Many pet owners worry that insurance won’t cover everything, especially routine care or pre-existing conditions. While that’s true in many cases, most insurers now offer wellness add-ons for preventive care like vaccines, dental cleanings, and check-ups, giving you more complete coverage. View Money’s pet insurance list to find plans for as low as $10 a month.

Protect your pet

“My cat never drinks water!”

Persuading a cat to drink is part science and part aesthetics. Cats are well-known for their reticence in drinking (or even touching) water.

That's because the modern domestic cat is the descendant of desert cats, which means they have adapted to conserve water and have a low thirst drive.

This is mostly fine for cats who hunt their own food; a cat can survive on moisture from prey such as mice or birds. 

But when it comes to indoor cats or cats who don’t hunt, a low thirst drive can become a weakness:

Wet cat food is typically good for hydration, but cat parents are increasingly interested in additional options.

A healthy cat needs about 3.5 to 4.5 oz. of water (from liquid or food) per five pounds of body weight daily.

As awareness grows about the potential health issues related to dehydration, more cat parents are incorporating hydration supplements into their felines’ daily routines, driving steady growth in this segment.

What began as a niche wellness concern is turning into a fast-growing business space, with brands racing to fill the gap.

Functional hydration is one of the fastest-growing categories in feline nutrition. This includes: broths, toppers, and specialised formulations such as palatable flavours and easy-to-administer formats.  

So far, Asian brands have led the way in terms of hydration innovation. According to Petfood Industry, functional hydration products saw double-digit growth in Asia in 2024:

Meanwhile, Western brands are catching up quickly:

🐈‍⬛ Enjoying this? Subscribe below to receive directly in your inbox! 🐱

The boom in feline hydration options is encouraging - but what if your cat refuses to even approach the bowl?

Below, we look at how hydration is also a matter of aesthetics for our discerning cats, and how companies are addressing this.

LIke to advertise your brand or product in Feline Business Brief? Just click here.

Want to reach top feline-focused talent? List your job opening with us.

In the words of every cat parent ever: why won’t my cat just drink?

Behavioural studies show that cats prefer running water, dislike narrow bowls that touch their whiskers, and tend to avoid metal or plastic dishes.

Cats are also creatures of habit. This means that if the water doesn’t smell or feel right, they simply won’t drink.

That’s where design innovation comes in.

A new generation of hydration products is focusing on functional aesthetics, including using filtered, circulating water systems designed to mimic natural streams.

Meanwhile, smart fountains from brands track drinking data and send updates via mobile app.

A few years ago, I realised that I had never seen Ethel or Morag drink water.

Every day, we dutifully set down a pretty, clean, wide ceramic bowl of fresh water. They never seemed to touch it.

This was worrying, so I bought a little water fountain. I cleaned it thoroughly, filled it with water, and plugged it in. When it came on, an inviting sprinkle of clear water came out of the flower-shaped spout.

Ethel and Morag took one look at it and ran away.

I tried carrying them and setting them down next to the fountain.

They ran away again.

It’s scenarios like these that send desperate cat parents to the internet to find any tip or trick that will encourage their felines to drink. Here are a few of them:

Have you tried any of these methods? We'd love to know!