Why is my cat drinking a lot of water and meowing all the time? Is something wrong? Should I be worried about her?
You know your cat better than anyone in this world. You know that, for the most part, you have to remind her to drink water.
You may have even gone out of your way to get one of those water dispensers that look like a waterfall just to make your cat drink more water. She simply doesn’t like it as much as she should.
So, you have to remind her to drink water almost on a daily basis. But not these past few days – which is exactly why you’re concerned.
I really don’t want to alarm you or throw you into a frenzy, but felines don’t usually display this sort of behavior. This means that there’s something meaningful going on, and your little baby could be going through something.
What could put your mind at ease is that, although the reason could be medical, it could also be something simple that shouldn’t worry you. Once you understand the reasons your cat has been increasing her water intake, you’ll be able to sleep better at night.
In this article, we’ll make sure to set your heart at ease by explaining everything to you.
Why is my cat drinking a lot of water and meowing?
1. Side effects of certain medications
So, your cat is drinking a lot of water and meowing all the time, right? You need to take into consideration any new medication that your vet has been giving your kitty.
Just like with medications for humans, they do have side effects, and one is that your cat may become increasingly thirsty. This, of course, shouldn’t be considered normal.
It could be that those aren’t the best meds for your cat and that you should take her to the vet to discuss any underlying causes for her new behavior. You can’t just ignore something so significant.
Maybe there are some meds that won’t cause your cat to drink her body weight in water every single day?
2. A lot of activity
What do you do when you’ve been exercising a lot? You drink a lot of water, right? Well, the same thing happens to your cat, because a lot of activity needs a lot of water.
If she’s meowing, then it may be because she’s exhausted, as well.
For example, this could happen if you’re trying to make your obese cat move more than she ever has before. She’ll try to compensate for all this activity by drinking a lot of water.
Other than that, if you’ve been playing a lot with her, then she’ll drink more water than usual. She’ll meow her little heart out because of this.
3. Dehydration
Your cat doesn’t look at water the same way humans do. You may think that the water is perfectly fine, but there’s something that makes her walk away from it every single time.
This can cause your cat to become dehydrated. She doesn’t want to drink everything that you put in front of her, so she starts to become more and more thirsty.
If this is the case, she’ll meow constantly and ask you to change the water. Once you do find water that’s good for her, you’ll actually see her trying to compensate for the lack of water intake.
4. Dietary changes
Sometimes it is helpful to look at things from a human perspective, especially when your cat is exhibiting a change in behavior. For example, if your food is too dry or too oily, then you will drink a lot more water.
Am I right?
The same goes for your cat. Once you do change something in her diet, even though she eats everything up, she’ll still go ahead and drink a lot more water.
It’s not something that you should be worried about, but rather give her all the water that she needs.
Maybe you should try foods that are more nutritious or simply soak them in something to make them more easily digestible for your cat.
5. New water fountain
I know you’re worried, but what if it’s nothing more than feline curiosity?
Did you get a new water fountain for your cat? You see, in the wild, cats know that the best water is water that flows constantly. It’s the cleanest.
That’s why cats aren’t so fond of bowls of water like dogs are. Haven’t you seen your cat jump on the counter whenever you turn the sink on? She’ll immediately reach to drink from it.
So, if you got a new water fountain for your cat, she’ll want to explore it. She’ll meow all the time because she’s excited, and she’ll drink much more liquid than she ever did before.
Certain health issues can make your cat drink a lot of water
Is your cat drinking a lot of water and meowing a lot more than you’ve ever seen her do in the past? Well, if this behavior is out of character for her, there could be an underlying health condition present.
If you suspect any of the following things, then take your furry friend to the vet, immediately! Don’t wait for things to get worse because there’s a chance that she may not recover from it.
1. Kidney disease
As you may know, the kidneys are in charge of regulating waste and water within the body. Once the kidneys are sick, your cat will start to release more water, which will in turn make her drink more water.
If her kidneys are failing, it could become fatal really quickly. So, don’t hesitate, if you’re actually concerned about this, then go ahead and take your cat to the vet.
2. UTI
If your cat is experiencing a urinary tract infection or if there’s any sort of inflammation, she will drink a lot more water.
A UTI will make her urinate a lot more, which will make her compensate for the lost water by drinking it.
Also, you know how painful UTIs can get. They’re uncomfortable and can make your life a living hell, which is exactly why your cat is meowing so much. It hurts!
3. Liver disease
Cats can experience liver disease just like humans can. If you’re wondering why is your cat drinking a lot of water and meowing, maybe you should take this into consideration as well.
It can create a fluid imbalance in your cat and cause issues within her metabolism. It’s not something that should be taken lightly, considering that it can become fatal.
One thing that you can pay close attention to is the yellowing of her skin and eyes. Those are the first signs of liver failure, as well as a decrease in appetite and weight loss.
So, once you see that your cat is constantly meowing and drinking water, don’t hesitate, but rather take her to the vet ASAP!
4. Diabetes
Yes, cats can have diabetes, too.
When a cat can’t regulate her sugar levels on her own, and she isn’t able to produce enough insulin, that’s when the real issues start.
Anyone with diabetes will tell you just how much water they crave. That’s because their bodies are trying to flush out the extra sugar through urination. Water helps them balance their sugar levels out, which is probably why your cat is drinking so much water lately.
Again, you can’t really know this until you take your cat to a professional, right?
5. Dental issues
Your cat may hesitate to eat food due to dental issues, and fill up her tummy with water instead. Have you noticed that she’s been avoiding crunchy food? That she’s been meowing more than usual?
Then she could easily be in pain. Dental issues in cats aren’t a rare occurrence, so you should really take it into consideration.
Even a slight inflammation can make her uncomfortable.
How much water does your cat actually need?
Now that we talked about why your cat is drinking a lot of water and meowing all the time, we can address the other main question here: How much water does your cat even need? How much is too much?
This depends on different things, from the temperature of the environment that the cat is in, to the amount and type of food she’s eating. However, there are a few things that experts believe to be true.
Firstly, your cat has to drink at least 50 to 60 ml of water per pound of body weight. In other words, if your cat weighs 13-15 lbs, she should drink approximately 300-350 ml of water each day.
Secondly, there’s also been a study showing that the milliliter water intake of your cat should be equal to the calories they eat on a daily basis. For example, if your cat eats around 300 kcal daily, then she should drink around 300 ml of water.
I hope that this makes things easier for you. However, at the end of the day, I would still recommend you take your cat to a specialist and let them take a look.
You need to take the health of your kitten very seriously.