How to Get Your Cat to Drink More Water: What Actually Helps

The heat came on last week, and the house feels dry. Her water bowl looks as full tonight as it did this morning. Then you catch her dipping her face into the glass on your desk.

If you're asking how to get my cat to drink more water, start with her food, not her bowl. Add moisture to her meals first. Then try a wide, shallow bowl, better spots, fresh water every day, and moving water if she likes it. Small set-up changes like these help many cats.

Below: five changes in the order we'd try them, a one-week check that shows whether anything changed, and the signs that belong with your vet.

Check How Much She Really Drinks

Before you change anything, find out what she drinks now. The Cornell Feline Health Center gives a simple rule. Cats need "about 4 ounces of water per five pounds of lean body weight per day." So "the average 10-pound cat should drink about one cup of water per day."

That cup doesn't all come from the bowl. Food counts too. Cornell notes that wet food "can contain up to 80% water," so cats that eat it may drink less.

So if she eats mostly wet food and you rarely see her drink, that can be normal. She still needs fresh water she can reach easily, every day.

A one-week check gives you a starting point:

1. 1

   Measure every bowl

   Count every bowl she drinks from and add them up. With more than one cat, the total covers everyone.

2. 2

   Fill them with a measuring cup

   Fill each one to the brim at the same time each day. Note how much you poured.

3. 3

   Measure what's left

   After 24 hours, pour the rest back into the cup. Write the number down.

4. 4

   Watch the litter box

   Notice if the clumps get bigger, show up more often, or get smaller and fewer.

5. 5

   Repeat for seven days

   A week of numbers smooths out one odd day.

This builds on the 24-hour method International Cat Care (iCatCare) describes: measure what's left after a day, and subtract it from what you poured. Your numbers show whether a change worked. They also give your vet something real to look at.

Add Moisture to Her Food

Food comes first, because it adds water to something she already does every day: eat. Cornell says feeding wet food and/or adding water to food is another good way to increase water intake.

Here are three ways to do it:

Go slowly with every change. iCatCare puts it plainly: be gradual, because cats don't like sudden changes to their food or water.

Its guide to changing your cat's food says some cats accept a new diet in 5 to 7 days. Others could take 2 to 8 weeks. Let her set the pace. If your cat has a health condition or eats a prescription diet, ask your vet first.

You can also flavor the water. Cornell says that in some cases, a small amount of water from a can of tuna can prompt a cat to drink more. Use tuna packed in spring water, as iCatCare suggests, not brine or oil. iCatCare also suggests the water left after poaching chicken or fish, with no stock or added salt.

Put flavored water in its own bowl, and swap it out before it sits for long. Plain water is the bowl that stays out all day.

Thinking of adding something else to her water, like a dental additive? Start low, and stop if she drinks less. Our look at whether dental water additives work for cats walks you through it.

Pick a Wide, Shallow Bowl

A wide, shallow bowl filled to the top suits most cats better than a deep one. iCatCare explains why. Most cats prefer a wide, shallow bowl so they don't need to put their head inside to drink. That can make them feel exposed. Cats also don't usually like their whiskers to touch the side of the bowl.

Fill it to the brim, too. iCatCare says cats like to drink from a full container.

The material matters too:

• iCatCare: cats prefer glass and ceramic bowls to plastic ones.
• VCA Animal Hospitals: cats generally prefer glass, metal or ceramic water bowls over plastic.
• Cats Protection: try a ceramic or glass bowl.

Glass or ceramic is the best first try, since all three name it. One more thing to skip: iCatCare advises against double bowls, with food on one side and water on the other.

Put Water in the Right Spots

Where the bowl sits can matter as much as the bowl itself. Cats are fussy about where they drink.

Use these four placement rules:

• Away from food. iCatCare says cats prefer not to drink next to their food.
• Away from the litter box. Cats Protection says cats aren't keen on drinking near their litter tray.
• In a quiet spot. iCatCare suggests a quiet place away from busy doors. Keep it away from walls, too, so she can reach it from all sides.
• In more than one place. iCatCare suggests several bowls, such as one on each floor of your home.

Got more than one cat? iCatCare says to provide at least one water bowl per cat, plus one extra. Cornell adds that no cat should be "banned" from the water bowl by other pets. If one cat guards the hallway, put a bowl where the other cat feels relaxed.

Refresh the Water Every Day

Fresh water every day is the easiest change on this list. Cats Protection's first tip is to refill the water bowl daily. VCA says to wash and rinse water bowls daily. It also says to change the water often to keep it fresh.

Make it a morning habit. Empty the bowl, wash it, rinse it well, and refill it to the brim. Top it up in the evening if the level has dropped.

Think of it from her side. Cats Protection points out that a glass of water that has sat on the floor for days doesn't sound very tempting.

Offer Moving Water

Some cats like moving water, so a fountain is worth a try, but it isn't a sure fix. iCatCare says some cats like to drink from moving water. Cats Protection says many cats like the movement of flowing water. A pet water fountain or a dripping tap are two ways to offer it.

So, do cat water fountains help? For some cats. Cornell says some cats drink more water when they have a fountain. But it also says preferences vary from cat to cat. If your cat ignores one, she isn't being difficult. She may just like a still bowl better.

If you want to try one, LitterBond's Milk Tea Cup Water Fountain is one option. It holds up to 1.8 L in a base shaped like a boba milk-tea cup. A curved straw spout pours a stream into the drinking tray. A side window shows the water level, and the low-power USB pump cuts out when the water runs low.

It runs on a USB power source you already own, since no wall adapter comes in the box. Many cats prefer moving water, but some will walk right past it. It's made of ABS plastic, so if your cat already snubs plastic bowls, keep her glass or ceramic bowl as the main one. Think of the fountain as an extra.

Switch over slowly:

• Set it near her usual water spot. Keep her drinking place the same.
• Keep the old bowl out for a few days. Let her choose.
• Let her watch and sniff at her own pace. Give it time.

Keep a plain bowl of fresh water available while your cat gets used to anything new.

Any fountain needs regular care:

• Clean it about once a week. Unplug it first, then take the parts apart and rinse them.
• Change the filter as the maker says. If there's no set schedule, change it as needed. Do it sooner if the stream slows or the filter looks discolored.
• Never let it run dry. Top it up when the level drops.
• Keep the cord out of reach. Run it where she can't chew it.

If you'd rather not plug anything in, a floating water bowl ring is a small add-on for the bowl she already uses. It doesn't move the water. Its little cup refills from the bowl as she drinks, and it invites curious sips. Like the fountain, it's ABS plastic. Some cats ignore it. It's small, so watch her with it at first. Take it out if she chews it or keeps fishing it out of the bowl. Keep the bowl topped up so it floats, and rinse it every day.

You'll find more bowls and fountains in our cat bowls and water fountains collection.

Call Your Vet About Big Changes

Set-up changes help a picky drinker, but a real change in drinking needs your vet. iCatCare says to contact your vet team if you think your cat is drinking too much or too little.

Drinking more is one warning sign. iCatCare says any cat that drinks more than usual should be seen by a vet. Over 100 ml per kg of body weight a day counts as more than usual. For a 10-pound cat, that's about 450 ml, or just under 2 cups, a day. These cats may pee more often, too. iCatCare names kidney disease, diabetes and hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid) among the possible causes.

Call your vet if you notice any of these:

If your cat strains in the litter box and passes little or no urine, that's an emergency. Cornell says it needs immediate veterinary care, so call your vet or an emergency clinic now. Male cats are at greater risk.

If your cat starts drinking noticeably more or less than usual, check with your vet. Bring your one-week numbers.

If you do one thing tonight, stir a splash of water into her dinner. Then set a second wide bowl in a quiet room. Start the one-week check tomorrow morning. After that, you'll know instead of guessing.

Questions this guide did not cover

What kind of water should I give my cat?

Plain water she likes, and that can take some testing. International Cat Care suggests trying tap water that people can drink, collected rainwater, still spring water or filtered water. It also says many cats do not like heavily fluorinated water.

Can I give my cat milk instead of water?

It's better not to. iCatCare says cow's, sheep's and goat's milk cannot be fully digested by cats, so it may cause diarrhea. Water is still the drink to offer.

Can I use flavored ice cubes to tempt my cat?

You can try it. iCatCare suggests tuna in spring water, frozen into ice cubes and added to water bowls. Leave a plain bowl out too.

What are the signs of a dehydrated cat?

The Cornell Feline Health Center lists low energy, weakness, a poor appetite and dry mucous membranes (the gums, for example). In more severe cases, the eyes look sunken. If you think your cat is dehydrated, Cornell says to contact a vet promptly.

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