How well do you know your cat? Yeah, you may know that Fluffy is feisty and tears up the carpet if left alone too long, but do you know how many toes Fluffy has for sheathing those damaging claws? Nearly all cat owners (92%) believe they’re knowledgeable about cats, as revealed in a recent poll of 2,000 American cat owners. Still, most don’t know basic facts about their feline—or its health needs.
Confessions of “good” cat parents
Cat parents, on average, gave themselves a four out of five rating for how well they take care of their cats and reported they believe their cats would also give them a four out of five for being superb owners. Uh, “Meow!” Within that same survey, cat parents confessed that, on average, they forget to fill up their cat’s water twice per week and even forget to feed their cats three times per week.
How well do you know your cat? How many toes?
Commissioned by PetSafe and conducted by OnePoll, the study found that only 17% of respondents knew that cats have 18 toes and almost half (46%) didn’t know that many cats are lactose intolerant. That debunks the popular image of a cat enjoying a bowl of milk.
The majority of respondents (56%) were unaware that cats purr due to both pleasure and distress, and only a fifth (20%) knew that cats share 96% of their DNA with tigers.
Does your cat drink too much water? Nah!
The survey also found knowledge gaps on the more serious topic of hydration: More than four in ten (47%) didn’t know that cats tend to drink more water if it’s running and not still or stagnant. No, we’re not suggesting you leave the tap on and run the freshwater tank empty. Think “cat fountain.” Here’s one on Amazon—and to the horror of your feline pal, even dogs can use this one.
And more than three-quarters (86%) also reported that their cats are sufficiently hydrated on a regular basis, yet three in four (75%) didn’t know that cats should drink roughly one ounce of water for every pound they weigh, per day.
The poll found that although six in ten cat parents (59%) admit they believe it’s healthier for their felines to drink filtered water versus unfiltered water, only 34% follow through and give their cats filtered water regularly. The study apparently didn’t consider bottled water—just how felines react to microplastics is a study for another day.
“Obvious how much owners love their furry friends”
“By how well cat parents score themselves in terms of pet parenthood, it is obvious how much owners love their furry friends—there’s no doubt about it. The research found that seven in ten (69%) even said they can tell what their cat is thinking, even if they can’t communicate using words. But it also revealed some room for improvement in knowing about cats, so we can better take care of these furry companions,” said Janna Chollet, senior marketing manager at PetSafe. “With warmer months approaching, it’s important that cat parents have all the information they need to care for their cats, especially when it comes to hydration.”
Four out of five cat owners (79%) said their cats drink most of their water out of a bowl, and 23% reported their cats mostly use a fountain to stay hydrated. For cat parents who chose a bowl over a fountain, reasons for doing so included that it’s what their cat is used to (47%), it’s easy to fill up (44%), and it’s easy to clean (37%).
47% of all surveyed didn’t know that cats tend to drink more water if it’s running. Almost seven in ten cat parents whose cats use a water bowl (68%) said they’d be likely to choose a fountain as their cat’s water source in the future if it could be proven that cats drink more water if it’s running and not still or stagnant.
Cat fountain views—why or why not
For parents that prefer for their cats to drink out of a fountain, the top reasons for doing so were that their cat is attracted to running water (52%), and the water is cleaner, fresher, and healthier for their cat (43%). They also have more peace of mind knowing their cat has clean water (40%).
Cat parents who opt for a fountain said the most frustrating parts about cat fountains are being concerned it will stop working while they’re out of the house (31%). Some were concerned about the amount of cleaning required (29%), expensive replacement filters (27%), and scrubbing mold out of the fountain (27%).
“Because cats add so much love to our lives and are mostly dependent on us, as owners, to meet their needs, we need to do our very best to take excellent care of them,” said Chollet. “Staying hydrated is the foundation of health so we encourage cat parents to choose a hydration solution that provides enough fresh, clean, running water for their furry friend since we know that cats drink more water if it’s moving.” How well do you know your cat? Is he or she happy? “Hydrated cats are happy cats,” sums up the study.
BTW, according to a survey run by RVtravel.com in 2021, 20.9 percent of our readers owned cats.
Survey methodology: This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 American cat owners was commissioned by PetSafe between Mar. 22 and Mar. 30, 2024. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll. OnePoll team members are members of the Market Research Society. They also have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
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Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 My mother has four cats. Three of the four live outside much of the year. I doubt that they get enough water, but I also doubt that she’d be willing to buy two fountains, one for the inside cat and one for the outside cats. I will investigste. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
I’ve switched as much as possible to pate and cut their portions with an equal amount of water. We switched also to bisque and stew treats- they get treats maybe twice-thrice daily and add 1/2 pouch water to those. Our fountain died and frankly I think they drink more water this way.