My cat only eats wet food and never drinks water. Is he hydrated?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
My cat never drinks water when he eats wet food. I read that cats hardly drink water when they eat wet food but it seems like he never drinks at all. When I feed him dry food he drinks water a lot but his regular diet is wet food. He doesn't seem dehydrated. He's acting normal and eats his food.
5 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on June 25th, 2017
Wet food does have a higher moisture content, so your cat may be getting enough water from the wet food that he doesn't need to drink anything additional. It's good that you see him drink a lot of water when he eats dry food, and you can add some more water to his wet food if you want just to make sure he is getting enough water :-)
18Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on January 22nd, 2019
Hi, it is a very common occurrence for cats not to drink water from their drinking bowl. They often like to drink from running water, and a lot of cat owners’ buy cat water fountains. It is not a concern, especially if Bascott is eating wet food, however if you wanted to increase his water intake you could try a cat water fountain. Hope this helps !
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on November 8th, 2016
Many cats drink very little water, or even none at all if they are eating canned food - this is because there is enough moisture content in the food to meet their needs for the day. As long as he is happy and healthy otherwise, I wouldn't be concerned. Just make sure that there is water available for him in case he wants it.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on November 5th, 2019
Wet food has a high concentration of water, so he is getting from there. You can add water to the wet food to give him more. Plus he may be drinking water at night. Cats tend to drink water in secret.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on November 18th, 2017
Typically when they eat canned food they do not drink a lot of water due to the increased moisture already in the food. Some cats tend to drink more out of a faucet that is left as a slow drip or by getting a recirculating water dish for them.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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