Pure Water Only for our Cats (and Dogs)

[Perseus]

Good quality water is especially important for cats because, being originally desert-dwelling animals, they concentrate their urine to conserve water and do not have a well-developed thirst mechanism. That means that if they do not drink much to flush out their systems, harmful chemicals can accumulate in body tissues and cause chronic-bladder inflammation (all aggravated when cats are fed dry food exclusively).  Plus, cats have a natural aversion to drinking tap water and may choose to not drink just because of that.

I only offer my kitties bottled spring water (bottled at the source, which it must state on the bottle and where the source is), and I have friends that use reverse osmosis water only.

Here’s an excellent article by Dr. Michael W. Fox:
Pure Water for Cats and Dogs—and All

http://tedeboy.tripod.com/drmichaelwfox/id36.html

[Bonkers]

  I use the reverse osmosis water for all my kitties. I like the fact that most of the the minerals and possible contaminates have been removed thru the reverse osmosis process. I have noticed that since using this type of water that their water bowl stays much cleaner. No more slimy film. 

[sherrylynne]

I guess in a lot of ways, I'm quite fortunate in Calgary. We actually have fairly good water, and none of my furkids have ever had an aversion to drinking it! The only problem is that it is rather hard.

[Bonkers]

  Hard water often contains large amounts of magnesium and calcium. Not sure how that would affect kitties or humans for that matter. All I know is that many experts recommend giving pets filtered or spring water. Some even suggest using distilled water. I know that there is fluoride in my drinking water and that too has become a controversial subject lately.

[Perseus]

 Hard water often contains large amounts of magnesium and calcium. Not sure how that would affect kitties or humans for that matter. All I know is that many experts recommend giving pets filtered or spring water. Some even suggest using distilled water.

I've always read that distilled water is a no no with cats.  Too many minerals are actually removed from the water that kitties need.  From littlebigcat.com:

Distilled water has been purified so that it does not contain any particles at all. While  purity may sound good, you really should not use distilled water for drinking. The reason lies in the fundamental nature of water. Water and solutes (molecules and particles) move by osmosis and diffusion, respectively. You might remember these from high school chemistry class! Basically, water moves by osmosis from where there is more of it, to where there is less of it; and solutes diffuse from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. Distilled water contains zero solutes, so when it enters the intestines, diffusion will actually pull solutes out of the body. Drinking only distilled water can ultimately cause deficiencies in sodium, potassium, and important trace minerals. It also becomes acidic when exposed to air. In people, exclusive consumption of distilled water is associated with high blood pressure and heart arrhythmias. While distilled water can be valuable when used for a short-term process of detoxification, it's not safe for long-term consumption.

Full article here:
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=nlarchive&show=volume3no061

[Bonkers]

  There are some vets who actually recommend distilled water for those cats that suffer from reoccurrant urinary tract or kidney disorders since it contains no magnesium or calcuim.  It is also recommended for cats with CRF as tap or bottled water can be hard on the kidneys. Even pets with severe allergies may benefit from changing to distilled water. It is also suggested to try it for those cats that do not drink enough water on their own. Seems as if the lack of any type of odor from the distilled water may aid the cat in drinking a larger quantity of it. As far as the amount of minerals that is in any other type of water, they are usually very miniscule.