A friend of mines tuxedo cat got really ill about 2 months ago from a really bad URI, so bad she looked like she wasn't going to make it. We had to force feed her, constant antibiotics for like 2 weeks and the only water she would drink was from the running faucet in the kitchen and would literally sit there for about a 1/2 hour lapping away.

She is 100% now of and back to her usual self with a little twist, since getting better she will drink from the water bowl like it's going out of style and peeing what looks like boulder sized litter clumps and when my friend goes to fill the bowl with fresh water... she hears the bowl get moved and comes running to the kitchen and is right at my buddies feet going crazy meowing and all excited like she is getting treats or something and then goes to town with drinking.

Do you think she maybe got traumatized by the URI and now associates water with staying healthy... aka... an obsession?

Possibly, but has she had any tests done?

Could be a kidney problem.


Heather

Ditto for comment on possible kidney problem. Would be best to have her checked.

I had a kitty who developed diabetes and later kidney failure. Drinking a ton of water and peeing constantly is a symptom of something ... the vet needs to test for both.

Thanks for all the responses, my friend is going to take her into the vet next month when he gets his disability check. Hopefully everything comes back ok because we had a heck of a time trying to get donations from people to take his cat in when she had the URI.

Side question while I am here... what age would you say would be the oldest to get a cat spayed? The one in question is also the one needing the testing, but I keep telling him he should get her spayed cause it's not healthy to have her keep going into heat all her life and he rescued her from a neighboring apartment years ago when someone left her there after moving and isn't positive about her age... maybe 8yrs?

How old is the cat that drinks all the water? My last cat never drank water until suddenly the bowl was empty every day. They I put two bowls out, then 3. At check-up time, the vet told me she had kidney disease. I did sub-Q hydration for over 4 years and she constantly drank water. It was so difficult to know when to let her go. She was so sweet and purred all the time. She has been gone for 3 months now, RIP Madelyn. Drinking a lot of water can be due to a few illnesses, but if the cat is old that is one of the things your vet will check with blood work and urinalysis. Good luck.