Water is the basis for all life on the planet. Therefore, just like humans, cats are three quarters water. Young animals contain about 70% of the water in their body, and old animals about 50%. This is explained by the fact that the older the cat, the slower the metabolic processes in its body. Regardless of age, these pets are in great need of daily water intake. However, pets can often refuse it. Every owner of a furry creature should know how such a failure is dangerous to the cat’s health, and how to train a pet to consume its daily water rate.
The value of water for the animal
The body of each creature consists of cells that are 80% full of fluid. They need their own set of trace elements, which fall into them only when dissolved in water. When the cat does not receive the necessary rate of water, this leads to negative changes in the body. Drying, hypotrophy begins, and in the most advanced cases - the death of living cells.
The right amount of water that a cat should drink daily is essential for the normal functioning of the circulatory system. Otherwise, the blood becomes too thick. And in this form, the heart pumps it harder, which affects the ingress of oxygen into the muscles and various tissues. The heart and all vital organs of the animal suffer from a lack of water. A lack of oxygen also affects brain activity.
Pure water also tends to alleviate the condition of a sick animal. Suffering from illness, the cat may not eat anything, but he should always drink water. Not every owner knows how to make a cat drink water when a pet is sick and constantly sleeps. Sometimes the only option is to carefully inject water from the syringe. To do this, you need to put the cat on its lap, pull the needle out of a small syringe and gradually pour water into its mouth.
Cat in the wild
If all owners of domestic cats knew their history, they would not be surprised at their indifference to water. Most felines come from a desert area where water is found in minimal quantities. Therefore, for the normal operation of all internal systems, the cat's body took moisture from food.
Only during a severe drought or a lack of food, predators had to go in search of a watering place, where it was possible to replenish the reserves of liquid. Some wild cats still consume a minimum of water. These breeds include sand dunes and sand cats. It is almost impossible to see how these animals drink in the wild. The same goes for lions. They certainly drink water every day. But they are quite capable of living without it for up to 5 days. Even such a long period without water passes for them without harming their health.
It is because of this that one should not be surprised that a pet does not drink water from a bowl well. Such an attitude to liquids is inherent in nature. However, this does not mean that it is worth restricting their access to water and not controlling the daily rate consumed by the cat. If he does not drink enough, you need to figure out how to make the cat drink more water and try to do everything so that the pet does not feel the need for life-giving moisture.
Water shortage and urolithiasis
Inadequate water intake contributes to the development of many diseases in a pet. First of all, the cat shows signs of urolithiasis. A lack of water provokes a high concentration of salt in the urine, which affects the appearance of urinary crystals. It is concentrated urine that becomes the culprit of this disease.
If a cat suffering from it drinks too little water, everything must be done so that he uses it in moderation. How to make a cat drink water with urolithiasis should be prompted by a veterinarian when examining an animal. The disease develops rapidly if left untreated and the fluid consumed by the cat is ignored. Its course complicates the fact that symptoms appear already at an advanced stage. After diagnosis, it is very difficult and long to treat. Castrated animals, as well as those who eat dry food, are most susceptible to urolithiasis.
That is why every owner of a furry pet should know how to make the cat drink more water. Especially if he eats exclusively dry food.
Rate of water consumed
The amount of water necessary for the normal life of a furry pet is determined depending on the type of food. When a cat eats natural food - porridge, meat, vegetables, its need for drinking water is much lower than for those animals that eat dry food. Vegetable foods contain enough moisture so that the cat does not feel very thirsty throughout the day. The same goes for liquid canned food. Therefore, if the cat’s nutrition is completely natural or consists of canned food, you should not worry about the lack of water in the body.
To find out the required amount of water that a domestic cat should drink, you need to multiply the weight of the pet by 0.03. Based on the calculations, for one kilogram of weight, you need 30 ml of pure water. This is how you need to consider the norm, thinking about how to make the cat drink water. Some owners pour it in a bowl too much, and when the pet does not drink it in one day, they start to panic and look for all kinds of ways to make him drink. In order not to worry too much about your beloved pet, you need to calculate his water rate, and also take into account the food he consumes.
How to determine the lack of water in a cat
To determine how to make a cat drink water, you need to make sure that he really lacks fluid. To do this, you can conduct several tests:
- First of all, you need to check the elasticity of the cat's skin. To do this, grab a small area of the skin between the shoulder blades and pull it slightly. Holding the skin for 5 seconds, you need to gently release it. With dehydration, the crease will take its former position for a very long time. If there is enough water for the cat, the skin will drop instantly.
- It is necessary to look into the animal's mouth. Its gums and mucous mouth should be pink. There should be no yellowness, dryness and roughness. The pallor and dryness of the mucosa is the first sign of a dehydrated organism.
- Pet water also reacts to a lack of water. It becomes dull and brittle. A healthy pet has a smooth, shiny coat that does not fall out and does not crumble.
The main thing is to remember that before you make a cat drink water, you should know for sure that he needs it.
If the cat drinks too much water
Sometimes, a concern may not be that the pet drinks too little water, but vice versa. A bad sign would be his suspiciously intense thirst. This can happen after a long exposure to the sun or excessive salt intake. Fortunately, such causes are easily eliminated. It is only necessary to pour the cat more clean water in a bowl and wait until it is drunk enough. If thirst began baselessly, you need to beware. The urgent need for a large amount of water can become a symptom of diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism and many other pathologies. If the pet’s thirst does not stop for several days, you should urgently contact a veterinary clinic.
How to raise a cat and make him drink more
If the animal does not drink enough, you need to think about how to make the cat drink water. This is a very difficult, but quite feasible task. First of all, you need to take the habit of changing the water in a cat’s bowl daily. These moody creatures prefer to drink only fresh.
Another simple way to increase the water consumed by a cat is to arrange several bowls of water in all rooms. You can also set them at different levels so that he independently chooses the most convenient position for himself. It is necessary to accustom the cat to bowls and to wean from drinking in other sources.
Do not forget that the cat may not like the container in which the owners pour water. The reason for this is an unpleasant odor or capacity of the wrong size and depth. To determine your cat’s favorite bowl shape, you need to buy several options from plastic and ceramic.
Tricks to attract to water
Stronger than the rest should be contrived by those owners whose cats suffer from urolithiasis. How to make a cat drink water with microbes is not known to everyone. A little trick can help with this - acquiring a special drinking fountain. Some cats really like to drink running water, which flows from the tap. A small fountain for drinking will become a favorite device of a fluffy pet.
You can pay attention to new plates with water with the help of catnip. The animal will not remain indifferent to the seductive smell and will go to explore its territories. How to make a cat drink water using catnip? You just need to get a small cloth wet with liquid catnip and place a container of water on top. Such a bowl should be in every room where the pet has access.
What kind of water does a cat need?
Before you start a pet, you must remember that you will have to feed and drink it only with the highest quality products. It can be natural food or feed from a good producer. Regardless of the choice of food for the cat, each owner must provide the animal with clean and fresh drinking water. Veterinarians do not recommend giving the cat water from the tap. They claim that it will be more beneficial for the animal to use spring or filtered water, since tap water contains a large amount of chlorine, metal salts and dirt. Boiled does not have any beneficial substances.
If the cat drinks only tap water
This situation can be a problem for most hosts. The question arises how to teach a cat to drink water from a bowl, and why he prefers to ignore it. This behavior of the pet is due to the call of nature.
Since ancient times, cats have sought to quench their thirst with rivers and ponds with drinking, fresh water. Instincts told them that running water is much cleaner than that which stands in puddles or swamps. Therefore, many cats are still confident that the babbling trickle from the crane is much more beneficial for them.
There is another interesting fact that is associated with the reluctance of cats to drink from bowls. In the wild, the cat has to eat its prey and leave its remains to rot on the ground. Water, which is nearby at the same time, is infected by cadaveric poisons released from the carrion. That is why the instincts of cats forced them to look for water away from food. At first they ate meat, and then went in search of a reservoir, ignoring those that were next to the remains of the victim. You should consider this point when thinking about how to train a cat to drink water from a bowl, and not from a tap. You just need to put a container of water a little further from the plate with food.
Veterinarian Tips
Veterinarians advise you to carefully monitor the daily drinking of a cat. This will allow you to notice a lack of water on the early symptoms of dehydration and even prevent the development of urolithiasis. Especially attentive should be those who feed the pet with dry food. It is worth remembering that such a diet increases the chances of getting an urolithiasis. Veterinarian's advice on getting a cat to drink water is quite simple:
- Change the water in the bowl up to 2 times a day.
- After each water change, the container must be thoroughly washed.
- Choose several options for bowls and give the animal a chance to choose the one that he likes.
- Pour only spring or bottled water to the cat.
- Do not give boiled, tap and mineral water.
- Put the bowl away from the one from which the animal eats.
It is also necessary to remember that when eating dry food, the cat's need for clean water doubles. Therefore, you should always monitor the amount of alcohol consumed and control the cleanliness of the bowl.