This is a specific conversation about Cat hydration — getting cats to drink more — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A Norwegian Forest Cat with seasonal skin dryness that gets worse in winter — and a vet who's connected it to hydration — that's actually a really useful piece of information to work with. Cats evolved in arid climates and naturally have a low thirst drive, so most cats on dry food are mildly dehydrated all the time. In a long-haired breed like a Norsk, that shows up on the skin and coat, especially when indoor heating drops humidity in winter. Water fountains and wet food are the two most effective ways to increase intake consistently. Before I point you toward something specific: is your cat on dry food, wet, or a mix? And has he ever shown any kidney or urinary issues alongside the skin problems?
He's mostly on dry food, we give him a pouch maybe three or four times a week. No kidney issues that we know of, but the vet did mention at his last check that his kidney values were creeping up — nothing alarming yet, she said, but worth watching.
inparticular.ai
That combination — dry-food-primary diet, climbing kidney values, and skin dryness — is telling you the same thing your vet is. He needs more water, reliably, every day. Norwegian Forest Cats tend to ignore still water bowls but will often drink well from moving water. Has he ever had a fountain, or is he on a standard bowl at the moment?
Just a standard bowl. We've talked about getting a fountain but never got round to it.
inparticular.ai
Now is a genuinely good time to act on that, given what his kidneys are doing. My recommendation is the PetSafe Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain. It holds 1.5 litres, has a free-falling stream that most cats find hard to ignore, a carbon filter that keeps the water tasting fresh, and it's quiet enough not to put a cat off. For a big Norwegian Forest Cat who needs consistent daily intake, the reservoir size matters — you're not topping it up twice a day. Pair that with shifting to wet food as his main meal rather than a supplement a few times a week, and you'll meaningfully increase his hydration without any fuss. The wet food alone adds roughly 70–80% moisture per meal versus near zero from dry. That combination — fountain plus wet-food-primary — is the most effective thing you can do for his skin, his coat, and those kidney values, all at once.
That makes sense. Would the fountain be hard to keep clean? We worry about bacteria building up.
inparticular.ai
It's a fair concern and worth taking seriously. The Drinkwell Platinum disassembles fully and all parts except the motor are dishwasher safe, which makes the weekly clean straightforward. The carbon filter needs replacing every two to four weeks depending on how hard your water is — they're inexpensive and sold in multipacks. If you do that consistently you won't have a bacteria problem. The bigger risk is people who buy fountains and clean them less often than a bowl because it feels more complicated — so just build the weekly wash into your routine from the start and it's genuinely easy.
Really helpful, thank you. We'll order the fountain and start transitioning him to more wet food.
inparticular.ai
That's a really solid plan. Transition the wet food gradually over a week or two if he's been on dry for a long time — swap roughly a quarter of the dry for wet every few days so his digestion adjusts. With winter coming and that heating running, the fountain will make a noticeable difference quickly. Given that his kidney values are being watched, it's also worth asking your vet at the next visit whether a kidney-support wet food would be appropriate — they're widely available and formulated for exactly this kind of early-stage concern. Good luck with him.
