Research overview: water intake, hydration, and diet form in cats

Descended from desert-adapted ancestors, cats have a relatively low thirst drive and historically obtained much of their water from prey, leading to research interest in how diet form, dry versus wet food, affects total water intake and urinary tract health. Higher moisture intake is thought to benefit urinary health and may aid management of conditions like lower urinary tract disease and kidney disease. This overview compiles the nutrition and urology literature rather than one source, describing the cat's blunted thirst response, why dietary moisture contributes importantly to hydration, and how diet form is considered in preventing and managing urinary disease. It matters because hydration influences several common feline conditions, and understanding the cat's distinctive water physiology informs both feeding choices and the management of urinary and renal health.