When you own a cat, you want to be sure that your four-legged friend is as healthy and happy as possible in your home. However, sometimes, your cat may start acting strange and you might wonder if you are going to need to take a trip to one of the veterinarian clinics for diagnosis and treatment. One such strange behavior that you may notice in your cat is excessive thirst. If you suddenly notice that your cat is drinking a lot of water, there are numerous reasons that your cat may be behaving in this manner.
Get to know some of these reasons so that you can better determine if your cat is in need of veterinary care.
A Viral Infection or Upset Stomach
Most commonly, strange behaviors such as excessive drinking in cats are caused by the same things that can cause a person to change their eating or drinking habits. These issues could be a viral infection similar to the common cold or a flu virus, or may be simple stomach upset that can occur due to stress, overeating, or improper chewing.
In cases of excessive drinking due to viral infection or stomach upset, you may also notice some vomiting from your cat. They may appear more tired or lethargic than usual, and may also avoid eating for a day or two. There are treatments to help with these issues including appetite stimulant medications and anti-nausea medications.
If your cat has excessive thirst with or without these other symptoms for more than two days or so, you will want to contact your veterinarian and have your cat checked out and prescribed medication to help get them feeling back to normal as soon as possible and get their thirst under control.
Kidney Issues
Perhaps the worst case scenario for excessive thirst in cats is a kidney malfunction and potentially kidney disease and failure. In cats, excessive thirst and excessive urination can be signs that the kidneys are not properly processing and filtering waste out of the body.
Many cats that experience excessive thirst due to kidney problems may also have litter box aversion issues as well. This means that they will have "accidents" outside of their litter box throughout the house. They might also struggle with appetite issues, problems with balance and stumbling, blood in the urine, and pain in their kidneys as well as pain when urinating.
If your cat has been consistently off for several days and is showing no sign of improvement with the use of nausea or appetite stimulant medications, their kidneys may need to be tested. Renal (kidney disease) can be treated if it is in the early stages of the disease progression. However, when it comes to kidney failure, it often comes down to making your cat as comfortable as possible.
Keeping these possible causes of your cat's excessive thirst in mind, you will be able to determine if and when a visit to the veterinarian clinic is necessary for your feline companion.
Share4 January 2017
Do you know the types of diseases that are most likely to cause death in dogs? My name is Anne, and I have owned several dogs in the my lifetime. I enjoy training, playing with, and caring for dogs of all sizes and breeds. Throughout my time as a dog owner, I have discovered that there are several illnesses that are common causes of death in dogs and that some breeds are more likely to get these diseases than other breeds. This blog will explain various common deadly diseases in dogs and give advice about how to prevent and treat these illnesses.
