It’s important to monitor the food and water intake of your bengal.
If your bengal cat is not consuming an adequate amount food or water, it can develop a variety of health problems and require veterinarian help.
The average adult domestic cat needs to consume around 10-20 oz of water per day depending on it’s age, breed, and size.
Adult bengals should be consuming at least 15 oz of water daily.
If you are feeding your bengal cat raw meat, then they will be able to get most of this water from the meat they are eating.
Bengal cats naturally eat a raw meat diet, so if you are feeding them raw meat then they will not need to get much water from other sources.
If you are feeding your bengal, dry or canned cat food however, then your bengal will need to be drinking a large amount of water on its own apart from the food it’s being given.
How Often Should a Bengal Cat Drink Water in a Day?
A bengal cat should be drinking water at least 5 times per day if it’s not on a raw meat diet.
If your bengal cat is already consuming raw meat then it only needs to eat 1-3 times per day and it will be fully hydrated.
If you are feeding your bengal cat dry food and your bengal is drinking water less than 5 times per day and does not appear to be drinking a lot of water each time, then it’s possible that your bengal is dehydrated.
If you are unsure of whether or not your bengal cat is dehydrated, it’s always better to take it in to a veterinary and make sure.
One way to tell if your bengal is dehydrated is to grab it by the nape of its neck and see if the loose skin quickly or slowly retracts after letting go. If the loose skin around a bengals neck retracts slowly, then it may be dehydrated.
Another way to tell if your bengal is dehydrated, is to see how shiny its fur is. If your bengal is fully hydrated and healthy, it should have a shiny, soft coat.
Bengal cats will also be more lethargic and have lower energy levels if they are not consuming enough water, so keep an eye out for any large changes in behavior if you suspect it is not drinking enough fluids.
Does the Kind of Water a Bengal Cat Drinks Matter?
As a rule of thumb, the closer you get your bengals food and water intake to what it naturally would be eating in the wild, the more healthy your bengal will be.
Bengal cats naturally live on smaller animals and eat raw meat, so feeding them this sort of diet will most closely match their dietary and nutritional needs.
If this diet is hard to implement and you need to feed your bengal dry food, then you will also need to give your bengal access to fresh, clean water on a daily basis.
Bengals prefer their water to be fresh and sometimes will not drink from a bowl if the water has been sitting for too long.
This is why bengal cats will often opt for drinking from the toilet instead of their water bowl, because the toilet mimics running water which is a sign that it is safe and fresh for the bengal to drink.
The best kind of water for a bengal cat to drink is water containing small amounts of minerals with added chicken broth.
The chicken broth will make your bengal want to drink the water and the minerals will ensure that your bengal stays healthy and is not deficient in any micronutrients.
