How much water should a cat drink? It really depends, vets say

As we try to stay hydrated this summer, it's important to make sure our pets are drinking enough water too − which can sometimes be more tricky with cats.

Our feline friends don't drink very much water, and it can be hard to tell how much they've consumed just by looking at their water bowl.

"Cats are not as eager drinkers as dogs, so if you have a dog and a cat, you might worry that your cat's not drinking enough water compared to your dog," said Laurie Millward, a professor at Ohio State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

The smaller the cat or kitten, the less water they need. A small six pound cat may only drink about 10 tablespoons of water per day, according to veterinarians. If your cat is eating wet food from a can or pouch, that means it will get less of its daily hydration directly from its water bowl.

Signs of dehydration in cats include being more tired than normal, and gums that feel dry or sticky, according to Millward. If your cat is drinking too much water, that could be a sign of a health problem like diabetes or kidney disease, she said.

Here's how you can tell if your cat is consuming the proper amount of water, according to veterinary experts.

How much water do cats drink?

It depends on how much the cat weighs, and whether it eats dry or wet food.

"So many different things come into play with how much water they actually drink from a water bowl," Millward said.

Typically, a cat will consume just over 1.5 tablespoons of water per pound daily, said Natara Loose, a neighborhood veterinarian in Brooklyn, New York.

"An average 10-pound cat will drink like one cup per day," Loose told USA TODAY.

What if my cat eats wet food?

The amount of water a cat drinks from its water bowl will go down if it's eating wet food, Millward said.

Wet cat food can contain up to 80% water, according to Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

"Cats that eat dry food usually take more of their daily water requirement in by drinking," the school says.

Remember that if you switch your cat's diet, its water bowl drinking habits will likely change, Millward said.

"Many times I would have cats that were eating a dry food diet, and then the owner switched them over to a canned food diet, and that owner would come in and be really worried their cat wasn't drinking enough water," Millward said.

Do cats drink more when it's hot?

During hot weather like this summer's heat waves, your cat may need to replace their body's water at "an increased rate to maintain normal hydration," Millward said.

But if your cat is healthy, it will naturally do a good job of maintaining its body temperature, including resting more and consuming more water on its own, she said. Animals are very good at adapting to the changing seasons, Millward said, so even if you don't have air conditioning, your cat's body has likely been acclimating to steadily increasing temperatures throughout the spring and summer.

It's always a great idea to offer multiple water bowls throughout your home and "the most important thing to highlight is just having that fresh clean water available at all times," Millward said.

Keeping your cat's food and water bowls away from their litter box is also highly recommended, she said, because our pets don't want to eat and drink right next to where they go to the bathroom.

If you are worried your cat isn't drinking enough from its water bowl, tossing a few extra drops of water into their food bowl can't hurt, Millward said.

"As long as they like the food with the water added, that's not bad," Millward said. "But the most important thing is just having that fresh, clean water available on a regular basis."