Many cats suffer from urinary problems. As well as following the instructions from your veterinary surgeon and using the correct dietary management, the most important thing you can do is to increase your cat’s water intake. The following ideas can be used to help encourage your cat to drink more.

• Add water to the food, whether canned or dry. Start with a small amount, and increase it little by little as your cat’s acceptance allows. If food is normally available all the time change to feeding twice daily before you begin adding the water, as this will help your cat to accept the water more readily.

• Place a water bowl next to the food bowl, and several in other places around areas to which your cat has access.

• Keep the water in bowls very fresh. Change the water frequently and keep it topped up.

• Some cats like shallow water bowls filled right to the brim; other pets like to reach down into a container. Experiment to see which your cat likes best.

• Try offering filtered, distilled or bottled water.

• Try using a pet ‘fountain’ as some cats prefer to drink from running water.

• Put a shallow bowl under a slow drip from a tap to allow a drink of fresh water whenever the cat wants one. Please make sure the bowl doesn’t act like a plug in a plughole once the bowl fills and starts to overflow.

• Make flavoured ice cubes. Add some water to a small amount of your cat’s usual food and simmer it gently in a pan for approximately 10 minutes, then strain the contents through a sieve. Pour the strained liquid into an ice cube tray, and freeze. Add a flavoured cube to your cat’s water to flavour it.