How can i get my cat to drink more water?

Question

How can i get my cat to drink more water?

Answer 1

For my IBD cat Rusty (you haven't seen diarrhea until you have experienced Rusty's liquid, highly aromatic poop), I found a good balance in wet and dry with Nutro for sensitive systems and (gasp!) Fancy Feast non-gluten non-fish varieties. The Nutro is also formulated for urinary health. I mix a little wet with the dry (another gasp). Have you tried (white albacore) tuna juice? It is a little more aromatic than clam juice. You can also put a little milk (cream preferred, lower lactose) in the water...yes, you'll probably see a little sloppy poop, but this is one of those times that 'anything goes' when it comes to getting your cat better. Ditto for yogurt (Greek or plain preferred, or vanilla, no aspartame).



Do you think your cat will eat raw? A raw chicken neck or wing to chew on (the bones are soft and will not hurt) or some raw chicken breast will provide lots of fluids, and I've had cats scarf down raw when they refused anything else.



You might want to look into supplementing your cat's food with enzymes, as these digestive aids can do wonders for keeping the digestive system working well and at peak performance. I bless the day I discovered Dr. Goodpet's plant-based enzymes -- what a huge help it has been.



During this difficult period, get some kiddie pedialyte (in the baby aisle) and even if you can only get a few drops in him, this will help mightily with hydration and keeping electrolytes in balance, which your kitty needs right now.



Finally, get some bottled water if you are on a public water supply. The chlorine and fluoride in public water is way too much for a cat, not to mention they can smell it. Most public water has 145-250 ppm of 'stuff,' and a lot of it is calcium....and hmmm...excess calcium is known to cause crystals in the bladder. I've seen people say it is miraculous the way their pets took to drinking after giving their pets bottled or filtered water.



Good luck. Finding the right balance can be a tedious task, as it often takes 3-4 weeks for a cat's system to adjust to foods and show any improvement. It took me 17 months of frustration before we hit on the Nutro/Fancy Feast and enzyme formula. Not all cats are the same, so there is no one formula that works for each cat.



Good luck. Keep plugging.



P.S. I saw recently where someone suggested feeding a cat salty foods to encourage them to drink -- please, please, please ignore that as really, really bad advice if anyone suggest that to you. A kitty's kidneys can't tolerate a lot of salt.

Answer 2

If he is dehydrated or is not drinking as much water as the vet wants him to, you can give him fluids subcutaneously.



This is not the same as an IV - IV stands for Inter-Venously, via the veins.



A vet will insert an IV needle into a cat's leg and allow fluid to enter the vein.



You don't want to do that because it takes a lot of practice to hit the vein correctly and you can damage the vein and the cat's leg.



Giving fluids subcutaneously is done by pulling up a large tent of skin between the cat's shoulders and inserting the needle under the skin.



This is commonly done at home for cats with CRF (Chronic Renal Failure - kidney failure.)



Check with your vet about this. It is easy to learn and once the needle is in place, there is no discomfort.



I had always thought that an IV needle in your arm would hurt or at least be uncomfortable. Then I had a heart attack on 11/10/02. I had several IV lines put in and I was surprised to learn that once the needle is in place, you don't feel the needle.



The same goes for giving a cat subcutaneous fluids - once you get the needle into the cat' skin, they don't feel it.



Talk to your vet.



If you find that you are going to be giving a lot of subcutaneous fluids, you will want to purchase supplies elsewhere - the vet will charge too much.



We buy 1000ml bags of Lactated Ringers Solution for $1.25 to $2.50 depending upon where we buy it and current prices.



We buy 100 needles for $7



IV tubing sets are around $1.50 each.



The vet will charge you more - we've been charged $14 for one bag of Lactated Ringers Solution, $4.25 for a dozen needles, and $9 for one IV tubing set.



We've not ordered any of these for a while and the prices may have gone up, haven't all prices gone up? :-(



We buy needles and tubing sets from Brico Medical Supplies



http://www.bricomedicalsupplies.com/CRFpage.html



We purchase Lactated Ringers Solution from a Sam's Club pharmacy.



If you cat is dehydrated or the vet wants more fluids in him, talk to your vet about giving him fluids subcutaneously.



Feel free to email me via my profile page - click on my name at the top left corner of this answer to go to my profile. There is an email link on the profile page.



I can give you the entire procedure, step by step, and point out any mistakes we have made so you can avoid them.

Answer 3

I don't know but tell your vet. They can give him an IV in the office and teach you how to do it at home.

Answer 4

Edited to add

What you call an accusation was just a post to help. I would hope you want THE answer instead of just something you may agree with

I do not think that for a minute you believed what you feed and have been told is good would harm the cat. My accusation is towards the food companies whose motive is pure profit and nothing else

\FYI, READ THE LABEL on what you are feeding

There is nothing special or good about what you are feeding.

I take that back, the PRICE of that garbage is special

Again, proper food for the species will solve your problems.

Canned foods with no grain or a raw diet. There are supplements that can be added for diarrhea



I am not trying to be rude here. The problem is the parent. The parent will allow a kid to eat potato chips every day for breakfast lunch and dinner because the kid refuses to eat anything else. The parent gives up too easily even though this type of diet may cause serious problems down the line.



Bladder infections??? Fortunately it is not a blockage----- yet

Infections hmmmm--- from this site

http://www.catinfo.org/makingcatfood.htm#The_Dangers_of_Dry_Food

With regard to the extremely dangerous and life-threatening fungal toxins found in commercial dry food, this issue will never be a worry when feeding a grain-free diet - either in the form of canned food or the diet discussed on this page.

And if mold toxins and bacteria in dry food are not enough to cause us worry, please consider the fact that the fats contained in dry food become rancid over time - even with the preservatives that are added to the food. Heat, oxygen and light are all factors involved in fats becoming rancid. Keeping dry food in the refrigerator will help with the issue of heat but that still leaves the oxidation issue unaddressed.

Dry foods that are fed to pets sit in warm warehouses and pet food stores before they even reach our pets' bowls - promoting rancidity of fats, bacterial growth, mold growth, and toxin formation, and proliferation of storage mites.

From me

Cats are NOT normally big drinkers and are suppose to get ALL of their moisture needs from their prey/food. Even if they drank enough to satisfy you, it cannot possibly drink enough to make up for what they need and the dehydrating factors of dry foods

Tips to break kitty crack addicts

http://www.catinfo.org/#Transitioning_Dry_Food_Addicts_to_Canned_Food_





Nutrition since there are so many bad things out there is very important to your cat’s health

Contrary to what you may have heard; dry foods are not a great thing to feed a cat.

Please read the label on what you are feeding? What are the ingredients? Do you know what they mean? Is the first ingrediant a muscle meat like chicken or meal or other things?

http://www.catinfo.org/#Learn_How_To_Read_a_Pet_Food_Ingredient_Label

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04/Perhach/PetFood/InterpretingLabels.htm

Dry foods are the number 1 cause of diabetes in cats as well as being a huge contributing factor to kidney disease, obesity, crystals, u.t.i’s and a host of other problems. Male cats are especially prone to blockages

from dry food. Food allergies are very common when feeding dry foods. Rashes, scabs behind the tail and on the chin are all symptoms The problems associated with Dry food is that they are loaded with grains and carbohydrates which many cats (carnivores) cannot process. Also, Most of the moisture a cat needs is suppose to be in the food but in Dry, 95% of it is zapped out of dry foods in the processing. Another thing, most use horrible ingredients and don't use a muscle meat as the primary ingredient and use vegetable based protein versus animal. Not good for an animal that has to eat meat to survive.

http://www.catinfo.org/#My_Cat_is_Doing_Just_Fine_on_Dry_Food

You want to pick a canned food w/o gravy (gravy=carbs) that uses a muscle meat as the first ingredient and doesn't have corn at least in the first 3 ingredients if at all.

THE BEST CAT FOODS CONTAIN NO GRAINS NO BYPOODUCTS NO MEAL

Cats are meat eaters not cereal or rice eaters

Fancy feast is a middle grade food with 9lives, friskies whiskas lower grade canned and wellness and merrick upper grade human quality foods. I would rather feed a middle grade canned food then the top of the line dry food.

Also, dry food is not proven to be better for teeth. Does a hard pretzel clean your teeth or do pieces of it get stuck? http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/bpo_ch4a.php



Please read about cat nutrition.

http://www.catinfo.org/

http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.htm

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm#Dry_Food_vs_Canned_Food.__Which_is_reall



Vetinarian diets The reason your vet thinks so highly of the pet food they sell probably has more to do with money than nutrition. In vet school, the only classes offered on nutrition usually last a few weeks, and are taught by representatives from the pet food companies. Vet students may also receive free food for their own dogs and cats at home. They could get an Iams notebook, a Purina purse and some free pizza. http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04/Perhach/PetFood/Vets.htm

Answer 5

he'll drink when he needs a drink.





if he doesn't start drinking for a long time, call the vet.





he may just be picky.

Answer 6

Hi there,



It is hard to force -feed a cat sufficient fluid to hydrate them properly. Often they just end up fighting the caretaker or will vomit the fluid up.



Ask your vet to teach you how to give subcutaneous fluids. It is not difficult, and you can sufficiently hydrate a cat in a short time. Once he is infused, his body will absorb the fluid he needs. Your vet will sell you the fluid he needs in an IV bag which hangs. There is a plastic line he will also sell you and a syringe.. insert syringe under the skin the way your vet teaches you, open the line and your cat will get his fluids. Works like a charm!



It is far easier to do sub-q fluids than force feed fluids and much more likely to be helpful to your cat.



It sounds difficult, but it really is not, and your vet can teach you how to do this in a short time. I kept a cat in renal failure happy and healthy for a couple of years infusing her every couple of days. She did not mind it at all. And her appetite improved tremendously.



Troublesniffer

Owned by cats for over 40 years

Member: Cat Writer's Association