Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Does using a water fountain help healthy cats drink more and dilute
By Grant, David C·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2010·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of water source on intake and urine concentration in healthy cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 13 healthy cats was tested to see if drinking from a water fountain would encourage them to drink more and produce less concentrated urine, which is important for preventing urinary issues. While most cats drank a little more from the fountain, one cat had problems like vomiting and stopped drinking from it altogether. Overall, the fountain did not significantly improve water intake or urine dilution for the other cats. This suggests that using a fountain might not be the best solution for increasing water consumption in all cats.
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Abstract
Increasing water intake and decreasing urine concentration are recommended for cats with urolithiasis and with idiopathic cystitis. Fountains are advocated to encourage drinking; however, effects on drinking of fountains have not been reported in cats living in pet owners homes. Thirteen healthy cats were assigned to have 24-h water intake and urine osmolality and specific gravity measured when water was offered from a bowl or fountain. One cat developed excessive barbering, vomiting, and refusal to drink water offered from the fountain. For the remaining 12 cats, intake was slightly greater from the fountain. However, urine osmolality was not significantly different. In this study, a fountain failed to substantially increase water intake and dilute urine in cats. A similar study including a greater period of time and additional cats may clarify the results of this study.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20005758/