How to Get Your Cat to Drink More Water

Why some cats barely touch their water bowl

You fill the bowl in the morning, and by evening the level has hardly moved. Then you find your cat on the bathroom sink, waiting for you to turn on the tap. It is a familiar little scene, and it usually says more about the bowl than about the cat.

Cats can be particular about where and how they drink. Many prefer water that is not right beside their food, and plenty dislike a deep, narrow bowl that brushes their whiskers. Water that has sat out all day collects dust and loose fur, and some cats simply walk away from it. The good news is that small changes at home often make a real difference.

Start with fresh water, every day

Empty, rinse and refill the bowl once a day, even when it still looks full. Wash it properly a few times a week, because a slippery film builds up on the inside. Cool, clean water is the easiest thing to get right.

• Rinse and refill every morning, as part of your coffee routine.
• Wash the bowl in warm, soapy water a few times a week and rinse it well.
• Glass, ceramic and stainless steel are easy to keep clean.

Move the water away from food and litter

Set the water a few steps away from the food bowl, and well away from the litter box. Many cats are happier drinking somewhere quiet, where they can see the room around them.

Then add a second water spot. A bowl in the bedroom or by a favorite window gives your cat another chance to drink as they wander through the day. In a home with more than one cat, extra water stations also mean nobody has to wait their turn.

Choose a wide, shallow bowl

If your cat dips a paw in and licks it, or only drinks from the very edge, the bowl may be too deep or too narrow. A wide, shallow dish keeps whiskers from pressing against the sides. The Tilted Stainless Steel Cat Bowl with Stand has a wide, shallow dish that sits on a stand about 11 cm (4.3 in) off the floor, so your cat does not have to crouch as low.

Try moving water if your cat loves the faucet

Some cats are drawn to water that moves. If yours waits by the sink, a fountain brings that trickle to the kitchen floor.

• The Stream Cat Water Fountain 3 L runs water through a filter and back into a wide bowl, plugged in by USB. The large tank means you top it up every few days instead of every morning.
• The Ripple Cat Water Fountain 1.2 L pumps water over a flower shaped top, has three flow speeds and fits on a narrow counter or in a corner of the floor.

Prefer no plug and no hum? The Whale Cat Water Dispenser refills its bowl from a regular water bottle by gravity, so there is water waiting while you are at work. It comes apart into three pieces for washing.

Start a new fountain on its lowest flow, away from food and litter, and give your cat a few days. Plenty of cats sniff, watch and paw at moving water for a while before they drink from it.

Add moisture with food

Wet food holds far more water than dry kibble, so meals can do part of the job. If your cat eats only dry food, ask your vet whether adding some wet food makes sense for them.

Make drinking part of your day together

Cats notice routines. Refill the bowl while they watch, set it down with a word, and let them come to it. When you hear that slow, steady lapping at the new spot, you will know it was worth moving the bowl three feet to the left.

While you are rethinking the corners of your home, the same idea works for claws too: put the right thing where your cat already goes. Our guide to stopping a cat scratching the sofa shows how.

When to call your vet

A sudden change in drinking, much more or much less than usual, can be a sign that something is wrong. Watch for it alongside changes in appetite, litter box habits or energy, and call your vet if you notice it. A new bowl helps a fussy drinker, but it is not a fix for a health problem.