Why do cats prefer to drink running water from a fountain rather than standing water from a bowl?
Most people are now well aware that it is healthy for people to drink a lot. Unfortunately, there is still the wrong assumption that cats do not need any water in addition to their food. Numerous scientific studies have long refuted this previously assumed misjudgment.
An adult cat has a fluid requirement of around 50 milliliters per kilogram of body weight, i.e., a 5 kg cat should take in around a quarter-liter of water (250 milliliters) daily. That is an unbelievable amount, even if the cat ingests some of it through the wet food. If the cat also gets unnatural dry food, the water requirement increases again considerably. (approx. factor 4 – i.e., four times more water than the amount of dry food eaten!)
Cats should therefore drink plenty of fluids so that the urinary tract and kidneys are adequately fleshed out, and minerals in the urine have no chance of forming deposits in the kidneys because, in the long term, this leads to problems such as urine gravel, urinary stones, and kidney insufficiency that often occur in cats. (CRF) If cats only have standing water in a bowl, they usually drink too little, often with dramatic long-term health consequences, because cats are genetically “programmed” in such a way that they prefer to drink flowing water rather than standing water.
A cat would never drink that much water from a normal bowl.
If you want to know why, please take three minutes to read the following summary.
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Water is the most important food for cats.
Water is the most important food for cats! It is it that enables all living cells to function normally.
Water has many important functions in the body:
- regulates body temperature
- lubricates the joints
- keeps the internal organs working
- it is necessary to digest food
- breaks down toxins in the body
- it keeps fabric flexible and
- transports minerals and important electrolytes through the body
The fat-free component of mammals contains about 73 percent water. Sufficient water is, therefore, even more important than food. Cats can survive for many weeks with little food – but only a few days without water and still everyone talks about the right food, but hardly anyone thinks about whether their cat (s) drink enough water, even though water is the most important “food” for theirs Cat is! It is therefore essential that cats drink plenty of water.
Learn more at: Can cats drink milk?
Cats instinctively prefer to drink running water.
Today’s domestic cats have a common ancestor; the black cat or African wild cat (Felis silvestris lybica) ( HERRE-RÖHRS 1990), domesticated in Palestine and Mesopotamia around 6,000 BC. In the savannah landscape of that time, clean water was only available from flowing springs, streams, and rivers – stagnant waters were always brackish and contaminated due to the high evaporation level. Cats who drank clean, running water had an advantage over those who tried stagnantly, usually brackish, and contaminated water – they survived and have passed this drinking behavior on to this day. Cats still tell their URINSTINK today that running water is clean and safe.
Every cat instinctively prefers running water to this day (provided that the running water from the water pipe is not chlorinated, as in many German cities! ) – this behavior has been proven in numerous scientific studies – but most cat owners can confirm this from experience if, for example, a The tap is turned on.
Cats are naturally “bad drinkers.”
Cat owners are often surprised that their cat drinks so little – that’s because cats prefer to drink running water. Cats do not like to drink standing water, even if it is fresh, and therefore, unfortunately, too little – often with negative consequences for their health.
Cats do almost anything to get access to running water – from the tap or toilet, for example; Often, people meow until the tap in the sink is turned on – if a cat reports that it is thirsty, it has long been severely dehydrated, because unlike, for example, dogs or we humans, cats only develop a tiny “thirsty feeling” when there is a lack of water. – a trait that they inherited from their savannah ancestors. In the wild, cats mainly meet their fluid requirements through the water content and blood of their prey and from small streams – but with modern industrial and/or dry food, adequate fluid intake is usually not guaranteed.
Read More: Mixed feeding for cats.
Therefore, species-appropriate cat keeping should include the supply of running water from a cat drinking fountain – especially when cats are not allowed to go outdoors or dry food is (at) fed because then the fluid requirement increases sharply.
Urinary tract diseases due to insufficient fluid intake.
A full-grown cat needs around 50 milliliters of water per kilogram of body weight per day – significantly more if dry food is also given. Cats that are only offered standing water and dry food tend to drink far too little. Urinary tract diseases, cat semolina, kidney stones, and even chronic kidney disease (FLUTD) can result. According to a recent scientific study *, one in three (around 35%) of older domestic cats (8 years and over) dies of the consequences of diseases of the urinary tract or kidneys.
If cats also receive the actually unnatural dry food and/or, as indoor cats, do not have the opportunity to look for running water in the wild, the water shortage can become even more dramatic.
(* Prof. Gregory Grauer, Veterinary Institute, University of Kansas)
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What exactly happens when there is a lack of water?
Insufficient fluid intake can lead to insidious diseases of the kidneys and lower urinary tract. Already existing small “urine crystals” are not rinsed out sufficiently and can develop first into urine gravel and then into larger urinary stones (e.g., in the form of “struvite” or “calcium oxalate”).
Urinary stones or semolina are usually caused by too much concentrated urine – i.e., lack of water. In the worst case, a urinary stone can completely block the urethra, and urine and thus, it can no longer excrete the body’s own toxins. In this case, it comes to a life-threatening occlusion and backlog in the kidneys. Once that happens, only a quick emergency operation can help.
Adequate water intake can save lives.
The increased fluid intake through permanently available, flowing water increases the urine volume. This effect can help prevent urinary tract diseases, as the urine then contains a lower concentration of mineral components that can cause urinary tract diseases. And a larger urine volume leads to more frequent bladder emptying, which shortens the body’s minerals for urinary stone formation. The body’s own toxins are well excreted in the urine.
Giving the right food is also essential – wet food is always preferable to unnatural dry food.
Funny at first glance, the behavior of the cat shows that it should absolutely have running water
available – since cats are nocturnal best around the clock!
(Courtesy photo by Dave Dugdale, http://www.learningDSLRVideo.com/)
So how do you get the cat to drink enough?
Offer your cat running water around the clock, as it suits its nature and as it is recommended by veterinarians – preferably from the Lucky-Kitty cat fountain made of ceramic – you encourage your cat (s) to drink enough and carry it, thus contributing to the long-term security of your cat’s wellbeing and health.
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