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Why is my senior cat drinking more water? Could it be diabetes or other issues?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Maine Coon | Female | 14 years and 3 months old | 19 lbs

My 14 yr old Maine coon seems to be drinking more water as of late. She is urinating regularly. Other than that is in changed. Are these signs of potential diabetes?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Alysia Van Scoy, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 24th, 2017

Increase in drinking and urination can be signs of diabetes. However, they can be signs of other conditions as well. Kidney and liver disease can also cause this. Some kitties will start drinking more, and their blood work remains unchanged. This is most likely due to the fact that it takes A LOT of kidney damage to change the blood work, so the body is trying to keep the kidneys going by increasing the thirst. My personal kitty increased his drinking at around that age, so I monitored his kidneys closely. So- I recommend taking Cassie in for an exam and senior blood work panel (this includes a urinalysis). This will help the veterinarian identify problems earlier and begin treatment. Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Anna M., DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 16th, 2017

    Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. With your description of an overweight kitty who's drinking and urinating more, I'm most concerned about the possibility of diabetes. Other possibilities with these symptoms include kidney disease, or if your kitty is still unspayed, it could be pyometra - a life threatening infection of the uterus. I recommend having your kitty seen by a vet, and expect they will likely want to look at a urine sample and run some bloodwork to look for evidence of a bladder infection and evaluate her internal organ function. If she is diabetic, she'll need to be started on insulin and a special diet. Untreated diabetes can change overnight and become suddenly life threatening, so I recommend having her seen as soon as possible. Hope this helps!

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    Answered By Rebecca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 15th, 2017

    I would recomend a vet check up for Trixie. Increase in water consumption and urination can potentially be signs of diabetes or kidney disease. The vet may recommend doing a urinalysis and or bloodwork. Good luck. I hope all is well for Trixie.

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    Answered By Ana M, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 30th, 2019

    Thank you for submitting your question regarding your potential new cat. Increased thirst is typically the sign of a disease in a cat. It can be related to diabetes, kidney disease or even a thyroid disorder. Each condition will have different costs associated with management. I would start by having the cat examined and submitting laboratory work to diagnose the problem. Once a diagnosis is made, then costs of treatment can be given to you. I hope this information helps!

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