do cats need to drink as much as dogs

I've got River, my 6-year-old DSH, who has outdoor access, and Kettle, my 3-year-old indoor tabby. River drinks mostly from the rainwater in the barn troughs, but I want to know the baseline. How much water should a cat drink daily? Do they need to drink as much as dogs? I've seen water for outdoor cats but that was more about access than volume.

Hello RiverKettle, welcome to the deeper questions. It varies a lot. Generally, it's about 40ml per kg of body weight, but that's just a starting point. My grey cat Star is very hyper and drinks a lot, while my blind black cat Shadow drinks less. Have you looked at cats who ignore water bowls? Sometimes they just don't like the taste of tap water.

Practical answer: if they are eating dry food, they need to drink more. Dry kibble is like 10% moisture. My calico Mittens is overweight, so I monitor this. I think the main issue is that people don't track it. If the intake doubles or halves suddenly, that's when you worry. Check out dry food and water intake for the math on it.

yo just let them drink. my black cat Duke is 3 and energetic as hell, he chugs water after play. my white cat Ivy is 2 and shy, barely touches it. if the pee is dark or they look dry, then yeah, call the vet. otherwise, don't stress the numbers too much. when to check for kidney issues is good for the scary stuff.

Is it normal for them to drink more if they are sick? My calico Pepper is 1 year old and scared of the vacuum, but she drinks a lot when she is stressed. I read somewhere that stress changes thirst. Is that true? I feel overwhelmed trying to track this. alopecia patches on cats was in the news, does that affect water needs too?

Thanks for the info. I was looking at Milo, a 2-year-old British Shorthair friend has. He eats only dry food and has been experiencing alopecia patches. I think the dry food is the issue there. I posted an update in a follow-up thread about his specific diet switch, so check that out for more on the numbers. Milo's diet switch