What We See in Summer Bowls: How Hydration Changes the Way Dogs and Cats Eat in July
Written by Kelly Gredner, RVT, VTS (Nutrition)
July is National Pet Hydration Awareness Month, and if you pay close attention to your pet's bowl during the warmer months, something shifts. Dogs get slower about finishing their meals. Cats grow even more selective than usual. These changes aren't random. They reflect how summer heat affects appetite and fluid balance in ways that go well beyond simply needing more water.
Hydration for cats is one of the most underestimated priorities this time of year. Felines have a low baseline thirst drive and depend heavily on the moisture content of their food to stay properly hydrated, which means the bowl they eat from matters more in July than in any other month.
Choosing the right meals for your dog or cat this summer can make a meaningful difference. Not sure where to start? Build a custom meal plan designed around your specific pet's needs.
Why July Changes the Hydration Picture for Dogs and Cats
July can make hydration harder to manage for dogs and cats. In hot weather, pets may lose more water as their bodies work to stay cool, especially dogs that pant more during activity. Heat can also make some animals less interested in eating, which matters because food can be part of a pet’s daily moisture intake. Together, these changes make it important to watch water bowls, meals, and signs that your pet may not be getting enough fluids.¹˒²
When pets eat less in July, it is a good reminder to look at the whole bowl, not just the water dish. Meals, treats, and drinking habits can all play a role in how supported a pet feels during warmer days. Even when dogs and cats seem comfortable indoors, pet parents may still want to pay closer attention to what they are eating, how often they are drinking, and whether their meals include moisture-rich ingredients.
It's also worth noting that pets in air-conditioned homes are not immune. Seasonal shifts in routine, reduced outdoor activity, and changes in household rhythm all affect how and how much a pet eats and drinks through the summer months.
What Low Hydration Looks Like in Cats
Cats are experts at masking how they feel, and reduced hydration is no exception. By the time obvious signs appear, the issue has often been developing quietly for longer than most pet parents realize.
Things to watch for include fewer litter box visits than usual, dry or tacky gums, lower energy levels, and decreased interest in food. Because cats evolved with a low thirst drive, they are not built to compensate for fluid loss by seeking out more water. What they eat is doing most of the hydration work.
This is especially relevant in summer, when the heat can reduce a cat's appetite at the same time their fluid needs go up. The two forces working together is what makes hydration for cats a July priority that deserves real attention.
How Dogs Lose Moisture Differently in Summer
Dogs regulate body temperature primarily through panting.³ Every panting session costs them moisture, and a dog who spent the morning outside in July is working considerably harder than they would in a milder month.
The challenge is that dogs often reduce their food intake in the heat at the same time they're increasing their fluid losses through respiration. This creates a quiet deficit that pet parents don't always notice until the dog seems sluggish or uninterested in their regular activities.
Keeping meals small, frequent, and highly palatable in summer helps close that gap. It keeps dogs engaged with their bowl even when heat dulls appetite, and ensures they're still getting the hydration that food can deliver alongside nutrition.
Why Food Moisture Matters More Than the Water Bowl
A gently-cooked meal carries significantly more moisture than a dry or shelf-stable product. That moisture is absorbed alongside the meal, making it one of the most reliable sources of daily fluid intake for pets who don't drink consistently from their bowl.
For cats especially, this matters. Many feline fur-iends ignore still water sources entirely, which means their water bowl is contributing less to their daily hydration than most pet parents assume. A whole-food meal with a high moisture content sidesteps that issue completely.
Our recipes include whole foods, zero preservatives, and minimal supplementation. The moisture in a gently-cooked meal is built into the ingredients themselves, not added later. Every bite is delivering nutrition and hydration at the same time, which is exactly what July asks for.
Meals Worth Putting in the Bowl This Summer
When we think about summer meals for cats, we look for high moisture content, strong palatability, and easy digestion. Our Bento Box* for cats is a great option for the warmer months. It delivers a variety of textures and flavors that keep even the most selective feline fur-iend interested in their meal, which matters when summer heat is already working against appetite.
For dogs, our Coconut Chicken* has become one of our warm-weather staples. The coconut milk in the recipe contributes richness and additional moisture, and the whole-food ingredients make it a highly digestible, palatable option for pups who need some encouragement to eat when the temperature climbs.
Both meals are Human Grade, gently-cooked, and made without artificial additives or preservatives.
Practical Ways to Support Your Pet's Water Intake This Summer
Food is one piece of the hydration puzzle, but there are simple changes to the water setup that can make a real difference day to day.
Fresh water in multiple locations around the home, particularly in cooler spots, tends to get more attention than a single bowl in one corner. For cats specifically, placing a water source away from their food bowl can encourage more drinking. That instinct to keep food and water separate carries over from their evolutionary history and is worth working with rather than against.
For both cats and dogs, adding a small amount of warm water to meals on hot days is a low-effort way to increase moisture intake without any resistance. It also makes the meal more aromatic and appealing, which can be the nudge a summer-sluggish pet needs.
Hydration Through the Bowl, Every Day of July
Tom&Sawyer builds every recipe with the full picture of pet wellness in mind, and that includes the moisture content that supports hydration from the inside out. Our meals are prepared in a federally inspected Human Grade facility, made from whole-food ingredients, and gently-cooked to retain their nutritional value and moisture through every step of the process.
This National Pet Hydration Awareness Month, what goes in the bowl is worth looking at differently. Not just as nutrition, but as one of the most consistent, reliable sources of daily hydration your pet has. Give your four-legged fam the kind of meals that meet them in July and all year round, and help them live happier, healthier, longer lives™.
* currently available in Canada only
Resources
[1] Otto, C. M., Hare, E., Nord, J. L., et al. “Evaluation of Three Hydration Strategies in Detection Dogs Working in a Hot Environment.” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2017.
[2] Yates, A. A. “Food Intake, Appetite, and Work in Hot Environments.” In Nutritional Needs in Hot Environments: Applications for Military Personnel in Field Operations. National Academies Press, 1993.
[3] Goldberg, M. B., Langman, V. A., & Taylor, C. R. “Panting in Dogs: Paths of Air Flow in Response to Heat and Exercise.” Respiratory Physiology, 1981;43(3):327–338. doi:10.1016/0034-5687(81)90113-4.
