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What happens if we drink too much water? – Joseph, 7, United Kingdom

Dear Joseph,

As an early-rising science cat, I always lap up a bowl of coffee in the morning. After that, I drink fresh water from a cat fountain I keep near my desk.

But what if I drink too much of that thirst-quenching liquid?

I asked my friend Karen Anders if that can happen. She teaches nursing at Washington State University.

She told me that drinking too much water can cause a rare condition called water intoxication.

It’s rare because it doesn’t happen very often. Even if you guzzle lots of water, your kidneys can probably process it. You might feel sloshy and waterlogged. You might throw up, but then you’d just pee the excess water out of your body.

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