Usually, we think of cats as hating water rather than liking it, but water is a necessary component of most living creatures’ diets. Animals on our planet need water to survive, and most humans find that drinking cold water is more refreshing (though there are some filthy warm water drinkers out there too!) But with all our own personal opinions differing, it begs the question of whether cats have a preference. After all, they drink water to survive; it only makes sense that they’d have an opinion on its taste. Unfortunately, there’s no solid answer on what cats think because it’s a personal preference.
Reviewed & Fact-Checked By
Dr. Paola Cuevas
Veterinarian, MVZ
Reviewed & Fact-Checked By
Dr. Paola Cuevas
Veterinarian, MVZ
The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.
Until we can transform cats’ thoughts into human language, we’ll never know whether our cats prefer warm or cold water. But it will be hard to figure out what kind of water your cat likes since they don’t get that much water in their diet from drinking it.
Where Do Cats Get Their Water?
The cats we know today as our friends and family are thought to have originated from Northern Africa. Our domestic feline companions evolved from Felis silvestris libyca or the African Wild Cat. These wild cats that roamed the deserts of what we now know as Egypt would be attracted to the rodents which lived in the food stores of the Ancient Egyptian villages, and the rest is history!
How does this relate to cats getting water? As desert animals, drinking water wasn’t as plentiful and readily available. So, their bodies evolved to need less water than animals which evolved in less arid climates.
The bulk of a cat’s liquid content comes from their foods rather than drinking water. Of course, cats aren’t above drinking water when they’re thirsty, but a cat’s primary source of liquids—and thus what they’ll most likely gravitate towards when choosing—is their food. Cats do not have a strong thirst drive because they have evolved not to need water to allow them to thrive and be comfortable in desert climates.
In today’s world, domestic cats survive and thrive in various climates. They’re present on every continent except Antarctica, so that should tell you how survivable house cats are. They can survive in all four hemispheres, regardless of the differences in climate and topography!
Why Do Cats Get Water from Food Instead of Drinking?
In the desert, water is scarcer than in most other biomes. With water being so scarce, animals that live in desert biomes develop methods to store and process water content. For example, consider the camel capable of drinking up to 30 gallons of water in one sitting and is evolutionarily designed to be aggressively economical with its water usage, allowing it to go more than a week without drinking anything.
Much like the camel will settle down and drink 30 gallons of water in one sitting, your cat has adapted to get its water content needs to be filled by processing the water in its food; this is where wild cats and feral domestic cats get most of their water content for their diet.
Do Cats Ever Drink Water?
Of course, cats drink water when they’re thirsty, but you’ve likely noticed that your cat spends a lot less time at their water bowl than your dog; the cat’s body has a decreased thirst drive. It makes sense for an animal that evolved to live in the desert; if water is scarce and many animals go without a safe water source, having a high thirst drive is just an invitation to suffering.
Still, when your cat has a hankering for some refreshing water, you’ll see them lap up water from their bowl or fountain with their tongues. Cats may also dip their paws into their water and lick the water off their paws.
How Can I Encourage My Cat to Drink More Water?
Many cat parents have the unfortunate experience of walking into your cat and getting a face full of toilet water. If your vet has indicated that your cat needs to drink more water, you can do a few things to improve your cat’s experience with water and make them more likely to drink it when they get thirsty.
It’s important to note that you should let your cat and your vet lead your charge. Your cat knows when they need water better than you do, and your vet can confirm whether your cat’s water levels are low enough to warrant suspicion. Likewise, if your vet hasn’t indicated that your cat needs to drink more water and your cat isn’t sick, there’s no reason to suspect that they’re not drinking enough. Providing high-moisture food is a great way of improving your cat’s hydration level.
Regardless of whether you feed your cat dry or wet food, you need a bowl that is sure to keep the mess contained—you can do just that with the Hepper Nom Nom Bowl.
This product is designed with your cat’s comfort in mind. The whisker-friendly bowls are low and wide to prevent whisker fatigue, and the wide catch tray ensures that all food stays exactly where it should—inside the bowl.
At Pet Keen, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
Start By Changing the Bowl
Cats are susceptible to minor differences like the shape or material of the bowl. They can also be susceptible to “Whisker Sensitivity.” For example, if their whiskers are pressing against the sides of the bowl, this can be highly uncomfortable. So, changing the bowl to a shallow bowl doesn’t require them to put their whole snout inside.
Cats may also be sensitive to stainless steel bowls; these bowls reflect light and strain your cat’s light-sensitive eyes. Offer your cat a variety of bowls at different depths, sizes, shapes, and materials for discerning what your cat is looking for in a water bowl.
Change the Water’s Flavor
There’s always a healthy debate surrounding water and whether it has no flavor or is “water-flavored,” but there’s one thing we can all agree on, and that’s different water tastes, well, different. There’s a reason the tap water from your neighbor’s sink tastes other than the one from yours: the water is chemically different.
As water travels through the pipe system, it picks up everything that changes the flavor. People can tell when the water they drink contains chemicals that might poison them. So, try filtering your water to see if it makes your cat palatable.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, we can’t tell you whether your cats prefer their water at room temperature or over ice, but we can always learn about our cats’ preferences by observing them ourselves. That’s the best way to find out what your cat likes, so try to change some stuff up and see if your cat likes it more than its old setup!
Works Cited
Cat Diversity—National Geographic Do Camels Store Water in Their Humps—Encyclopedia Britannica Staying Hydrated: Your Cat’s Water Requirement—Dr. Carly O’Mally
Featured Image Credit: Creative Cat Studio, Shutterstock
Works Cited
Cat Diversity—National Geographic Do Camels Store Water in Their Humps—Encyclopedia Britannica Staying Hydrated: Your Cat’s Water Requirement—Dr. Carly O’Mally
- Cat Diversity—National Geographic
- Do Camels Store Water in Their Humps—Encyclopedia Britannica
- Staying Hydrated: Your Cat’s Water Requirement—Dr. Carly O’Mally
