It is well-known that cats are not too keen on water, which also reflects in their lack of interest when it comes to drinking water. While it is true that a cat will need less water than a dog, it is good to encourage your favorite feline to drink water so that it won’t end up developing kidney problems. During the summer, when temperatures are higher, making your cat drink sufficient water is even more important. Still, how much water should a cat drink? According to some studies and calculations, a cat should be able to get an amount of water equal to the amount of the food the cat consumes daily. Yes, it is true that wet food will allow the cat to get some water while eating, it is not enough. Feeding your cat wet food only will not solve the problem. No matter how your cat’s diet looks like, it still needs fresh water on a daily basis, especially when days are getting rather hot.
So, how to make sure that your cat drinks sufficient water in the summer? Well, there are a few ways to encourage your feline companion to drink more water. To start with, it is worth knowing that cats don’t like water that is not fresh. This is probably embedded in their DNA, as the wild cats avoid drinking water that sat for too long and is not fresh any longer. Having this in mind, make sure that your cat has fresh water in reach all the time. You can do this by either replacing the water in its bowl daily or, even better, buy a special cat fountain from a pet store, which constantly keeps the water moving and fresh at the same time.
Cats are pretty much like naughty children and they will often forget to get a sip of water. You can remind them that water is needed in hot weather by placing several bowls of water around the house, in places that the cat likes being. Thus, if your cat will come across bowls of water in multiple locations, the chances are that it will drink more water than usual. But, do have in mind that cats don’t appreciate warm water and they are more tempted to drink if the water is cool, which, in their mind, indicates that it is fresh. It is true that it’s hard to keep water cool when it’s hot outside, but adding a few ice cubes in the cat’s water bowl will solve the issue. The water will cool down and become more enjoyable for your feline friend.
Believe it or not, even the bowl in which you put the water can influence the cat’s drinking habits in a positive or negative manner. Cats can dislike the bowls in which their water and food are served, so you’d better keep an eye on this, to remediate the issue. A metallic bowl may give water an unpleasant flavor, while smaller bowls may bother their whiskers, and so on. So, having several bowls with water around the house will allow you to see which ones are preferred by your cat and which are not preferred that much.