Cat Always Drinks An Oddly Large Amount of Water?!

I have a cat that is roughly 13 or 15, (we're not exact because he had several different homes before came to us.) and he always drinks a ton of water? I have to refill the water bowl everyday, and the bowl hold about 6 cups of water, give or take. Sure, he shares with the other cat (who is roughly 10 or 12, again, we're not sure on her, because she lived outside until we took her in) but she doesn't drink all that much. He will literally sit next to the water bowl and wait for me to refill it, and start drinking as soon as it touches the ground. Oh, and he pees A LOT. I mean, I scoop his pan and the pee lumps are bigger then a freaking softball! :bored:

This isn't a new thing either, he's done it for the entire time we've had him (about 5 years) so I don't think it's anything drastically bad. Is it just cause he's getting older? Or is it a sign of something worse? My father says to ignore it cause it's probably nothing, but I'm little concerned. :nailbiting:

I would highly recommend taking your cat to your most trusted vet. Cats are typically supposed to drink a lot of water to prevent dehydration, however it seems that your cat is drinking to survive. Also take into account that weather could take it's toll. How is the weather where you live now? Is it extremely hot? Perhaps your cat is dehydrated and this is it's only way of cooling off.

What breed do you have? Sometimes different breeds have a different way of living. I currently have a Russian Blue. According to my vet, they need to drink two to three times the average cat because of their thick coat and active body. If Russian Blue's don't get enough water throughout the day, their kidney can crystallize. So perhaps your cat is drinking enough in relation to it's breeds' needs.

(05-13-2014, 10:38 AM)Bloomsie Wrote: I would highly recommend taking your cat to your most trusted vet. Cats are typically supposed to drink a lot of water to prevent dehydration, however it seems that your cat is drinking to survive. Also take into account that weather could take it's toll. How is the weather where you live now? Is it extremely hot? Perhaps your cat is dehydrated and this is it's only way of cooling off.

What breed do you have? Sometimes different breeds have a different way of living. I currently have a Russian Blue. According to my vet, they need to drink two to three times the average cat because of their thick coat and active body. If Russian Blue's don't get enough water throughout the day, their kidney can crystallize. So perhaps your cat is drinking enough in relation to it's breeds' needs.

Hey, thank you for the reply. My Cat is an American Short Hair, and a tabby. He's also a fairly large cat too. And I don't mean fat, I mean he's just big and lanky. The weather we've been having recently is about 70 in the sun and 65 or so indoors. We also have all our windows open (we have screens in) and the fans are always running, so it's plenty cool.

I have no idea why he drinks so much! It's just something that he's done for a long while, but I'm never sure whether it's just a normal cat things or a sign something is wrong.

(05-13-2014, 01:47 PM)KittyReeves Wrote: Hey, thank you for the reply. My Cat is an American Short Hair, and a tabby. He's also a fairly large cat too. And I don't mean fat, I mean he's just big and lanky. The weather we've been having recently is about 70 in the sun and 65 or so indoors. We also have all our windows open (we have screens in) and the fans are always running, so it's plenty cool.

I have no idea why he drinks so much! It's just something that he's done for a long while, but I'm never sure whether it's just a normal cat things or a sign something is wrong.

I went ahead and researched a bit about your cat's breed, the American Short Hair. They are typically energetic cats who enjoy water -- whether that be drinking or playing in it. Perhaps the amount of coolness along with the heat from outside is making the home humid and dry? So your cat is making up for the dryness with water. But still, I would recommend taking your cat to the vet. This isn't due to the fact that he or she is drinking too much, but just to have an annual check-up in regarding his or her age. You may have certain shots that your cat is in need of because he or she is approximately 13 to 15 years old along with getting healthy diagnosis to ensure that your cat is well... Healthy.

Good luck with everything and I hope that your cat is healthy and just loving water more than anything. If it's something that he or she often does (drinking lots of water) as you've mentioned, then there's nothing to worry about.

I also would recommend taking the cat to the vet. Cats are prone to kidney problems and drinking a large amount of water can be a sign of a problem.

Cats that eat dry food will also need more water, since their normal diet would be a mouse or similar item, with a high water percent, but the possibility of kidney problems shouldn't be ignored.

Please keep us posted!

It is actually the opposite for our cats. We rarely see them drink and if they do, they basically just lick a bit from the bowl and that's it. We would still replace the water in the bowl everyday because it gets dirty and filled with their fur, but we barely see it consumed. It does not even get halfway through.

However, now that it's summer, they consume about double than normal, but I still think it's not as much as what your cat takes. I would suggest that you bring him to a vet because it seems he is drinking that much as a reaction to something that he may be feeling. Just like human beings, some cat sicknesses include symptoms such as terrible thirst and so it would be good to watch out as early as possible.

In Veterinary medicine it is called PU/PD (polyuria/polydipsia). This just basically means what you described, drinking a lot and urinating a lot. Does you kitty have any other symptoms such as vomiting or weight loss? You mention that he's been doing this for 5 years, which wouldn't concern me that much if he has been healthy otherwise. Some causes for PU/PD could be hyperthyroidism and kidney disease, both very common in older cats. I would take him to the vet to make sure everything is okay now that he's getting older. Just some routine blood work should be able to reveal anything suspicious. I would be happy to help if you have any other questions regarding PU/PD.

(06-11-2014, 10:10 PM)Amesii Wrote: In Veterinary medicine it is called PU/PD (polyuria/polydipsia). This just basically means what you described, drinking a lot and urinating a lot. Does you kitty have any other symptoms such as vomiting or weight loss?

Now that you mention it...he does vomit on our beds or on the runner rug pretty regularly... I thought it might be the younger one doing it (she likes hacking hairballs on people feet, the weirdo) but I caught him doing it the other day, so I think it was him all along.

To every one saying to take him to the vet, I would, except that I can't afford it right now. My father refuses to help me pay any possible vet bills, saying "well if he has a disease, it doesn't matter because he'll die soon!" (since the cat is roughly 16). I would just take him myself, but as I have no way to pay the bills, I've be pretty screwed. I guess I'll just have to set aside some money from my paychecks...

(06-12-2014, 11:19 AM)KittyReeves Wrote: Now that you mention it...he does vomit on our beds or on the runner rug pretty regularly... I thought it might be the younger one doing it (she likes hacking hairballs on people feet, the weirdo) but I caught him doing it the other day, so I think it was him all along.

To every one saying to take him to the vet, I would, except that I can't afford it right now. My father refuses to help me pay any possible vet bills, saying "well if he has a disease, it doesn't matter because he'll die soon!" (since the cat is roughly 16). I would just take him myself, but as I have no way to pay the bills, I've be pretty screwed. I guess I'll just have to set aside some money from my paychecks...

That's understandable, vet bills can get very expensive. For now just watch him and make sure any other symptoms don't show up. I think it should be fine as long as your cat is happy and comfortable. He is older now so I don't think you'd want to put him through a lot of stress if he did end up having a disease. It's probably a mild kidney disease, most older cats get that. Just make sure he doesn't seem to be suffering. You could start saving money for some very basic things such as an exam and maybe one blood test if you really want to know. Just keep in mind that he is 16 and things tend to pop up the older they get. For the future it's good to be prepared and have a savings account for your pets in the event that they do get sick.

You may want to consider taking your cat to the vet and having it checked for diabetes. it is on of the human diseases that both cats and dogs can develop, so it would not hurt to have him checked. If it is not diabetes, then your vet may be able to rule out any other diseases. If it is nothing, then you will have eased your mind. I hope it is nothing, because the thought of trying to give a cat a shot of insulin everyday.

I agree with evelynmcgregor in that I think your cat may have diabetes. It is a disease that can crop up in many different types of animals especially if your cat is elderly or overweight. I would take your cat to the vet immediately. Diabetes can be just as damaging in cats as in humans so it is vital that you get him checked out. The vet can rule out any health problems if it is not diabetes and may be able to give some advice regardless of the diagnosis.

I actually knew a cat parent who's cat had diabetes. He couldn't put her to sleep because of his wife so he was constantly cleaning the litter box and giving the cat water. He also had to give his cat insulin everyday. I guess it's a manageable condition but if it is diabetes it is probably pretty costly. If your cat is 16 then maybe you should just wait it out or find some better cat food (one that does not contain fillers and by products). I still would personally recommend taking him to a vet.