Yes, cats need to drink, even if they are fed mostly wet food. A cat needs about 50 to 70 ml of fluid per kg of body weight per day to stay healthy. In many cases, the liquid is taken in with the food. Nevertheless, additional water dispensers should always be available for the cat. Cats absorb the required liquid in many small portions spread over the day.
What do cats drink?
Cats prefer to drink fresh, clean water from a metal, glass or porcelain drinking bowl. It is better to change the water in the drinking bowls more often so that it is always fresh and encourages the cat to drink. It is best to distribute several drinking bowls throughout the apartment. Some cats are quite happy to drink from a drinking bowl. Other cats prefer running water from a cat drinking fountain. Likewise, the dripping faucet or watering can for houseplants can be an interesting drinking opportunity for cats. In that case, make sure that the watering water does not contain liquid flower fertilizer. Commercially available cat milk is not intended for healthy cats. It is suitable for sick cats or if the cat does not drink enough from home. The ready cat milk is then filled into the drinking bowl diluted with water. The different taste and new smell can entice cats to drink more. A little tuna water in the drinking water can also give the cat an appetite. Cats cannot tolerate regular cow’s milk. They cannot metabolize the lactose found in milk. From normal milk and cream cats get stomach ache and diarrhea. That is why commercially available cat milk is inherently lactose-free. It can be given without hesitation. However, not too excessively, because cat milk contains many calories.
The appropriate drinking bowl
The drinking bowl for cats should be large enough so that whiskers do not hit the rim when drinking. This is uncomfortable for cats and they may refuse to drink because of it. Cats prefer to drink from shallow plates rather than deep bowls. Where should I place the drinking bowl? Distribute drinking opportunities in different places in the home. Cats don’t like the drinking bowl next to the litter box or next to the food bowl. Next to the food bowl, they view drinking water as tasteless food that they are happy to ignore.
Do cats need more fluids in the summer?
Yes and no. Because cats move less in the heat, the amount they drink can remain the same.
What do kittens drink?
If the mother cat has too little milk or the kittens grow up without a mother cat, you will be fed with special rearing milk for cats until the age of 3-4 weeks. Female cats nurse their kittens for three to four weeks before the changeover to normal cat food begins. With the change of food, the digestion of the kittens changes and the milk digesting enzyme lactase disappears. After that, the kittens can no longer tolerate milk. Therefore, the rearing milk for kittens can be discontinued after three to four weeks.