My new 12-week-old kitten has fleas and drinks a lot. Is it normal?

If your kitten is eating well and is playful and otherwise normal, I would not be too concerned. However, if he is drinking so much that he is vomiting up water or urinating excessively, then I would recommend an examination by your veterinarian.

That certainly does sound like a big day for JJ! Vaccines, deworming and flea medication, and leg injuries don't cause sudden increases in water intake. Now, if JJ was kept at your vet in a cage without water for several hours for a drop off appointment, then it would be reasonable to expect him to drink a lot of water at home. If he wasn't dropped off away from water, I'd be more inclined to suspect another issue, such as a urinary tract infection. Diabetes and kidney disease can also cause pronounced increases in water consumption, but they would be highly unusual in a kitten as young as JJ. If JJ continues to drink excessive amounts of water tomorrow, then I would certainly take him back to the vet for evaluation. Your vet will likely want to at a minimum check a urine sample for evidence of infection. I hope that everything goes well!

Hi and thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Nothing alarming so far. She is at the age where her food intake will naturally decrease because she no longer needs the three meals a day regimen she was getting as a younger kitten. The only thing I would keep an eye on is her urination habits. If she is urinating more and it has a foul odor to it, you may want to get her checked for a UTI. Other than that this sounds like normal kitty behavior. Best wishes and I hope everything works out well for your kitty Mia and I hope her leg heals well so she can finally get spayed. Take care.

Hi. This may just be a variation of normal for Tiger. But, if it is out of the ordinary, or you feel something is off, I recommend getting him seen. He may have a urinary tract infection or some other medical cause for increased water drinking. Your veterinarian will want to do a urinalysis and possibly some lab work. Good luck.

Great question! I would measure how much June is drinking, and how much she is urinating. Cats typically drink 60ml/kg per day. June is about 3.2kg, so she should be drinking 191mls per day. I would measure out 500ml into her water bowl in the morning, and the next morning, measure the remaining amount. If it's more than 200-250ml, then she is drinking excessively. As for measuring urine output, that's a little harder, but you can leave a litter box out for her without litter. If she does use it, you can measure out her urine produced in a 24 hour period. Typically, she should urinate about 30ml/kg in that time period. That's 96ml for June. If it's more than that, then she is peeing excessively. At that point, I would have her seen by a vet for blood tests and a urinalysis to diagnose what is causing her symptoms, such as diabetes, kidney disease, or hyperthyroidism.

Hello, its likely that Jackie is getting a substantial amount of water from the wet food she is being fed. This can indeed change the amount of free water Jackie consumes. Signs of problems with fleas, or GI disease may show more severe sings such as intense scratching, vomiting, diarrhea, and a loss of appetite. As long as Jackie is not showing any of these sings, its likely that she is ok. Hope this helps and 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.