Cats don’t have a strong thirst drive. In the wild, they get most of their moisture from prey, not from standing water. This is exactly why so many house cats under-drink, even when a full bowl is sitting right in front of them. If your cat has a medical condition like kidney disease (something we talk about a lot here), staying on top of hydration isn’t optional! It’s part of keeping them stable. Below are the tricks that actually move the needle, starting with the free ones.
How Much Water Should a Cat Drink?
Before working on how to get your cat drinking more, it helps to know what “enough” looks like. Cats generally need about 3.5–4.5 ounces of water per 5 pounds of body weight per day . This is including water they get from food, not just what they lap from a bowl.
That’s an important distinction: cats don’t need to drink all of their water from a dish. If your cat is prone to dehydration, the single biggest lever you can pull is getting them off dry kibble (roughly 6–10% moisture) and onto wet or raw food (roughly 70–80% moisture).
Signs of Dehydration in Cats (And When to See a Vet)
Catching dehydration early matters, especially in older cats or cats with kidney disease. Watch for:
- Skin tent test — gently lift the skin between your cat’s shoulder blades. In a hydrated cat it should snap back almost instantly. If it stays “tented” or returns slowly, that’s a red flag.
- Dry or tacky gums — healthy gums should be moist and slick, not sticky.
- Lethargy or weakness beyond their normal nap schedule
- Sunken eyes
- Loss of appetite
- Panting (uncommon in cats and worth taking seriously)
A mildly thirsty cat can usually be managed with the tricks below. But if your cat shows several of these signs at once, is a kitten or senior, or has a known kidney or urinary condition, call your vet the same day! Dehydration can escalate quickly and may need subcutaneous or IV fluids rather than home remedies.
9 Tricks to Get Your Cat to Drink More Water
This list starts with the free, five-minute fixes. If those don’t move the needle, work your way down.
1. Keep the Water Genuinely Fresh
Would you want to drink water that’s been sitting out for three days? Your cat doesn’t either. Bacteria and dust build up fast, and most cats can tell. Swap the water daily — you’ll often see them come running the moment you do.
It’s not just about refilling, though. Wash the actual bowl at least once a week. After a few days you’ll usually notice a slimy film start to form — that’s your cue it’s overdue. Keeping a couple of spare bowls on hand makes this painless: swap in a clean one and run the dirty one through the dishwasher.
2. Get a Cat Water Fountain
You’ve probably heard this one before for good reason, it works! The sound and movement of running water taps into a cat’s instinct that moving water is fresher and safer than standing water.
Look for an all-stainless-steel model if your budget allows. Plastic fountains are cheaper but scratch over time, and scratched plastic harbors bacteria. If you want to test the waters (pun intended) with a budget plastic option first, we like the Catit Flower Fountain.
Currently we have this stainless steel fountain and this pricier ceramic fountain!
3. Try Ice Cubes (or Just Cold Water)
Cold water is often more tempting to cats than room-temperature water sitting in a bowl all day, and ice cubes are an easy way to deliver that.
A few caveats: cats who treat ice cubes as toys can leave you mopping up puddles, cats who chew ice risk cracking a tooth, and water that’s too cold can upset a sensitive stomach. The actual goal here is “cool,” not “frozen solid”. Keeping a pitcher of water in the fridge for your casts works just as well.
4. Add Water to Your Cat’s Food
Since cats naturally get most of their hydration from food in the wild, this is one of the most effective (and cheapest) tricks on the list. If you’re feeding dry kibble, that’s the first thing to reconsider. Switching to wet or raw food adds moisture automatically without fancy new gadgets.
Whatever your cat eats, you can stir in extra water at mealtime. Go slowly and increase the amount gradually rather than diluting a meal all at once, most cats are picky about sudden texture changes.
5. Add More Water Stations Around the House
You can’t really have too many water options for your cat. If you live in a multi-story home, aim for at least one bowl per floor.
Placement matters as much as quantity:
- Put bowls in quiet spots, away from foot traffic and loud appliances.
- Never place water next to food. Food particles falling into the water breed bacteria — and instinctively, cats avoid drinking near where they eat anyway.
- Never place water (or food) near the litter box. No one wants to drink next to where they go to the bathroom, and cats are no exception.
If you don’t want bowls scattered everywhere permanently, put out several to start, see which spots your cat actually uses, then keep just those and remove the rest.
6. Make a Cat-Safe Broth or Soup
The same comfort-food instinct that makes chicken soup appealing to us works on cats too — as long as it’s made for them. Never feed your cat human soup; onion, garlic, and excess sodium are toxic or harmful to cats.
To make your own: simmer a package of bone-in, skin-on chicken legs covered in water. Bring to a boil, then drop to a low simmer for about 90 minutes. Let it cool fully and strain out bones before serving.
If cooking isn’t your thing, there are plenty of store-bought cat broths and soup-style treats designed for exactly this purpose.
7. Experiment With Different Bowl Styles
Fountains work for most cats, but not all. Give any new water setup one to two weeks before judging it — cats are naturally wary of change.
Elevated bowls raise food and water to your cat’s chin level so they don’t have to bend or strain their neck. This can be especially helpful for cats with arthritis and may make swallowing easier.
8. Try a Hydration Supplement Like Purina Hydra Care
Purina Pro Plan Hydra Care is a prescription veterinary product designed to support hydration — it’s enriched with nutritional osmolytes that help support water absorption at a cellular level, and it’s worth budgeting for since it isn’t cheap.
Full transparency: our experience with it personally was mixed. Our own cat refused it, though it was also offered to him in his final days when he’d stopped eating anything at all, which isn’t a fair test. I’d absolutely try it again with another cat reaching a dehydration point, even alongside subcutaneous fluids and wet food. We’ve heard glowing reports from other cat owners and also heard stories similar to ours — so treat it as worth trying, not a guaranteed fix.
9. Syringe-Feed Water as a Last Resort
If your cat won’t drink any other way, you can syringe water much like you would assist-feed food. It’s not pleasant for either of you, but it’s good to know in a pinch. We use these syringes and follow the same rules as assist feeding: never aim down your cat’s throat. Go slowly, aiming for the side of the cheek or the roof of the mouth, to avoid choking.
If you’re at the point of needing to syringe-feed water regularly, that’s your sign to call your vet, not push through alone. It may be time to discuss IV fluids or subcutaneous (subQ) fluids at home.
FAQ: Cat Hydration
Why won’t my cat drink water? Cats evolved as desert animals that got most of their moisture from prey, so they have a naturally low thirst drive. Stale water, bowl placement near food or the litter box, and a dislike of still water are the most common reasons a cat avoids drinking even more.
How do I know if my cat is dehydrated? The fastest at-home check is the skin tent test: gently lift the skin between the shoulder blades and watch how quickly it snaps back. Dry gums, lethargy, and sunken eyes are other warning signs. See a vet promptly if you notice more than one.
Does wet food really help with hydration? Yes. Wet and raw food run 70–80% moisture compared to roughly 6–10% for dry kibble, so switching even part of your cat’s diet to wet food meaningfully boosts daily water intake.
Are cat water fountains worth it? For most cats, yes! Moving water mimics the fresh sources cats are instinctively drawn to. Give a new fountain one to two weeks before deciding it’s not working, since cats are slow to trust new objects.
The Bottom Line
Every cat is fussy in their own way, but between fresh water, the right bowl setup, and a bit of moisture sneaked into mealtime, most cats can be coaxed into drinking more. Start with the free fixes above before spending money on a fountain or supplement, you may find yourself not needing either.