to drink running water from the tap because they not only feel that the flow of the water is interesting and exciting, and something for them to play with, they also like to drink from it because they sense it is fresher than the water in the bowl.  It does not contain the bacteria that could grow in the water in the bowl and tastes better.

I am not sure I would want to drink water from a glass that has been around all day, so why should I expect my cat to want to?

It could be that your cat drinks water from the tap because it is more comfortable as the cat does not have to be crouched over a bowl.

This option is obviously not the most water-friendly approach, so you should not do this that often, only doing it perhaps once or twice a day, but you should attempt to get into a routine so that your cat knows to only expect it at certain times.

You may have noticed that your cat always seems to appear whenever you have the tap running – that is because it can easily hear the running water as its sense of hearing is so acute.

You must remember, however, that your cat may not want to drink the tap water because the water contains substances that it may not like the taste of, and which could lead to it suffering from problems such as kidney issues and urinary tract infections.  If you feel your cat is unwell, you should always consult your vet just to be on the safe side.  We cannot leave anything to chance when it comes to the health and well-being of our cats.

A further option is to try placing some bottled water into the cat’s bowl instead, to see if it will then drink.  If you choose to try this method, you could give your cat water at room temperature or place the bottled water in the fridge beforehand to see if that makes it more appetising for it.  Some cats prefer cold water to water at room temperature.

 

Make the water more interesting

If your pet will simply not drink more water, one alternative is to add flavourings to the water to make it more interesting for it.  You could try adding chicken broth into its water or adding some liquid from the cat food to see if that will make it want to drink.  Not all cats like to drink flavoured water, but you could try this method to see if it works for your cat.

Adding ice cubes to the water may be another option you could try to see if that makes the water more tempting.  The ice cubes will give the cat something to play with, and as some cats like to drink cold water, this could be a way of getting them to drink.

You could also try making your cat some of its own ice cubes by placing some broth into ice cube containers.  If your cat shows that it does not like the really cold water, then you should try utilising another method.

 

Ensure each cat has its own water bowl

As cats do not like sharing a food or water bowl with another cat, you should always ensure that you give each cat its own bowl if you have more than one cat.  To distinguish the bowls from each other, you could try purchasing different coloured bowls for each cat.

 

Give your cat the same amount of water each day

It is important that you give your cat the same amount of water each day because cats like things to remain the same and do not adapt well to change of any sort.  If your cat feels it has to check the water level, it may feel the water has become contaminated because it has had to place its paw into the water to see what the level is.

 

Experiment with different bowls

If your cat refuses to drink water from the bowl, one option is to experiment with the type of bowl you place its water in.  Some cats like wider bowls because they do not like anything to touch their whiskers, preferring shallower bowls.  You should try your cat with different water bowls to see which one it likes the most.

One thing you must never be tempted to do is to cut their whiskers – without its whiskers, a cat can become disoriented and scared.  A cat needs its whiskers to help it gauge whether it can fit into a space or not, and its whiskers can help it to get used to its environment.

It is best to purchase ceramic, glass or stainless steel bowls because the chemicals in plastic could impair the water, making it taste unpleasant to your cat.

 

Ensure the bowl does not slip when your cat is using it

It is prudent to ensure that the bowl does not move around whilst your cat is using it – if you notice that the bowl slips whilst your cat is lapping the water from the bowl, you could place a mat under the dish to prevent that occurrence.

It is also possible to buy a heavier bowl that has less chance of it moving around whilst your cat is using it.

 

Utilise water filters

If you could fit a water filter to your tap to eradicate the chemicals in your tap water, this could mean that your cat begins to drink it because the water no longer tastes strange to it.  If you have an older plumbing system, purchasing a filter could also reduce the chance of sludge and residue from this system entering your drinking water.

 

Consider purchasing a water fountain

If your cat has shown that it prefers flowing water to still water, you should consider purchasing a water fountain.

A water fountain may be your best option because it means that your cat has access to fresh water at all times.  A water fountain has a small electric motor that keeps the water moving so that a cat has the option of drinking water from the bowl or from the fountain.

Several fountains also have filters to keep the water as clean as possible by illuminating the dust and hair.  Some fountains even cool the water, which is great for the warmer months.

There are many different fountains available, and I have reviewed the items I consider to be the best on the market on my recommended products page.

 

Give your cat wet food

Another method to coax your cat into taking on more moisture is to try giving it more wet food.  One problem with this, however, is that it could become overweight because you are giving it so much extra food, and this will not be very good for your cat’s teeth either because plaque could build up.

Your cat is unable to clean its own teeth like a human can, so this could necessitate a trip to the vet so that the teeth can be professionally cleaned, which is very expensive and an outcome you want to avoid.  You should always consult your vet before making any changes to a cat’s diet.  If your cat enjoys eating wet food, you may find that it does not drink as much water because the food already contains enough moisture.

Some cats, however, do not really like to eat wet food, preferring dry food (I was lucky that Bess does like wet food – she likes both wet and dry!!), so you could try adding some water to the dry food and see if your cat will eat that.

Please be careful if you wish to utilise this method, however, because adding water to the dry food could make it less appetising and it could also lead to the food spoiling, possibly making a cat feel unwell.  You should only really attempt to use this method if other options have failed.