People often assume increased thirst and drinking — medically termed polydipsia — results from diabetes, but it can have a number of other causes:
- Kidney dysfunction
- Liver disease
- Hyperthyroidism
- Urinary tract disease
Sometimes a cat will drink more simply to restore water balance after a bout of vomiting or diarrhea. But if your cat has not had a GI episode and you notice that she has been drinking more water than usual for more than just a day or two, it’s worth taking her to the doctor to see what might be going on.
Polydipsia, incidentally, is roughly defined as a cat drinking more than 1.5 ounces of water per pound of body weight a day (just under two cups for a 10-pound cat). But you don’t need to do any measuring. You’ll know if your pet’s drinking habits have shifted significantly.
