why won't my cat drink water ?

Answer 1

some cats are funny. It has to be fresh and they rarely drink in front of you. Mine used to lick the taps for water. If it looks alive and healthy then itll be getting water from somewhere.

To check if it is dehydrated gently pull its skin up and if it doesnt spring back straight away youll know it is degydrated. same goes for humans!

Answer 2

I thought my cat wouldn't drink water either until I caught him licking the kitchen tap one day. Some cats are funny about still water so try leaving a tap dripping in your bathroom. Or if he's an outside cat he may be drinking enough when he's out to satisfy his thirst. Cats don't need much to drink but they know when they do so don't worry, he's probably drinking out of the toilet when your not looking!!! or you could try him with cat milk if you are really worried, or take him to the vet xx

Answer 3

I keep a water bowl for my cat in the kitchen but she prefers to drink from a little cup that is supposed to be for the bathroom. She follows me to the bathroom every day when I get home and hops into the tub meowing. She also likes puddng but only Jello brand. Cats are so picky.

Answer 4

If you're feeding wet food, as you should be, kitty may not need to drink. If you're feeding dry and kitty won't drink, then there's something seriously wrong.

There are two factors at work here. One is that cats are natural predators and their natural diet is fresh-killed meat. Freshly killed prey has a water content of about 80% and that's enough to meet kitty's moisture needs.

Canned or pouched cat food has about the same water content as freshly killed meat, about 80%, so a cat eating wet food gets as much water from its food as if it were wild and hunting for it's meals.

The other factor is that cats evolved as desert creatures. In addition to getting their moisture from their prey, they have a poorly developed thirst drive. That's another reason why they might not drink at all if they're getting their moisture from their food.

That last part not only explains why a cat on wet food might not drink any water, it also explains one (of seberal) reasons why dry food is bad for cats. Not only does dry food lack the water content cats need, but because of that poorly developed thirst drive, cats on dry diets won't drink enough water to make up for what they don't get from their meals. Cats on dry food will drink water, but they won't drink enough to maintain a proper fluid balance, which puts a big strain on the kidneys. That probably explains why chronic renal failure, which was almost unheard of in cats until the intruduction of dry cat food, is now so common that many vets consider it a normal part of the aging process.

If you're feeding kitty dry food, please read this to see why you should be feeding wet food. If you're already feeding wet, check out the link anyway, you'll find it interesting and you may learn something you don't already know:

http://www.catinfo.org

My late great Rusty lived with me from the time he was a half-grown adolescent, and in all those years I never once saw him drink!

Answer 5

This is a problem with some cats. Hydration is really important for urinary tract health. You can let a faucet or tub drip (I don't pay for water here, so it's no big deal) or invest in a "cat fountain" They recirculate water and attract cats, just like dripping faucets. Also, feed canned food (stay away from fish) and add a little water to it for more "gravy". Good Luck.

Answer 6

A lot of cats will not drink from their water dish but prefer fresh water. I leave my bathroom tap on very lightly, this is where my cats prefer to drink from.

Answer 7

Two of my cats drink the water on the floor of my shower. The young one sits and waits outside the shower for me to finish. All the cats have fresh water daily provided for them.
The young one also puts her paws in her water bowl when she drinks ... love the wet paw prints throughout the house. LOL

Answer 8

won't drink water from a bowl or just won't drink water? I had a cat that wouldn't drink from a bowl she would piss in the water. try letting a faucet drip and see if your cat will drink it that way.

Answer 9

If you are feeding wet food, the cat may not need more water.
If you are feeding dry food you need to work at getting your kitty to drink water.
Is there another source of water perhaps being used?
Our kitties drink out of our swimming pool!!!!
Our daughter's kitties will only drink botttled water - makes you wonder what in is the tap water!!

Answer 10

Cats don't drink on demand. It is probably only drinking a small amount when you are not looking. Cats drink quietly not like the slurpy drinking of a dog.