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My cat is drinking a lot of water. Is it a sign of illness?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Longhair | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 11 months old | 11 lbs

My cat is drinking so much water lately, is it normal?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on July 30th, 2017

It's definitely unusual for cats to noticeably drink a lot of water, since they usually don't drink much at all - this can be a sign of many different illnesses, including liver or kidney disease, diabetes, or a thyroid problem. If you feel that Lucky's water intake has increased lately and is more than normal, I would recommend taking him to the vet for an exam as soon as you are able to. Your vet can do blood work and a urinalysis to help determine if anything is wrong, and get him started on appropriate treatment if any problems are found.

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    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 28th, 2017

    I would guess that this is just a personality quirk - some cats like to play with and drink more water than others. If he had kidney disease he probably would have other signs like a poor appetite and weight gain. You could always talk to your veterinarian about screening lab work if you are concerned.

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