I am not quite sure if I am just over panicking (which could be possible!) but I have had my rescue cat for about 6 weeks now and I have NEVER seen her drink anything

my old cat Olive (RIP) used to drink regularly from my water fountain outside (she had an indoor one too but preferred the outside water) at least twice a day

I have yet to see Smudge drink ANYTHING

She has a catmate water fountain - there is water outside she can drink and also a few bowls of water dotted around my house - I have also tried turning on a tap for her just in case but she isnt interested

she is fed on wet food (which I know is mainly water) and doesnt eat many biscuits but surely that cant be enough liquid for her - can it?

She is weeing and pooing regularly but I still cant help but feel a little concerned that she might be dehydrated

Im considering a trip to the vet just to be doubly sure but I just wanted to ask on here first

Should I be at all concerned

Thanks

My cat is 19 and I've never seen her drink either. (my other one (sadly passed away at 24) used to drink in later life but that was down to her kidney's failing.

Cats generally get all of their fluid needs from their prey. They were originally desert animals, so evolved to live without water. This also has the effect of really concentrating their urine, hence the pong!

Obviously cats who only get dry food (cruel in my opinion) will need to drink water.

So long as s/he has access to water I shouldn't worry.

I wouldn't worry. Before I put a small dish of water in the living room, I rarely saw my cats drinking (except our little old lady, but only when she got old). However, the level of the water bowls around the house dropped daily, so I knew they were actually drinking, just not in my presence. They can be very private creatures, cats. One of mine won't widdle in her tray if I'm watching her.

Smudge sounds like she's doing fine, but obviously I'm no vet, so if you're really worried your vet won't mind taking a look at her to put your mind at rest.

(Cats need more slaves like you, katt. )

I've explained this before LOL.

Cats have a highly adapted digestive system that will strip almost all the water out the food and use it to it's potential. As you're feeding her wet food, her body is stripping the water out and she's fine with it. Part of the reason cat poo is so dry and the pee so strong is because they are efficient with their water usage.

Wild cats can live on a diet where the only source of water is from their kills, and cats can even survive on salt water for an indefinite period of time as well (although I don't recommend trying it).

My two are really fussy about how they get served their water. Unless it's in pint glass and the Hoegaarden one from Oktoberfest they won't drink at all, but the minute that glass is down with water and they start fighting trying to get to it. It started when they were kittens, and one morning I woke up to find Blaze with her head in my pint glass drinking my water. After that her sister took a turn and I realised that the reason their water bowl wasn't dropping was because they were drinking mine! It gave me the idea to try a pint glass, and since then it's been happy days.

Also, try a slightly wider bowl. My MIL's cat won't eat or drink if his whiskers actually touch the side of the bowl. There are actually bowls you can get (Whiskas occasionally give them away, too) that are specially designed and an oval shape so their whiskers don't touch the sides.

Our Charlie (8 year old Tom) never drinks anything unless we feed him dry food, in which case he might go to the bathroom and lap from the plughole. Our vet told us that cats can easily get all the hydration they need from wet cat food.
Our previous cat did drink, but never from his bowl - only rainwater from 'accidental' sources in the garden.

They like their water source well away from their food and litter tray too.
Our old family cat was soley on wet food and I never saw him drink water, he would drink evaporated milk once it had been standing for a few days and was nearly solid He also liked blood from liver.
My current cat likes tinned tuna water (not the brine one though!). And yes my glass of water is always more tempting than her bowl!

thanks for the advice and replies

I *think* I knew all of that BUT just wanted some reassurance from others

was aware they didnt like their water near food but not about the litter tray (which she still has but doesnt use as she now goes outside) - the water fountain is kinda near the litter tray so I will move the litter tray and see if that helps

thanks again everyone! mind eased

Would you like to explain that remark? My cat is fed on Purina One and she loves it. She also catches and eats mice which satisfies her hunting instincts and varies her diet. She has water both indoors and out and can always drink when she needs it. She is extremely healthy and her weight is well controlled. Yes, I admit my cruelty.

I did have a water fountain which I got for my previous cat, but the float broke and is back in its box. I always thought they were a bit of a pointless gimmick, though, and to be of any use would have to be permanently plugged in, day and night.

So does mine, and the difference in her coat is amazing.

We have a water bowl for our cat, which she drinks from as it needs topping up every day. She also loves it when you let the water trickle out of the tub tap. She plays with it and drinks it as it splashes her in the face. She's so silly.

One quick test for dehydration (which I don't think your cat is suffering from!) is to pinch the scruff of their neck. If it stays pinched up they do need to be hydrated. If the skin on the scruff relaxes into shape straight away, all is fine!

Cats often drink secretly without you knowing. They find buckets or other pools of rain water in other gardens and drink that rather than tap water in a bowl.

Cats also naturally get a lot of their water through food, which is why their diet needs to be moist.

thanks, I keep on doing that as I am slightly paranoid about this (and I know I shouldnt be!) and the skin relaxes back straight away so Im sure she is fine

I would just like to see her drink something - just once

Our outdoor cat will drink water occasionally, but only fresh rainwater from puddles. She won't touch tap water. I often wonder if she knows something I don't!

My wife buys her that cat milk, which she will drink a little bit of, but I think she gets her hydration from the wet cat food.

I HAVE SEEN HER DRINK!!!!!!

I was actually beginning to worry that she didnt know how BUT I bought her some cat milk and she likes it and drank it

mind rested

still not seen her drink any water but at least I know she knows how to!

My cat drinks water from an old ashtray outside, she will drink from her bowl in the kitchen but prefers the old ashtray. I was having to fill it up and put cold water down quite a bit last week when it was hot. However she also drinks out of old pots that are in the garden which I have to stop her doing as the water can be quite horrible.

To us, maybe. But I believe a cat's digestive system has developed to handle that sort of thing. Anything that can eat a whole mouse, complete with fur and tail, just has to be able to

(Unless of course the water could contain antifreeze dripped from a car, which would probably be fatal.)

One of mine insists on licking the glass shower door, another will only drink from a dripping tap. Cats are just weird

I don't see my cat drinking often but there are two ways she will drink water. (1) From a pint glass and (2) Her favourite - from a running tap.

You reminded me - I remember seeing a cat drinking under a shower. S/he was lapping at the shower water, completely oblivious to the drenching s/he was getting. It was hilarious to watch.

And yes, they most certainly are.

Mine get a mix of wet and dry food and did not seem to be keen on bowls of water and I changed it regularly (daily) so not to let it go stale/stagnant .

then I bought one of these and they love it and are always drinking or when not drinking playing with the water coming out of the spout.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/PetSafe-Dri...p_ob_title_pet

The ingredients of Purina 1 (from their website)
Chicken (17%), dried poultry protein, maize gluten meal, wholegrain wheat (12%), animal fat, soya meal, wheat gluten meal, maize starch, pea protein concentrate, dried chicory root (2%), minerals, maize, digest, yeast (1%), fish oil.

Cat's are obligate carnivores (that means they are obligated to eat meat), they are not omnivores. There is no benefit in them eating wheat, maize, or any starches, yet all dried cat foods contain high proportions of those ingredients. Actually, a lot of wet foods do too, but not in such high concentrations. The higher the meat content in a cat's diet, the better. When people say their cats love a certain pet food, does the cat have any choice? It's fortunate for your cat that he/she's a good hunter.

There are lot's of cats that don't even have access to outdoor being fed on these boring pellets of so called "food"

Cats aren't keen on tap water they look out for rain or running water. I have a fountain/filter/chilling gadget for my two. They much prefer this to bowls of tap water I top up a pint every day or two depending on the weather and how much dry food they eat.