Do kittens need filtered water

Why You Should Start Filtering Your Cats Water

When you head to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, theres a strong chance that youre pouring that water from a water filter kept in your fridge or directly from a kitchen faucet with a filter attached to it.But do you also provide your cat with filtered water?

As you feed your cat in the morning, you might be in the habit of refreshing their water bowl with water from the tap. Its important that cats stay hydrated, after all. But shouldnt you also make sure that you provide them with water thats as clean as possible?

Its a sensible and common sense idea to take simple steps to filter out any contaminants that might be present in the tap water before you drink it, and there are some good reasons you should filter your cats water too. Heres what you need to know about the benefits of filtering your feline friends water and how to get started.

What Are The Advantages Of Filtering Your Cats Water?

When you give your cat water directly from the tap, theres more of a chance that it will contain contaminants and bacteria.

Some of the common contaminants that might be present in tap water include:

• Fluoride
• Bacteria
• Chlorine
• Metals
• Residue from pesticides

You obviously want to try to avoid your cat ingesting contaminants, and this is especially so if your kitty is suffering from a urinary tract issue or has a weakened immune system.

When you filter your cats water, you lower the chances that they will be taking contaminants into their body.

Cats can also be finicky about drinking water, sometimes to the point of dehydration. Providing your cat with filtered water may encourage them to drink more and stay hydrated.

How To Start Filtering Your Cats Water

There are a couple of ways you can provide your cat with filtered water. First of all, its easy and cost efficient to invest in a water filter that both you and your cat can use. Water filters are also cheaper in the long run than using bottled water and better for the environment.

If you use a water filter that you keep in your fridge and you suspect that your cat might not enjoy cold water as much as room temperature water, consider buying a smaller water filter that you can keep on the counter top and use exclusively for the cat.

Another option to providing your cat with filtered water is to try out a water fountain. Running water is said to be more tempting to cats, and many water fountains come complete with built in filters. You could also double up and use filtered water in the water fountain.

Whatever system you decide to use to serve your cat filtered water, dont forget to replace the actual filter according to any manufacturers recommendations, as filters become less effective over time.

Ultimately, if youre filtering your own water for health and safety reasons, you should really be filtering your cats water too.

Have you been filtering your cats water? What water filters or fountains do you use for your cat? Tell us all about it in the comments section below!

Is Bottled, Distilled, Chlorinated Or Filtered Water Best For Cats?

Is Bottled, Distilled, Chlorinated Or Filtered Water Best For Cats?

We naturally think that by providing our cats with the purest water available we are doing the very best possible thing in helping our cats to stay healthy. That is, healthful water = healthy cats. The premise is sound if we can keep the water healthful the cats will benefit. However, there are a lot of caveats and some controversy over this matter. Here well try to sort it out.

Home water filters, of which there are a great many, including Reverse Osmosis systems, filter out a wide variety of elements including minerals as well as organic compounds, bacteria and chlorine. (More on this further down.) Each brand of filter targets a specific set of components to filter out.

Ordinary bottled water can be but usually isnt contaminated and any water from a plastic container has the issue of microplastics, including distilled water, which has no minerals and zero chlorine.

Is Water With Minerals and Chlorine Best For Cats?

So what about minerals and chlorine? Minerals are good for your cats but they should be getting those from their food. And chlorine? Consider this: The greatest problems with your cats water often doesnt come from the water, it comes from the cat. Your cat eats his food, licks his fur, his paws, his tail and every other part of his body, then goes to have a drink from his water source. Every living bacteria on his tongue gets into the water. Chlorine goes a long way to neutralize those bacteria. Chlorine reduces the threat of nearly all types of waterborne microorganisms. That is why it is used in drinking water. It helps purify the water and greatly reduces the harmful microorganisms that can live there.Please note Covid-19 is not transmitted via water. Other viruses may be.

Do RO Systems Provide Water Best For Cats?

Filtered water or water run through a Reverse Osmosis system is particularly good for Us. We fill a glass and drink it. For our cats, however, the water remains in the bowl for often, days, and chlorine helps keep the water safe. Filtration systems are good and if you have one installed at the sink you fill your cats fountain from you may want to add a little chlorinated water to it from another tap. So, if you have a good water source at your tap including good city water, and you drink from it, it should be fine for your cats too. If there is too much chlorine, a carbon filter will help. See below.

Besides providing beneficial water, there is more that we can do to make our cats drinking experience healthful. The first of course, recommended by Veterinarians around the globe, is to use a cat fountain. But not a plastic fountain.

Fountains Promote Hydration

Nothing so encourages a cat to stay healthfully hydrated like a fountain, and especially a ceramic fountain which does not become scratched or harbor bacteria or have biofilm buildup as do the plastic brands.

The reason cats are so attracted to fountains is that in nature only moving water is safe. Stagnant water harbors all manner of potentially deadly bacteria and cats, still being very much in the wild, are instinctively aware of this. This is why so many cats stir their water or push their water bowl. They want to see the water moving. This is also why they drink from the toilet which often shows moving water or want the tap turned on and this is why so many vets and cat owners testify to how much better their cats are hydrated when they are given a fountain. It gives them clearly, audibly moving water, which is in fact, fresher as well as it recirculates and oxygenates.

Activated Charcoal Can be Beneficial

Another way to help improve the quality of cats drinking water is to use activated charcoal, offered in various filter mediums for most cat fountains. Activated charcoal, or carbon, can interact with and absorb a range of toxins, drugs, viruses, bacteria, fungus, and chemicals found in water and improve taste and remove odors. It does not remove minerals, salts or dissolved inorganic compounds. It is used in emergency rooms of both hospitals and veterinarian clinics for the purpose of detoxifying. Even ingested it has no negative side effects and can be very beneficial in removing a wide range of toxins.

Whether or not you need a carbon filter for your cat depends on your situation; the nature of your cat, his habits, how many cats you have, his water and how often you change it. Many households with a single, tidy cat dont need carbon filters. Many others would benefit from using them. If your cat turns away from his fountain soon after cleaning and refilling, there is a good chance you need a carbon filter. Carbon also removes the unpleasant aroma and taste of chlorine.

Foam Pre Filter

Another device that can help keep your water healthful and provide water best for cats is a pre-filter or sponge or foam filter and most cat fountains provide this in one form or another. This prevents solid matter such as cat hair or food particles from entering the pump and recirculating into the water. When the filter is rinsed thoroughly that organic matter is removed from the system without ever having become much of an active part of it. From ThirstyCats, a foam filter is included with every fountain while the carbon filters are optional. They last at least a year and often longer. Other brands last much less time, usually around three weeks.

Antimicrobial Copper

And finally there are the antimicrobial copper components of ThirstyCat fountains. These are included in all of our bubble-up fountains and can be included in most of our tower type at no extra charge. In addition, we make both a Serenity Flow and the Downflow (shown here) to fit any bubble-up fountain. These provide the benefits of copper and produce a satisfying stream.

It has been demonstrated clearly in many scientific studies conducted over several decades that copper has rapid, broad spectrum antimicrobial efficacy against some of the most toxic species of bacteria, fungi and viruses. In other words, copper actively gets rid of bad things in the water.

Your cats water source is possibly the most important part of their digestive hygiene. Healthful water, a ceramic cat fountain, possibly a carbon filter and a sponge filter will all contribute enormously to your cats health.

How Much Water Do Kittens Need? Vet-Approved Facts & Requirement Chart

The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.

Learn more

When you bring a kitten into your family, it is only natural to want to provide them with the best care. You ensure they have the best quality food, a warm and comfortable sleeping spot, and a water bowl to ensure they stay hydrated. But you may be unsure how much water your kitten needs, which is a good question to ask since water is essential for their overall health and well-being.

The daily recommended water intake for cats is around 0.9 fl. ounces (28ml) of water per pound of body weight, which is not a lot for a very young kitten. Your kittens water requirements will also be determined by its development, age, climate, activity level, and diet.

Do Kittens Need Water?

Chances are your kitten is already weaned by the time you bring them home unless you breed cats or care for an unintentional litter of kittens. If your kitten is weaned, they will eat kibble, wet food, or a mixture of both. For the first few weeks of their life, kittens will live off their mothers milk, but once theyre weaned, it is a good time to introduce water to ensure they are properly hydrated.

Kittens are vulnerable at such a young age, and their water mustnt be contaminated. You can ensure your kitten is receiving the best water by filtering your water from the tap. However, because kittens have a propensity for dozing off in dishes and other strange places, introducing water to them at an early age can be risky. So, putting out water for your kittens when they are too young can put them at risk of drowning.

For this reason, it is much safer to have a couple of shallow dishes of water available rather than one deeper bowl, at least until you are confident that your kitten isnt going to take a snooze in their bowl!

How Much Water Do Kittens Need?

Very young kittens still drinking their mothers milk wont need water until they are weaned. Some kittens will need more or less water, and some may need encouragement to drink water. Kittens typically start weaning at about 5 weeks of age and should be fully weaned by around 7-8 weeks, when they go to their new homes. At this age, kittens will start eating solids as their primary form of nutrition and drinking water.

Kittens fed only kibble will need (and want to drink) more water than those that eat wet food, because kibble has little to no water content, whereas wet food is normally more than 80% water.

As a rough guide, use the following table to get an idea of the approximate daily water requirements of kittens of different ages and different diets:

Approximate Water Requirement per Day
Age	Dry food only	Wet and Dry food	Wet food only
fl. oz	ml	fl. oz	ml	fl. oz	ml
8-10 weeks	1.5	45	0.8	22	0 0.4	0 11
10-12 weeks	2.4	70	1.2	35	0 0.6	0 17.5
12-14 weeks	2.7	80	1.4	40	0 0.7	0 20
14-16 weeks	3.15	93	1.6	46.5	0 0.8	0 23

Why Is My Kitten Not Drinking Water?

Although cats are not typically big drinkers, they must stay hydrated. Cats and kittens can be picky, and there are a few reasons why your kitten may not be drinking water.

• Your kitten may have trouble accessing the water bowl.
• Your kittens water may be dirty with accumulated debris and dust kittens are notorious for dropping toys, bits of food, or cat litter into their water bowls.
• Your kitten may not like the location of the bowl, especially if its close to their food or litter box.
• Your kitten may not like the material of the bowl; ceramic or metal dishes are usually preferred
• Your kitten may not enjoy drinking from a bowl and prefer a water fountain.
• Your kitten may be hydrated sufficiently by their wet food.
• They may not have learned to yet, so need to be introduced to the idea by gently wetting their mouth or tongue.

How Do I Know If My Kitten Is Getting Enough Water?

If your kitten is not consuming enough water, they can display signs of dehydration. Your kitten may appear lethargic and not as lively and energetic as usual. Some kittens will have more sunken eyes, and you may notice them panting more.

To check if your kitten is getting enough water, you can check its gums. Their gums should be wet and moist and not dry to the touch. You can also do a skin pinch test where you gently lift a piece of skin above your kittens shoulder blade and release it. It should quickly return to position; if it rebounds slowly, it could be a sign of dehydration. If your kitten is dehydrated, always seek veterinary advice.

How You Can Encourage Your Kitten to Drink Water

As we mentioned, kittens only need to consume a small amount of water, and in most cases, will self-regulate how much fluid they need, so you should provide your kitten with constant access to water.

To encourage your kitten to drink water, you can follow these tips:

• Provide multiple drinking bowls in different areas of the house.
• Use stainless steel, glass, or ceramic bowls.
• Keep your kittens water bowl away from the litter box and food bowl.
• Ensure your kittens bowl is a suitable shape and size.
• Consider a water fountain as many cats prefer running water.
• Add wet food to their diet if your kitten doesnt already eat wet food.

Conclusion

Young kittens get their nutrition from their mothers milk and will not need to drink water, but by the time they are fully weaned, they should have been introduced to water to keep them hydrated. Your kittens water requirements may be determined by age, development, climate, activity levels, and diet.

Wet food is a good source of hydration and can help meet your pets daily water requirement. You must ensure the water is clean and filtered, located away from the litter box and food, and the bowl is cleaned daily.

Featured Image Credit: MaraZe, Shutterstock