Best Water For Cats

The best water for cats is pure "energized", alkaline and toxin-free, so say those that know but are they right? And what is this kind of water? It certainly isn't the tap water in the United States. I am not sure about the UK or other countries but the situation in Europe is probably broadly similar. And it isn't bottle water either.


photo copyright gari.baldi under Creative commons license.


Tap Water - best water for cats? No.

Tap water in the USA (and I'll refer to the USA as people from that country are the major source of visitors to this site) is obviously drinkable but some say that it is not ideal for the maintenance of either human or cat's health. Examples of the chemicals found in tap water are:

Chlorine: Some health authorities think that on balance chlorine is beneficial in tap water but others disagree including some doctors. For example, Joseph M. Price, a doctor working in the USA thinks that it is an insidious poison. Chlorine kills bacteria in the water making it healthier but the downside (and there is always a downside) is that it reacts with other substances in the water to form toxins called trihalomethanes (THMs - they are also called organochlorides). THMs are dangerous to health and can suppress the immune system (for info about boosting a cat's immune system see: Immune System of Cats). Ozone is better at disinfecting water, apparently.

Flouride: This chemical when added to tap water helps prevent tooth decay. In some areas of the UK flouride is added it to tap water. 70% of people use fluoridated water in the USA. In Australia 67% apparently use fluoridated tap water.. It has been added to the supply of all US cities. (source: Times Online).

There could be dioxins, parasites, inorganic poisons, pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi in tap water too. That said we shouldn't get panicky about it. It keeps us alive most of the time.

Some eminent medical people advise against the use of fluoride in tap water. "I would advise against fluoridation.. Side-effects cannot be excluded ..."- Dr. Arvid Carlsson, co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine (2000). And "I am appalled at the prospect of using water as a vehicle for drugs. Fluoride is a corrosive poison that will produce serious effects on a long range basis. Any attempt to use water this way is deplorable." Dr. Charles Gordon Heyd, Past President of the American Medical Association. Once again there is disagreement about the health benefits. In short though tap water is not the best in terms of preserving health and well being of cats. It is not the best water for cats.


Bottled Water - best water for cats? No.

Then we have bottled water. Some cynics might argue that bottled water is the biggest scam perpetrated on mankind until the financier Maddof (the $50 billion fraudster) came along. Bottled water is a triumph of marketing over substance. Studies in the USA have found that 30% of bottled water has a degree of chemical contamination such as neurotoxins and carcinogens (styrene, toluene and xylene). Antimony is used in the manufacture of the plastic (polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) and this leaches out into the water, even more so in when it is warm (source: National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) studies, Shirley's Wellness Cafe). I think all right minded people can write off bottled water unless it is supplied by the US armed services to troops in Iraq or Afghanistan. More water is used in the manufacture of the bottles than there is in it when sold. A billion USDs worth of plastic water bottles is dumped in landfill in the US yearly. This has a sense of parrallel universe about it. Oh, and sometimes bottled water comes from taps!


Super Clean Water - best water for cats? No.

This very clean water sounds wonderful. Yet it is not good for us. Water produced by reverse osmosis has been called "hungry" or "death" water. Not a recommendation. There is nothing in it. Also it has positive and not negative ions and it is acid rather than alkaline (high pH). Water should bring nutrients and flush out free radicals.


Best Water for Cats

In contrast pure "energized", alkaline and toxin-free has, it seems, no critics, except it is probably beyond the means of most. This is claimed to be the best water for cats (and of course any higher animal) by Shirley at Shirley's Wellness Cafe. Were and how do we get this almost mythical elixir of life? Well, it can be produced in our homes using a machine purchased on the internet. Isn't life wonderful? They are called alkaline ionizers.

The water produced is a powerful antioxidant, an effective alkalizing and hydrating agent and a detoxifier. So it is claimed. Here is a book that claims this: The Miraculous Properties of Ionized Water - The Definitive Guide to the World's Healthiest Substance. Clearly this water is designed to be drunk by humans but it is equally beneficial, it is claimed, for cats and other animals. The best ionizers sell for: $1,795 (http://ionmicrowater.com/catalogue.htm#aquarius1) in the US and for a similar price in the UK (http://www.lifeionisers.co.uk/)

Disease thrives in an acid (low pH) environment. These machines produce alkaline (high pH) water. The antioxidant properties are important for health.

Update: There may be downsides to this water. Please read another article on the quality of water for cats by clicking on this link.

My current conclusion is that good old tap water is probably the best for cats. You know what it is and you know it is safe for humans and therefore must be okay for cats.


For lots more information on antioxidants by "the experts" these books may be of interest:

• The Antioxidants
• The Super Antioxidant Diet and Nutrition Guide: A Health Plan for the Body, Mind, and Spirit - this obviosly relates to people but the anatomy and processes of cats and humans are similar and the arguments as to benefits similar too.
  

• Best Water For Cats to Cat Health Problems