Why is it so important to keep your cat hydrated?
All animals, whether we are talking about cats, dogs or even people, need water to survive. Water is, by far, the most important nutrient. While most healthy cats are able to meet their hydration needs by eating their food and drinking from the water sources available to them, making sure that your cat is properly hydrated is incredibly important. Proper hydration helps to prevent and treat many common diseases that affect cats, including obesity, chronic kidney stones, bladder stones and idiopathic cystitis. It is absolutely necessary for your cat to drink enough water, whether they have one of these conditions or not. That’s why our veterinarian in North Bellmore has come up with the following list of tips:
#1. Try feeding your cat canned food.
If your cat has been eating a diet of dry food alone, you can easily get your cat to consume more water by switching to canned cat food. While dry cat foods only contain about 10% moisture, canned cat foods generally contain about 75-80% moisture. You can even add more water to the can to help increase your cat’s water intake. If you can’t afford to feed them a diet of just canned food, try incorporating both dry food and canned food into their diet. Keep in mind that diets high in water content are best for cats that need to lose weight, so if you need to incorporate dry food into their diet, don’t overdo it!
We have just a couple more tips to help you keep your car properly hydrated. Stay tuned for our next blog to learn more!