Water For Your Bengal

Good fresh water is important for all living things and cats are no different. Making sure your pet has easy access to water is very important.

In some cities the water from the tap is not the best quality. If you keep bottled water for your personal consumption you should provide it to your pets as well.

Some natural sources of water such as wells, creeks or lakes can have minerals, bacteria and even parasites in them that are not good for your pet and can even make them sick. Boiling the water will help with bacteria and parasites but won't help with most minerals and compounds. Another compund, Arsenic, is a commonly occurring compound left over from pesticide use that can affect the quality of water you have available for your pet. If you have any questions about your water, switch to bottled water for your pet’s drinking water.

For those of you that are breeders there may be an additional issue with drinking water. There is a certain amount of empirical data that indicates the PH levels of the breeding queen can have an impact on the gender of the kittens she produces. Water is one of the ways your breeding female can have her PH impacted.

The theory is that the spermatozoa carrying the Y (male) chromosome are lighter and swim faster thus making it easier for them to reach the egg waiting to be fertilized after ovulation. They are however more fragile than those carrying the X (female) chromosome and are sensitive to higher PH levels. The PH level in the Queen's Uterus gets higher the longer she is in heat. At the third day of heat the PH levels make it harder for the Y spermatozoa to survive long enough to reach the unfertiized egg(s). The PH of the water the Queen drinks can also affect the PH levels in the Uterus. Giving higher PH water is believed by some to increase the chance of producing female offspring.

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