My cat won't drink water. Is it serious? How often should I bathe her?

This is a medical emergency and Whitey needs to see a vet immediately. It's extremely serious when a cat doesn't drink or eat for 18 days, and it indicates he is seriously ill. He needs veterinary attention now, please take him into a vet right away.

Unfortunately, the only way to share photos is in a consult, which you can request with an expert for in-depth help. Your kitty sounds very ill, and I would have her seen by a vet right away. It sounds serious to me that she is sitting with her face in the water bowl, and she could be suffering from a systemic illness, infection, inflammation, or injury. I would take her into a vet now who can diagnose what is causing her symptoms so she can be treated.

You should NEVER bath your cat, cats hate water and they are very clean creatures who do not need to be bath, you will rarely find a house cat that smells bad or that is dirty, when it occurs it is usually because of a medical condition.

I agree she sounds very sick, and it's extremely serious she cannot hold down water and will not eat. This is not something you can treat at home, you must take her into a vet now as this is a medical emergency. Please take her into an ER vet immediately.

Take Piper back into a vet immediately. It's extremely serious when a cat won't eat, and if they don't eat going on 72 hours, they will develop a fatty liver which is fatal without treatment. Please take her into a vet now. Best of luck.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Excessive thirst in cats is always a concern and should be investigated. Squishy may drink a lot of water because of diabetes, kidney problems, overactive thyroid gland, liver disease or even tumor development. You should take Squishy to your local vets for an appointment as she will need full clinical examination and possibly a blood test to find out what the problem is. In the meantime, you should let her drink as much as wants to maintain normal hydration - she will not get into any problems because of that.

It's very concerning that it appears Leo isn't drinking water, and while cats aren't typically big water drinkers, he still should be drinking some water daily. I would measure out water in the morning in a bowl, and then the next morning remeasure the water to see if he has drank any. He should be drinking around 236ml of water daily. If he truly isn't drinking any water, then he should see a vet as soon as possible. Moving into a new home is stressful on a cat, and it will take time for Leo to adjust. I would try to tempt him to play with treats and favorite toys, and give him lots of love and attention. When he comes up to you for attention, praise him and give him a treat. You want to associate attention from you with a good thing. Overtime he will adjust, but a health check by a vet would be a good idea just to make sure everything is normal healthwise with him.