Why won't my cat drink water?

The main reasons why a cat won't drink water can be divided into physiological and pathological causes. First, physiological reasons mainly include cats being naturally unwilling to drink water or the water being dirty. In this case, owners can feed cats more wet food, which can help replenish their water intake. Secondly, pathological reasons are mainly due to diseases such as feline distemper and bacterial gastroenteritis, which can cause the cat to stop drinking water. Owners should first observe the cat's mental state and appetite, and if the cat's mental state and appetite are poor, take it to a pet hospital immediately for diagnosis and treatment.

Natural dislike for water

Some cats are naturally unwilling to drink water, so they won't drink water unless it's a matter of life and death. In this case, you can feed the cat food with a higher water content, such as cat cans and vegetables, which can also help replenish the cat's water intake. You can also place small pots filled with fresh water throughout the house, so the cat can drink water anytime, anywhere.

Dirty water

Cats are clean and picky animals. If the owner doesn't change the water in time, the cat may think the water is dirty and refuse to drink it. Therefore, whether the cat drinks water or not, the owner needs to replace the water with fresh, clean water to ensure the quality. If conditions permit, you can also buy a pet-specific water dispenser, which can increase the cat's water intake and prevent urinary diseases.

Illness

If a cat stops drinking water for a long time and shows symptoms such as poor mental state and loss of appetite, it may be sick, such as feline distemper, bacterial gastroenteritis, respiratory diseases, etc. In this case, the owner needs to take the cat to the pet hospital for inspection to find out the specific cause and administer the correct treatment. Generally, after the underlying disease is resolved, the cat will drink water normally.

Note: A cat that doesn't drink water for a long time is prone to dehydration, which can even threaten its life. Moreover, drinking less water can easily lead to urinary stones, cystitis等 urinary system diseases. Therefore, in daily management, owners should increase the cat's water intake and encourage it to drink more water. At the same time, hygiene work should be done well, and vaccines and deworming should be done regularly.