How much your cat drinks can depend on the food they are given and whether they have an underlying health issue that affects their fluid intake. But it can also be affected by the options for water around the household. It could be easy to think your cat is not thirsty because they won’t drink what is offered in the house. However, it is important to check that a perceived low intake is not due to the way in which the water is being offered.

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Types of Cat Water Bowl

Shops offer cat bowls in a variety of shapes and materials. Typically, cats prefer bowls that are made of glass, ceramic or metal. Plastic, although often cheaper, is more likely to retain unwanted odours. Some cats also develop chin acne when offered plastic bowls due to bacteria growing in the easily damaged material, so these are best avoided. To avoid contact or folding of whiskers during drinking, a wide shallow bowl is best. To prevent contamination from food, double bowls are also best avoided.

Some cats like to lap water from a human drinking glass such as a tumbler. Others like to lick water from a surface, such as the bottom of the shower. Considerations may need to be made to determine if it is safe for a tumbler to be left for your cat; or whether it is possible to leave the bathroom and shower door open across the day. If this is the case, a water bowl should still be provided in addition.

If you have a cat that prefers running water, then cat fountains are available. These usually come with a filtration system but require regular cleaning. As they typically have a plastic base, as with plastic bowls, they are more likely to gain an odour, which can be off-putting for some cats. Alternatively, a slow dripping tap may be offered across the day. You will need to consider whether your cat is able to physically jump up to a tap, and whether having a dripping tap is appropriate in your household.

Whats the best type of water for a cat?

There are four options for the water that is offered in the bowl: tap, filtered, rainwater and mineral. The quality and taste of tap water differs geographically and may be affected by local council water regulations. Hard water and soft water differ in mineral content, and this may affect taste. While often this taste difference may be indiscernible to us (and in fact we often think of water as bland), cats actually taste water. Although overall, cats have far fewer tastebuds than humans do, they have tastebuds at the tip of their tongue specifically for tasting water.

In areas where councils chlorinate the water, filtering the water may be considered to help dull the taste of this. Although more expensive, bottled water available at supermarkets can also be used if there are any concerns with the mains water at your property. Some cats are fussier than others, with some cats happily drinking fresh rainwater, and others not. For outdoor cats, this may also be an option for water choice.

Regardless of the contents, it is best to fill the bowl full to limit how low the cat has to lower their head into the container. Contents should be changed regularly enough to prevent the water going stale or growing algae. Outdoor bowls will especially need monitoring as these are more likely to be contaminated by vegetation and insects.

Where to put a cat bowl

The provision of food, water, toilet spot, bed and a hiding hole are referred to as resource provision. For cats, these resources should be provided away from each other. The rule of thumb for any household is to provide one of each resource per cat in the household, plus one spare. In a single cat household, there should ideally be two of each; and in a two-cat household there should be three, and so on. This gives your cat choice. While not every household can accommodate multiples of each resource, the aim is to achieve as close to this ideal as your house will allow for.

Multiple water bowls should be offered in different parts of the house

This is especially the case in a multi-levelled house, where each floor should have its own water bowl provision. If your cat goes outside, then an indoor and outdoor option should be available. For outdoor bowl placement, you need to consider the likelihood of the water being warmed up by the sun or icing over on cold days. Room temperature is usually the preferred water temperature for cats.

Inside the house, water bowls are best placed in quieter locations 

Try to find somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of daily household activities. They should also be placed away from doorways and access points where cats are at risk of getting a fright by a sudden movement or appearance of another animal or a person.

It is often tempting to put your pet’s food and water in the kitchen for convenience or cleanliness. But this is often a well-used room in many people’s homes and can get busy or cramped. The kitchen and bathroom are also more prone to strong odours; this can be off-putting for cats and their sensitive noses.

In the wild, cats usually take food away from water sources to eat

In a domestic situation, it is common for cats to be offered food and water together. This can make some cats averse to drinking, either because of the close proximity to the smell of food, or because of accidental contamination of the water by the food. It is therefore best to separate these from each other.

Likewise, a cat in the wild would never drink near where they have toileted

They also won’t choose to toilet close to their drinking source. Separating the litter tray from the water bowl in your house can help your cat be more inclined to use the litter tray as well as being more inclined to drink their water.

Within the room, as with the other resources, cats want to feel safe while accessing them

To help feel safe while drinking, your cat should be able to face into the room rather than having to put their back to the room. Not placing it in the corner of a room and having the bowl away from the wall can allow your cat to access it from any side, giving it the choice of direction of approach.

Health Considerations for cat water bowls

As a species, cats don’t have a high thirst drive. However, diseases such as chronic kidney failure and diabetes can make a cat thirstier due to a change in how the kidneys are able to concentrate urine. It is therefore important to ensure that the location, style or contents of the water bowl are not interfering with your cat’s access to fluids. These individuals are at a much higher risk of dehydration if they do not drink enough to compensate for their disease.

If your cat has a history of cystitis, including bladder stones, then they need to be encouraged to drink regularly. Adding a floating object such as a ping pong ball can encourage drinking through play. Offering water bowls at different heights can add interest. And if there are other animals in the household, especially dogs, having access to water above ground level can prevent the dog interfering with, or contaminating the water source.

On the flip side, if your cat has reduced mobility, through joint disease or post-surgery, they may be less inclined to move to a water source or jump up to a raised source. This may necessitate having resource options in a more restricted space than would usually be recommended. If you have concerns about your cat’s ability to source and take in water, speak to your veterinary team for advice specific to your cat’s situation.

Conclusion

There are a few things to consider when offering your cat water at home. Location, style of bowl and contents of bowl are important aspects to assess what your cat prefers. Cats are creatures of habit that like familiarity and routine. So, once you have established the best set up for your cat it is best to keep it this way. If you do need to change something, do it slowly, while maintaining the original set up. Once they have adapted, the original set-up can then be withdrawn.

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