5 reasons why the cat began to drink water often and a lot

Responsible owners always monitor the living conditions of their pets, so any oddities in behavior do not go unnoticed. It is very important to maintain a constant amount of food, water and vitamins. This is the only way the pet will remain healthy. That is why, when it is discovered that a cat drinks a lot of water, you need to quickly identify the cause and regulate the animal’s regime.

About the norm

Changing your pet's needs is not always a bad thing! Therefore, there is no need to panic if your cat drinks a lot of water. The reason may be completely harmless, and the consequences of changing the drinking regime will not affect the animal’s well-being at all. Felinologists do not have a definite figure for mandatory water consumption - this number depends on nutrition, climate, breed, age and many other factors.

Attention! Do not try to force water on a healthy cat! With rude actions you will not only not achieve the desired result, but will also frighten your pet. The animal, as a rule, knows very well how much water it needs!

Typically, veterinarians advise calculating the amount of required moisture so that there is 0.03 milliliters of liquid per gram of pet’s body weight. It doesn’t have to be just water; milk, canned food, and wet food will do.

It is very important to pay attention to your pet's diet. If a cat drinks a lot of water, the reasons may lie solely in a change in diet. Dry food tends to “pull” moisture from the animal’s body. Because of this, it is recommended to equalize the amount of water to the weight of food in a ratio of 1:3.

What does each discharge indicate when vomiting occurs?

Of course, an animal can vomit not only bile, but also other types of secretions. In order not to cause unnecessary panic, you need to understand the specific cause of this type of vomiting.

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Before the onset of this symptom, the pet will experience rapid breathing, and involuntary reflexes may appear, namely swallowing. There is also strong salivation.

Before the onset of vomiting, the pet notices rapid breathing

If spasms begin after eating, this may indicate that your pet has eaten too much grass or swallowed a large hairball. This caused irritation in the stomach.

For example, if a cat has vomited 1 or maximum 2 times and feels quite normal, then there is no particular reason to worry. You just need to monitor your pet’s condition for 24 hours, and if everything is fine, then you don’t have to see a doctor.

It is important to understand that inflammation of the uterus or intestines, as well as feline distemper, are also accompanied by such discharge. Therefore, if these symptoms are systematic, you should not postpone a visit to the doctor.

White foam is considered the safest; if an animal burps such a mass, then there is no need to worry too much. Of course, if this is a one-time spasm.

The most common cause of bile secretion is considered to be problems with the liver or kidneys.

If we are talking about bile or blood, then you should be especially careful. The most common cause of bile secretion is considered to be problems with the liver or kidneys. The same reason may be for green discharge. Moreover, in the latter case, in addition to liver disease, stomach problems cannot be ruled out.

When there is blood in the discharge, there may be other reasons. For example, scarlet blood indicates any damage to the pharynx or esophagus. The first thing you need to do is examine your pet's throat; most likely, wounds will be found there. Dark blood indicates damage to the stomach itself; here you cannot do without the help of a doctor.

If you are vomiting, you need to examine your pet's throat.

Diseases

Diabetes mellitus in a pet is one of the diseases that causes constant thirst. The cat's pancreas stops producing the required amount of the hormone insulin, which leads to problems delivering glucose to the cells. The necessary substance does not reach the kidneys in sufficient quantities. An important organ cannot filter moisture properly, and the cat quickly loses water.

Chronic renal failure is a very common incurable disease in older animals. Cells in an important organ cease to function normally and retain the required amount of moisture.

If your cat drinks a lot of water, then it is likely that you are experiencing one of the symptoms of hepatitis. The disease is caused by inflammatory processes in the liver. With proper treatment, the problem can be quite easily dealt with.

Attention! Many viral diseases and inflammatory processes are accompanied by increased thirst. Try to provide your pet with enough water so that his body continues to fight the disease.

Insulinoma (that is, inflammation of the pet's pancreas) is also accompanied by the fact that the cat often drinks water. The reasons for increased thirst also lie in excess insulin production. It is extremely rare in cats.

Diagnosis of the causes of exhaustion in a cat

Based on the fact that there are a large number of reasons that can cause exhaustion in a cat, the owners of an exhausted cat will need to contact a veterinarian at their veterinary clinic. Veterinary specialists will conduct a clinical examination of your cat and collect a medical history.

• In order to exclude helminthic diseases, feces will be taken for examination in a veterinary laboratory for worms.
• To exclude inflammatory processes and anemia in the cat, a complete clinical blood test will be performed.
• A complete biochemical blood test will be performed to determine the functioning of the liver, kidneys, protein and sugar levels in the blood.
• A urine test will allow your veterinarian to evaluate kidney function, look for protein in the urine, and sometimes detect infection.
• In order to exclude oncological diseases, the presence of foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal tract, fluid in the chest and abdominal cavity, an X-ray of the chest and abdominal cavity will be taken.
• Using an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, a study of the liver, kidneys, pancreas, and the functional state of the intestines will be performed.
• Your older cat will have your thyroid hormone levels measured.
• Bile acid levels will be measured to assess liver function.

Natural causes

Often, owners, asking the question “Why does the cat drink a lot of water?”, unnecessarily dramatize the situation. Don’t forget about the completely natural (and harmless!) reasons for your pet’s increased need for water:

• increased physical activity (long walks, hyperactivity, playfulness, training);
• increased room temperature, stuffiness, hot season;
• pregnancy or lactation period;
• age (kittens practically do not need additional moisture, and older animals drink a lot);
• dietary habits (dry food or salted foods).

Don't worry or worry too much. If there are no other alarming symptoms in your pet’s behavior, then you just need to give your pet a little more water than usual.

Attention! It is necessary that the water in the drinking bowl is always fresh (changed every day). Do not give your pet tap water or distilled water. It is recommended to leave the filtered or boiled liquid in a bowl in a visible place. The pet must have free access to it.

Is this always a pathology?

Some cats drink in small portions, quietly absorbing water. Others do not have time to add liquid to the bowl.

Excessive thirst is called polydipsia and belongs to the category of pathologies.

To understand how serious the problem is and whether it is worth sounding the alarm, several factors must be taken into account. But you should start, first of all, from the optimal amount of fluid that your pet needs.

How to determine the norm

There is no strict parameter regulating how much water a cat should drink. Everything is determined individually, taking into account the characteristics of the animal’s body.

Experts say that for every kilogram of weight, cats need to consume 20-40 ml of liquid daily. A pet weighing 5 kg should be given about 100-200 ml of water per day.

But even this norm can be called conditional, since the amount is total and includes not only pure water, but also that which is in food.

A cat may drink a little more than the norm if the food is salty or the weather is hot.

When a pet drinks 2 times more than the calculated result, this is already a reason to take the animal to the veterinarian for examination.

Other reasons

However, it also happens that none of the listed reasons are suitable. Then the owners do not understand why the cat drinks a lot of water, what it means and how to treat it. Among these reasons are:

• increased sweating;
• taking special medications (diuretics, corticosteroids, sometimes due to side effects of sedatives or painkillers);
• loose stools;
• discharge from the genitals;
• dropsy (a disease characterized by the accumulation of fluid in the cavities and tissues of the body);
• stress and mental disorders;
• brain pathologies.

If you notice that your pet is drinking much more water than usual, you should first conduct a home examination, and then (if there is no harmless explanation) contact your veterinarian!

Causes of frequent urination and decreased urine volume

To determine why a cat often goes to the toilet in small, small amounts, it is necessary to study the main causes and symptoms of associated diseases.

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This pathology can occur at any age of the pet. At risk are neutered cats who do not receive a balanced diet. During urolithiasis, stones form in the body, which get stuck in the ureter and block the flow of urine. If the disease is not treated, the pet may die due to stagnation of urine.

Symptoms of the disease include frequent urge to go to the toilet, as well as urine with drops of blood. Kidney stones form over time because it all starts with sand.

Sand does not interfere with the flow of urine; at this stage it is very difficult to detect the disease. The sand gradually accumulates and forms stones, which begin to bother the animal.

Important! Treatment should begin while the fractions are small and easily excreted in the urine. Otherwise, there is a risk of death of the animal.

Urinary incontinence

When identifying the reasons why a cat began to pee a lot, it is necessary to pay attention to the disease - urinary incontinence. This disease does not cause discomfort in the cat, but it does not appear just like that. Often the pathology is caused by internal infections, injuries or stressful situations.

In this case, urine has a normal color, without impurities and a specific odor.

A comprehensive examination of the whole body is used as a diagnosis.

The cat pees little, but often in some cases due to the development of kidney failure. In this case, the kidneys perform poorly the function of processing and removing urine. Due to impaired fluid removal in the body, the functioning of other systems is disrupted.

Problems often develop in pets older than 8 years. Among the main symptoms are:

• frequent urination;
• decreased activity and lethargy of the cat;
• your pet often drools;
• the cat begins to lick frequently, especially the perineum;
• the cat suddenly begins to lose weight;
• the oral mucosa becomes pale;
• swelling appears.

Important! Kidney failure must be treated immediately. It should be remembered that only a veterinarian can prescribe the correct medications after an examination.

Sometimes the cause of frequent urination is psychological problems. In this case, pets may unintentionally pee in the wrong place.

The reason may be:

• moving to another place of residence;
• sudden change of litter tray;
• replacing the usual food with another;
• bad relationship with the owner;
• the appearance of other animals in the house;
• a tray that is not removed for a long time.

Psychological problems can result in serious stress for a cat. Therefore, owners should not ignore the poor condition of their pet. If your pet shows aggression, starts yelling and becomes anxious, you should take him for a consultation with a doctor to determine the reason for this behavior and frequent urination.

The main infections of the genitourinary system include cystitis. The disease causes inflammation of the bladder mucosa and occurs in both male and female cats.

Causes of cystitis:

• infectious lesions of the kidneys and urinary tract;
• metabolic disease;
• poor nutrition;
• long stay in the cold;
• sand and kidney stones.

Symptoms:

• frequent urination;
• the appearance of blood or pus in urine;
• the animal cannot calmly go to the toilet because it is in pain;
• pets begin to pee in other places, since they associate the tray with pain.

Cystitis requires urgent treatment, as it entails serious consequences

Diabetes

The main symptoms of this disease are frequent drinking and urination. Mostly adult cats are at risk, but kittens can also get sick. This disease is diagnosed only within the walls of the clinic, where tests and analyzes are carried out.

Important! Obese cats are most susceptible to diabetes.

Other symptoms of diabetes:

• the cat prefers to lie down and shows minimal activity;
• urine smells like acetone;
• weight drops sharply;
• vomiting is possible.

The sooner the owner contacts the veterinarian with the cat, the greater the chance of successful treatment. The visit should not be postponed, since in severe stages of the disease it is more difficult to help the cat, so the risk of death increases.

How and how to help an animal

If a cat refuses food and water, then the first thing to do is take your pet to a veterinarian. It is not possible to make a diagnosis on your own at home, so you need to call a doctor at home or take your pet to the clinic.

If it is impossible to get to the veterinarian in the next 24 hours, then you need to provide the cat with rest. To do this, you should prepare a clean litter; it should not be too soft or too hard. If an animal is hiding, you should not force it out of its hiding place. You can only place a bowl of food and fresh water nearby.

Bowls of water and food should always be available to the animal.

If the doctor has determined the cause, then you should follow the specialist’s recommendations and give medications according to instructions in the required dosages. This must be done calmly; you must not cause pain to the animal. Before giving medication, the cat needs to be stroked, and the tone of voice should be calm. This way, the pet will tolerate the treatment better, will not resist too much and will recover faster.

Additional recommendations:

1. If the cause is stress, then the cat should be left alone for a while. It is advisable to call her to eat in a gentle tone. A calm and quiet environment, the absence of extraneous noise and periodic stroking will help you recover from stress.
2. If your pet doesn't like the food, you need to replace it as soon as possible. It is recommended to give preference to balanced foods rather than cheap options containing a lot of harmful additives.
3. In case of gastrointestinal upset and poisoning, you can give the animal activated charcoal (500 mg per 1 kg of weight). In this case, the tablet must be crushed and dissolved in 1 tsp. water. It is most convenient to give medicine using a syringe without a needle. It is enough to do this procedure once before seeing a doctor.
4. Ticks and fleas are eliminated using special antiparasitic medications. You should not use them on your own; you should first consult your doctor. However, if this is not possible in the near future, and the animal has fleas or a tick is found, you can purchase Bars or Celandine shampoo.
5. If the cause is helminthic infestations, then treatment is carried out with the help of anthelmintic drugs. The medication should be given only according to the regimen recommended by the doctor. Otherwise, larvae may remain, which will provoke a relapse.
6. To alleviate the condition of an animal with gum inflammation, you can use a solution of Miramistin or potassium permanganate. It is necessary to treat the gums using a cotton pad and the selected product. This needs to be done 2 times a day. Do not press on problem areas.

A weak solution of potassium permanganate can be used to treat inflamed gums

What to do if your pet doesn’t eat, doesn’t drink and constantly sleeps

If an animal does not eat or drink, and also sleeps constantly, then this is an alarming signal of serious health problems. However, in extremely rare cases this is associated with stress. In this case, the pet should be left alone and allowed to rest. There is no danger in inactivity after stress. If the animal is lethargic, does not eat or drink for another reason, then postponing a visit to the doctor is dangerous, since with a serious pathology the cat may die.

Some recommendations that will help you hold out until the doctor arrives:

1. It is necessary to ensure that fresh air enters the room.
2. Do not disturb the pet. If there are other animals in the house, then for safety reasons it is better to isolate them from contact with the sick cat.
3. Make sure the water in the bowl is always clean.
4. If there is a special medicinal herb for cats in the house, which breeders often grow in pots, then you can pick a little and put it next to your pet. If desired, the animal can be treated with such a safe remedy.

How to help a kitten

If the kitten does not eat anything or drink water, then first of all you need to pay attention to the nature of the food. Small pets need special soft food

It is impossible to give a kitten food intended for adult animals, since the gastrointestinal tract of babies is still very weak. Long-term refusal of water is dangerous, so you can give your pet water using a pipette. Every hour you need to give water forcibly. The liquid should be administered in small quantities - one pipette at a time is enough.

Giving your kitten water using a pipette will prevent dehydration

In addition, the kitten should be carefully examined for rashes, sores and fleas.

Particular attention should be paid to the withers and ears. If everything is clear, then most likely the problem lies in the functioning of the internal organs, which can only be determined in a clinical setting

Food poisoning

If the cat is lethargic, has stopped eating, and is constantly vomiting, the reason is obvious - severe food poisoning.

How an animal can be poisoned:

1. Stale food – be sure to monitor your pets’ diet. After each meal, it is recommended to throw away the remaining portion and leave the bowl clean. In a warm environment, destructive microorganisms quickly develop - the causes of frequent poisoning.
2. Household chemicals - for example, leftover dishwashing liquid. It is necessary to rinse the bowl thoroughly under running water after each wash.
3. Medicines - in the instructions for use of each drug, the dosage is clearly calculated in accordance with the weight and age of the animal. Exceeding the permissible limit is very dangerous.
4. Vapors of paints and other chemicals - during repairs or work with strong-smelling substances, the animal should be kept away. This way you will protect him from poisoning and preserve his sense of smell.

What to do in case of poisoning? Give plenty of fluids and liquid food - weak broths, weak porridges, slightly diluted fermented milk products.

It is quite possible that the cat will not want to eat. Try to feed her at least in very small portions - this way toxic substances will be eliminated faster when going to the toilet.

Prevention of the appearance and development of diseases

The main prevention of the development of any disease is a balanced diet and drink, which should always be freely available to the cat (especially when consuming dry food).

It is important to choose the right water. Tap water contains too many pathogens of dangerous diseases, and boiled water does not contain the microelements a cat needs

The option with purchased bottles is not particularly suitable, since modern manufacturers are not sincere when publishing compositions.

The most suitable option for a cat is a filter that allows you to purify the liquid, but at the same time retain a sufficient amount of microelements in it. Another suitable option is to let the water sit for at least six to eight hours in the refrigerator. It is also necessary to wash bowls regularly (at least once a day, and ideally twice).

Such organization of thirst quenching will help prevent many diseases, including viral infections (coming from the water supply) and urolithiasis (developing mainly against the background of poor nutrition).