Research overview: water dependence and drought resilience in arid-zone cats

Cats vary in how much they depend on free-standing water versus obtaining moisture from prey, a trait that shapes drought resilience in arid landscapes. This overview surveys what is known about water needs across felids from sand cats to cheetahs to lions, the role of artificial waterholes in management, and how drought concentrates wildlife and intensifies competition and conflict. It reviews debates over whether provisioning water helps or harms ecosystems. The synthesis frames water dependence as an under-studied dimension of climate vulnerability for arid-zone cats, explaining why some species are buffered against drought through physiological and behavioral adaptations while others, and the prey they need, are tightly constrained by the availability of water.