Most people are now well aware that it is healthy for people to drink a lot. Unfortunately, there is still a false assumption that cats don't need any water apart from their food. This previously assumed misjudgment has long been refuted by numerous scientific studies.

An adult cat has a fluid requirement of around 50 milliliters per kilogram of body weight daily, i.e. a 5 kg cat should consume around a quarter of a liter of water (250 milliliters) daily. That's an incredible amount, even if the cat ingests some of it through wet food. If the cat also gets the unnatural dry food, the water requirement increases significantly. (approx. factor 4 - i.e. four times more water than the amount of dry food eaten!)

Cats should therefore drink extensively so that the urinary tract and kidneys are sufficiently flushed and minerals in the urine do not have a chance to form deposits in the kidneys, because in the long term this leads to the problems that often occur in cats, such as urinary grit, urinary stones and kidney insufficiency. (CKD) When cats only have standing water in a bowl, they usually drink too little, often with dramatic long-term health consequences, because cats are genetically "programmed" to prefer drinking running water to standing water.

 

A cat would never drink that much water from a normal bowl.
If you would like to know why this is the case, please take three minutes to read the short summary below.

 

Water is the most important food for cats.

 

Water is the most important food for cats! It is what enables all living cells to function normally. Water has many important functions in the body:

• regulates body temperature
• lubricates the joints
• keeps the internal organs working
• it is necessary to digest food
• breaks down toxins in the body 
• it keeps tissue flexible and
• transports minerals and important electrolytes throughout the body 

The fat-free parts of mammals contain around 73 percent water. Sufficient water is therefore even more important than food. Cats can survive for many weeks on little food - but only a few days without water. And yet everyone talks about the right food , but hardly anyone thinks about whether their cat(s) are drinking enough water, even though water is the most important "food" for your cat ! It is therefore extremely important that cats drink a lot of water.  

Cats instinctively prefer to drink running water.

All domestic cats today share a common ancestor; the brown cat or African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica)(HERRE-RÖHRS 1990), which lived around 6,000 BC in Palestine and Mesopotamia was domesticated. In the savanna landscape of that time, clean water was only available from flowing springs, streams and rivers - standing water was always brackish and contaminated due to the high level of evaporation. Cats who drank clean, running water had an advantage over those who tried stagnant, usually brackish and contaminated water - they survived and thus passed on this drinking behavior to this day. Even today, cats' PRIMARY INSTINCT tells them that running water is clean and harmless. To this day, every cat instinctively prefers running water (Provided that the running water from the tap is not chlorinated, as in many German cities!) - this behavior has been proven in numerous scientific studies - most cat owners can do this but confirm from experience when, for example, a tap is turned on.  

Cats are naturally bad drinkers.

Cat owners are often surprised that their cat drinks so little - this is because cats prefer to drink running water. Cats don't like to drink standing water, even if it's fresh, and therefore unfortunately drink far too little - often with negative consequences for their health.  Cats will do almost anything just to get running water - for example from the tap or toilet; People often meow until the sink faucet is turned on - if a cat announces itself that it is thirsty, it is severely dehydrated, because unlike dogs or us, for example Humans, when there is a lack of water, cats only develop a very slight "feeling of thirst" - a trait that they inherited from their ancestors who lived in the savannah. In the wild, cats mainly cover their fluid needs through the water content and blood of their prey and from small streams - but with modern industrial and/or dry food, sufficient fluid intake is usually not guaranteed. Species-appropriate cat ownership should therefore include the provision of running water from a cat drinking fountain - especially if cats do not have access outside or are fed dry food then the need for fluids increases sharply. 
Cats will do almost anything for running water. :-) 
(Photo of cat “Riley” in the shower courtesy of Greg R. Sapp)  

Urinary tract diseases due to insufficient fluid intake.

An adult cat needs around 50 milliliters of water per kilogram of body weight every day - significantly more if dry food is also given. Cats that are only offered standing water and dry food usually drink far too little. Urinary tract diseases, cat semolina, kidney stones and even chronic kidney disease (FLUTD) can result. According to a current scientific study*, one in three (around 35%) of older domestic cats (8 years and older) dies as a result of diseases of the urinary tract or kidneys. If cats also receive dry food that is actually unnatural and/or as indoor cats do not have the opportunity to look for running water in the wild, the lack of water can increase dramatically.
(*Prof. Gregory Grauer, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Kansas)  

What exactly happens in case of water shortage?

Insufficient fluid intake can lead to gradual diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract. Small “urine crystals” that are already present are not flushed out sufficiently and can first develop into urinary grit and then into larger urinary stones (e.g. in the form of “struvite” or “calcium oxalate”). Urinary stones or urine grit are usually caused by urine that is too concentrated - i.e. a lack of water. In the worst case, a urinary stone can completely block the urethra, meaning urine and therefore the body's own toxins can no longer be excreted. In this case, a life-threatening blockage occurs and a backlog occurs in the kidneys. Once that happens, only a quick emergency operation can help.

Fig. Struvite stones removed from the urinary tract.  

Adequate water intake can save lives.

The increased fluid intake through constantly offered running water increases the urine volume. This effect can be very helpful in preventing urinary tract diseases because the urine then contains a lower concentration of mineral components that can cause urinary tract diseases. And a larger urine volume leads to more frequent bladder emptying, which shortens the time that the minerals in the body have to form urinary stones and the body's own toxins are easily excreted through the urine. Of course, giving the right food is also very important - wet food is always preferable to unnatural dry food.
Funny at first glance, the cat's behavior shows that she absolutely loves running water
should have available - since cats are nocturnal, it's best to have them around the clock!
(Photo courtesy of Dave Dugdale, http://www.learningDSLRVideo.com/)  

So how do you get your cat to drink enough?

Simply offer your cat running water around the clock, as it suits its nature and as recommended by veterinarians - ideally from the Lucky-Kitty ceramic cat fountain - you will encourage your cat(s) to drink and carry enough water thus helping to ensure the long-term well-being and health of your cat/s.
 

Further information about the Lucky-Kitty cat fountain and direct ordering options - please click here.