In practice,
adult cats should have unlimited access to fresh water.
Although cats conserve total body water by forming highly
concentrated urine, such concentrated urine is undesirable in
the prevention and treatment of feline lower urinary tract disease
(FLUTD). Increased water intake is useful for managing
urolithiasis by reducing the urinary concentration of urolithforming
minerals. To date, of all treatments evaluated, feeding
moist food (>60% of calories) was the only one associated with
a statistically significant decrease in recurrence of clinical signs
in cats with feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC). Currently, FIC is
the most common cause of FLUTD (Lekcharoensuk et al,
2001; Gerber et al, 2005) (Chapter 46). Feeding moist foods
(vs. dry foods) increases water intake and urine volume in most
cats (Gaskell, 1989), but unlike dogs, cats do not fully compensate
for differences in food moisture content by altering free