Cats can generally go three to four days without drinking.
They won’t perish if they go a day or two without eating or drinking, but for their health, they shouldn’t intentionally be underfed or underwatered—the obvious exception being when they are getting ready for surgery.
You might have wondered how long your cat could have gone without water in these circumstances.
How much water do cats need? What happens when a cat doesn’t drink water? What do i do if my cat isn’t drinking water? Continue reading.
Table of Contents
How Long Can Cats Go Without Water?
In general, cats can go without water for three to four days.
What this doesn’t mean is that you should not be concerned with your cat not drinking until it has been 3-4 days.
What this does mean is that at around 3-4 days without water, a cat will start to experience potentially irreversible organ failure.
How Much Water Do Cats Need?
For every 5 pounds of body weight per day, cats require about 3-4.5 ounces of water. Accordingly, a 10-pound cat requires roughly 1 cup of water per day.
Though, if you leave your cat a cup of water each day and they aren’t finishing it, don’t get alarmed. The majority of the time, wet food provides cats with moisture. Food that is wet typically contains 80% or more water, whereas food that is dry typically contains less than 10%.
Cats that live outdoors or in colonies of feral cats frequently obtain moisture from the prey they capture and consume, such as birds and lizards, while indoor cats may smuggle water from sinks, toilets, and glasses.
The best nutrition for your cat is one of your top priorities as a pet parent, so why not get them matching food and water bowls?
You can be sure that your cat is getting the best nutrition from the finest bowls on the market because they are made of food-safe stainless steel.
What Happens When a Cat Doesn’t Drink Water?
Your cat needs to consume enough water to maintain its health and activity, just like you and I do. Your cat’s health and behavior may suffer if they don’t get enough water to drink.
Consequently, you might become frustrated if you don’t know what to do when it does this, in particular.
- Dehydration could affect your cat. When your cat is active and urinates frequently but doesn’t drink enough water, this can happen. Health problems for your cat may result from losing a lot of fluids and minerals in them.
- Your cat may experience vomiting, diarrhea, dry mouth, or an accelerated heart rate if they become overly dehydrated.
- When your cat becomes dehydrated, it could become irritable and lethargic.
- Dehydrated cats may pant a lot.
What Do I Do If My Cat Isn’t Drinking Water?
Now that you know how long a cat can go without water, it would also be helpful to know what you should do in the event that you accidentally leave your cat at home without access to water for a few days or if your cat is not drinking for some unknown reason. When you get home, you will likely be met by a dehydrated and angry cat so here are a few things you can do to rectify the situation and treat your cat:
- Give your cat a little Pedialyte every 10 minutes for about an hour if it has a slight dehydration problem. Make sure your cat is getting enough liquid to drink.
- After that, use a dropper to feed your cat the mixture while adding warm water to the cat food.
- Pedialyte and diluted cat food should be alternately given to your cat throughout the day until it appears healthy enough to eat on its own.
- Allow your cat to lick ice chips all day if it vomits food.
- To encourage your cat to drink regularly consider trying a cat water fountain.
- Take your cat to the veterinarian if dehydration is severe.
Read about What Do Outdoor Cats Like To Sleep In At Night?
Tips for Increasing Your Cat’s Water Intake
Interesting objects appeal to cats. Adding interesting water features to your home or garden may be the solution if your cat isn’t getting enough to drink. A clever way to encourage your cat to drink water is by installing a water fountain. In the bathtub or sink, you can also let the water drip. This method of drinking is preferred by some cats. Cats typically prefer to drink away from their food, so place the water and food bowls in different locations. Add some wet food to their diet to help add more moisture if none of these solutions work.
Final Thoughts
Therefore, how long can a cat go without water?
Not long!
You don’t want your cat to go longer than a day or two without drinking water for the best results.
If your cat goes three or four days without water, it should be able to survive (providing they are in a cool, dark place).
Your cat will start to experience the effects of dehydration if the period of time is longer than four days.
It’s even more crucial that pregnant female cats and/or kittens always have access to water and are never denied it. They may suffer long-term harm if they become dehydrated.
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