Korat hydration routine — prevention guide

You've done exactly the right thing researching Korat health risks early — this breed is genetically predisposed to GM1 gangliosidosis and heart issues, but chronic kidney disease is the quiet long-term threat for most cats, and it's deeply tied to hydration. Cats evolved in arid environments and have a very low thirst drive, so most cats on dry food are chronically underhydrated without their owners ever realising. Water fountains and wet food are the two most effective ways to meaningfully increase daily water intake before problems develop. To point you toward the best setup: is your Korat currently on dry food, wet food, or a mix? Does he or she have any existing kidney or urinary history? And have you tried a water fountain before?

That's a really solid baseline to build from — no issues to manage, just good habits to establish. One wet food pouch a week isn't really moving the needle on hydration though, so I'd suggest shifting that toward daily wet food as a priority. Even one wet meal a day makes a meaningful difference to total water intake. On the fountain side, I'd recommend the PetSafe Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain — it holds 1.5 litres, has a freefall stream that cats are naturally drawn to, and the replaceable carbon filter keeps the water genuinely fresh rather than just recirculated. It's quiet, well-made, and easy to clean, which matters because a fountain you find annoying to maintain just won't get cleaned often enough. Before I say more — where do you currently keep her water bowl relative to her food?

It's very common but it does reduce how much cats drink — instinctively they avoid water near their food source because in the wild that's where contamination happens. Moving the fountain to a separate room, or at least a few feet away on the opposite side, often produces an immediate increase in drinking. With a Korat at four, you're in a genuinely ideal window: kidneys are healthy, habits are easy to form, and consistent hydration now is one of the most evidence-backed things you can do to push kidney disease further into the future, or avoid it altogether. The Drinkwell Platinum is on Amazon UK and sits around £35–40 — solid value for something that runs daily for years.

For a single cat in a normal-sized home, one fountain is fine — but placement matters more than quantity. If your home is multi-floor, having one water source per floor is genuinely useful so she never has to travel far to drink. Start with one Drinkwell Platinum in a good spot away from her food, switch to daily wet food, and reassess in a month. If she's drinking well and engaging with the fountain, you're done. If she's ignoring it, repositioning is usually the fix before buying a second unit.

That's a genuinely excellent plan for a four-year-old Korat. Daily wet food plus the fountain in a sensible location will make a real difference to her daily water intake, and you'll likely see her drinking more within a week or two once the fountain is running. You're being proactive at exactly the right age — kidneys don't show stress until quite late, so prevention is where you get the most leverage. Good luck with her.