Why is Water Important for Cats By: Dr. Nicholas Dodman Read By:
Pet Lovers "Thousands have lived without love, not one without
water." W. H. Auden As Auden alluded, water is the basic stuff
of life. Living creatures, like young kittens, may go for some
considerable time between meals, but not between drinks. Like
us, their bodies comprise mainly of water, perhaps as much as
75% water, for an 8-week old kitten. Water is the substrate in
which all the chemicals of the body are dissolved, all cells are
bathed, and all cell contents are suspended. It is also the
essential vehicle of the circulatory system. Nothing in the body
goes anywhere without water. As little as a 10%-15% reduction in
total body water can result in death. And water doesn't just sit
there in a static pool. It is constantly lost and replenished
resulting in a dynamic status quo. On the outputside of the
equation are a) urine output and b) "insensible loss" caused by
from evaporation from the lungs (plus a small amount from the
skin and digest