What Do You Do When Your Cat Won’t Drink Water?

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Dehydration is one of the most dangerous conditions for any living thing. Cat owners need to be even more wary of this due to the fact that cats tend to be more independent compared to other pet companions. Because of this, we all tend not to monitor their water intake as closely as we should. Cats are more likely to get dehydrated because of this, so it’s imperative that we urge our pets to drink water even when they don’t have to. Whether this is the case for you or not, this information will likely be useful at one point or another. Here are several things you can do when your cat won’t drink water.

1. Change their diet.

Hydration can come in different forms. Much like there’s water in the fruits and vegetables we eat, there are other ways you can source your cat’s water. For example, by switching to mostly wet food diet, you can give your cat moisture even though it doesn’t want to drink. If your cat is not accustomed to wet food, you can slowly incorporate water or broth into its dry food until it gets used to it.

2. Ice cubes might work.

Ice cubes just make everything more interesting. You can try to give them to your cat by themselves to see if your cat will have any interest at all. If it does, then that’s great. If it doesn’t, then you can try the ice cube in its water or food bowl. The ice might make either the water or the food more enticing to consume.

3. Have water bowls everywhere.

It helps if you have more than one water bowl in your home. Having a few scattered throughout your house will help your cat remember to take a sip from time to time. Making water more accessible will make it easier for your cat get used to doing. It’s almost like forming a habit.

4. Offer smaller and more frequent meals.

Eating will always bring about thirst. Offering smaller meals in more times a day will allow your cat to have more frequent need for drinking. Even a few sips several times a day will help your cat stay hydrated.

5. Be creative with flavors.

There’s no reason why you can’t or shouldn’t flavor your cat’s water. You can use different types of broth or even a little bit of tuna juice to make it more interesting. Experiment with flavors that your cat might like. You might find your cat drinking more than before.

6. Make sure that the bowls are never empty.

In the event that your cat does look for something to drink, imagine if it comes up to a water bowl and finds it empty. It has to satisfy its thirst somehow and if you don’t give it water to do so, then how else would it drink?

7. Use the faucet.

There are some cats that prefer drinking water out of a faucet instead of a bowl. There is something about stagnant water that’s not so appealing, and running water out of a faucet is so much more fun. You can even turn this into a ritual.

8. Place water bowls appropriately.

You’ll also want to make sure that you don’t place the water bowls right next to the litter box. That’s an immediate deterrent for drinking. Imagine putting a water fountain right next to the toilet. Now you get the image and the idea. If you won’t do it, then chances are your cat won’t like doing it either.

9. Try a drinking fountain.

Aside from being more attractive to cats, drinking fountains also help keep your cat’s water fresh. This is especially good if you are not so keen on changing your cat’s water bowl frequently or if you have a lot of water bowls scattered throughout your house. Drinking fountains are fun for cats and will urge them to drink more.

10. Try a different water bowl.

If you’re a cat owner, then you should know that cats are some of the pickiest animals around. It could very well be that the reason your cat isn’t drinking is because of its water bowl. Try a different material or a bowl that’s a little bit more fun to look at. It might change the way your cat feel about drinking.

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