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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.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

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 :-)

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18Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Claudia Fioravanti

    Veterinarian

    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 !

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    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.

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    2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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