Got a cat daddy news flash coming in right now. Hold on, please hold on. Aha.
Oh, well, that's Major. OK, thank you. Before we return to your regularly scheduled program,
let me tell you that cats need water, just like all of us, who we depend on hydration
to keep us alive because cats derive from desert animals.
And that DNA is very much alive in your cat today. They had to conserve
water. They had to stay hydrated, even though there wasn't a really predictable
water source. Where did they get their hydration from? Their food. The meat that
they ate doesn't matter whether it's a cricket or mouse or a vole or whatever it is, those
beings are 80 percent water. So that's where cats got their hydration from. And then
they were opportunistic enough to know that when water appeared to them,
they would drink it. Now, flash forward to your cat right now,
the cat that's probably just sitting between you and the keyboard or in your lap or whatever.
That cat still gets up to about 75 to 80 percent of their hydration through
their food if they're eating a raw or wet diet.
If your cat is eating a dry diet, well, you got a lot more ground to make up for it.
So how do we get that done, whether it's 20 percent, 80 percent? How do
we get our cats to drink water, predictably?
That's why I'm here, because we got to get it done. That's why I advocate for Fountain's at
least have a fountain or two around the house along with another type of water source.
Cats, by and large, are drawn to running water sources, which is why if you leave the tap on,
your cat's probably going to start making their way over there, because in in that raw cat way,
that cat from 10000 years ago, they know that running water contains less bacteria.
They can smell the bacteria in the water. They know that they're going to stay alive
longer if they go for running water. I'm a big believer in the concept of whiskers, stress,
whisker stress, saying that when a cat can feel the edges of the bowl,
when they go in and it rubs against their whiskers, that's a natural
defense mechanism saying you might not want to go in there because in nature it's don't
go in there because you might not be able to get out again. Most fountains are more open,
and that way you can get more out of the reservoir without that feeling of whisker stress.
Another reason I really love fountains is because for our senior cats and it is so imperative that
we get as much fluid going through our seniors as possible, because whether it's kidney disease or
lower urinary tract disorders or things like that, we're flushing their system out consistently.
So with a fountain, they can hear it. They can sense it with smell,
because, again, we have a clean water source and using their eyes,
there is that beautiful prism effect of water falling. That is also attractive to cats.
So getting our seniors to use all of their senses to get their water, that's always a big plus as
well. A good formula is for every five pounds of body weight, you want to get at least three and
a half ounces of water in your cab per day, which is to say that if they're 10 pound cat
, then about eight ounces of water would be OK. Now, again,
I'm hoping they're going to get some of that hydration through their food.
But just bear that in mind. We got to get water through their system. So here's another tip.
Whether it comes down to water bowls or whether it comes to fountains.
I'm a fan of materials that are not porous. So that is stainless steel, glass, ceramic. I'm not a
big fan of plastic anything, because it has those little nooks and crannies where bacteria can hide.
And if you've ever seen chin acne before, your cat getting a little bit of a
break on their chin, usually that's the prime suspect. There
is still water in a sauce that fosters bacteria. So why take that chance?
Just make sure that whether it's a bowl or a fountain,
that is one of those materials, which is why, again, I'll go for fountains that
are stainless steel. Glass or ceramic. First and foremost over anything else.
So, listen, the upshot of this whole thing is don't let your cat get dehydrated.
Stay one step ahead. The number one thing is feed your cat, either a raw or a wet diet,
because that's just making sure that whatever they eat,
basically, they're also drinking at the same time as well. If you are feeding a dry diet,
you got to make sure that water gets put through their system as much as you
can. Second tip and wet food, water down a little bit, a little bit of warm water goes
a long way and again, and make sure that they're getting the hydration they need
when it comes to water. Cats need water also.
Doesn't matter if they're desert animals, it doesn't matter if they conserve water
in their system. We still need to constantly get water through them.
So I would recommend having fountains in the house, whether it's one or two.
Sure. You can have a sill water source as well, because if your cat drinks out of a glass,
that's fine. They're still drinking. But we know that cats are attracted to running water.
So check out the fountains that I have over at JacksonGalaxy.com
I love them. My cats love them. And hopefully yours do also.
Until next time, light, love, and mojo to you!