Interpretive Summary: Diet format, protein, amino acids, salt, and osmolytes, as well as water viscosity, affect water consumption in domestic cats: a scoping review of 32 publications (published from 1975 to 2025) on water intake, hydration status, and related health outcomes
By: Pauline A L Kosmal, Anna K Shoveller, Genevieve Gillies, Lawrence E Armstrong
Many cat owners are concerned about how much water their cats drink, given the link between water intake, dehydration, and disease development. For this review, 32 papers were evaluated to determine the impact of water intake on hydration-related outcomes in cats. Water intake was affected by diet format, dietary protein or amino acid content, salt or osmolyte concentration, and water viscosity. Five papers reported that healthy cats consumed 23 to 51 mL/kg of their body weight daily, and an additional eight papers reported that cats drank 70.0 to 293.0 mL of total water daily. Water intake did not appear to be affected by the amount of dietary fat or the mode of water delivery. In cats at a high risk of feline lower urinary disease and urolithiasis, consuming 42 to 51 L/kg BW of water may be beneficial.
Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.
