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My cat is not drinking — what now?

Cats drink little by nature and take most of their water from food. What matters is not how much left the bowl, but urine volume, gums and skin, and whether energy has dropped.

First, how urgent is this?

Go now

  • No urine at all, or repeated trips to the litter box with only drops.
  • Open-mouth breathing, or obvious effort to breathe.
  • Sudden collapse, or unable to stand.
  • Tacky gums, skin that stays up when tented, and very low energy at the same time.

Contact your vet today

  • No water at all, and no food at all for 24 hours.
  • Litter clumps clearly smaller or fewer, or a litter box with no urine all day.
  • A cat with known kidney disease or diabetes whose drinking has suddenly changed.
  • Ongoing vomiting or diarrhoea, unable to keep water down.

Record and observe

  • Mostly on wet food, drinking little, with normal urine, energy and appetite.
  • Drinking less for a few days after a bowl move or a new fountain, then back to normal.
  • Already under vet care: record daily water intake and litter clumps, and bring the record to the next visit.

Before you set off

  • Daily water intake: a marked bowl or fountain, and how much you top up.
  • How many litter clumps, how big, and when the box was last cleaned.
  • What the cat eats and in what proportion: dry, wet, fresh.
  • The most recent weight, and any usual weight record.
  • A list of medicines and the time of the last dose.
  • Do not syringe water into the cat, and do not give human electrolyte drinks.

What your vet may ask and do

  • Ask: when drinking and urine output changed.
  • Ask: dry or wet food, and any recent food change.
  • Ask: any vomiting, diarrhoea, weight loss or falling appetite.
  • Do: weight, hydration and skin-elasticity assessment.
  • Do: blood tests (kidney values, electrolytes, glucose, thyroid).
  • Do: a urine test, including concentration.
  • Do: ultrasound of the kidneys, bladder and any stones.

Where to go in Hong Kong

Call the clinic before you drive over, to confirm tonight's arrangements and the location.