It’s hot out there! In addition to making sure you stay hydrated, are you checking on your cat? Is she getting adequate H2O consumption? Regardless of the temperatures, though, cats need water in order to stay healthy. One in three cats will experience some sort of kidney issues in their lifetimes. Dehydration will only make these issues worse.
We understand it can be a challenge to get your cat to consume more water, so here are a few helpful tips, courtesy of pethealthnetwork.com:
Water, water everywhere!
It is important where you place a water bowl for your cat. Some cats can be quite persnickety about from where they drink. If their bowl is even near a bit of extra foot traffic, they may decline the offering of water at that location. Therefore, place multiple bowls of water around your home to encourage your cat to drink water more frequently.
Add some water to your cat’s food
By adding water or even some low sodium chicken broth to canned food is a great way to maximize the water intake of your cat. You may also want to discuss other flavor options with your vet, as some cats can get finicky about texture.
Try flavor-enhanced water
One nifty trick to get your cat to drink more water involves adding low sodium tuna or clam juice ice cubes to her water bowl. (Yeah – we suggest using different ice cube trays for your own ice cubes!) The ice cubes will serve to keep the water colder longer and will hopefully tempt your cat with that added dash of flavor!
Opt for the wet cat food
Before changing your cat’s diet, please discuss with your veterinarian. However, wet cat food is another option for adding more liquids to your cat’s diet. Not every cat is a fan of wet food, so keep your cat’s preferences in mind. She needs a healthy diet to maintain energy levels and weight.
A bowl is a bowl, right?
You may need to swap out different water bowls on occasion. Place several bowls out and see which one is used the most frequently. You may even want to consider something other than a bowl. Some cats prefer other types of containers, such as a clear glass or even a small saucer or dish. You never know what might tempt her to drink! For example, my dog will never drink out of his cute little ceramic water dish, but whenever I put some water in an empty plastic tub from which I got my lunch meat, he is all over it! (Gee! I wonder why??? Flavor-enhanced by roast beef or chicken???)
Written by Ann Butenas
An internationally-recognized author and writer, Ann began her professional writing career at age 12 and began speaking while in college. She has been published thousands of times over the past three decades in all media forms, was former editor and publisher of KC Metro Woman magazine, and has also hosted three talk radio shows in the Kansas City area.
