Difficulty Giving Cat Water

[ma1998]

I have another thread that explains the problem with my cat. He is not eating his favorite wet food as much, but he eats his dry food. I know that dry food requires a lot of water, but whenever I give him a bowl of it, he doesn't drink. The last trip to the vet was two days ago, and the vet gave him a fluid shot to keep him hydrated. I am worried that if he doesn't drink water today it may cause problems. So is there any way to help him drink water?

 

[tabbytom]

Can you try giving him ice cubes to play and maybe he'll lick it and like cold water?

 

[LTS3]

There are some tips here Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake

You can also syringe water into your cat's mouth. Use an oral syringe like this one

A 3 cc / ml syringe is a good size to use. Most pharmacies sell these OTC. Ask the pharmacist if you can't find any in the OTC medicine section. A pet feeding syringe from a pet store will also work. These are typically used to feed orphaned kittens and puppies.

Slowly syringe small amounts of water into the cat's mouth. Tilting the head upwards helps to get the cat to swallow. Give the cat a few seconds between each syringe to breathe and rest. If your cat really fights you, let the cat go and try again later.

You should call the vet and ask for his / her advice as well. Did the vet ever diagnose what the issue is?

 

[ma1998]

There are some tips here Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake

You can also syringe water into your cat's mouth. Use an oral syringe like this one

A 3 cc / ml syringe is a good size to use. Most pharmacies sell these OTC. Ask the pharmacist if you can't find any in the OTC medicine section. A pet feeding syringe from a pet store will also work. These are typically used to feed orphaned kittens and puppies.

Slowly syringe small amounts of water into the cat's mouth. Tilting the head upwards helps to get the cat to swallow. Give the cat a few seconds between each syringe to breathe and rest. If your cat really fights you, let the cat go and try again later.

You should call the vet and ask for his / her advice as well. Did the vet ever diagnose what the issue is?

Nope. She was supposed to call yesterday, so we called and the hospital said that they'll respond once the results are in. I'm really hoping she calls back today, because this can't go on. My cat only ate dry food yesterday and refused water, and so far he hasn't eaten anything today.

 

[ma1998]

On another note, we got him different brands and he seemed very eager to eat it. He would follow us, meow, and get ready to eat. Once we placed it into his bowl, he sniffs it and walks off. Do you know what this could be?

 

[ma1998]

There are some tips here Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake

You can also syringe water into your cat's mouth. Use an oral syringe like this one

A 3 cc / ml syringe is a good size to use. Most pharmacies sell these OTC. Ask the pharmacist if you can't find any in the OTC medicine section. A pet feeding syringe from a pet store will also work. These are typically used to feed orphaned kittens and puppies.

Slowly syringe small amounts of water into the cat's mouth. Tilting the head upwards helps to get the cat to swallow. Give the cat a few seconds between each syringe to breathe and rest. If your cat really fights you, let the cat go and try again later.

You should call the vet and ask for his / her advice as well. Did the vet ever diagnose what the issue is?

I just got done with her on the phone. She said his test results are normal. I told her about everything that I described here, and she said that as long as he's eating and not vomiting, it's fine. So the dry food intake is fine. I told her that he would turn his nose at his favorite brand, but she says that cats don't feel 100% already so it may take time. She said that he likely drinks water (probably at night since cats are finicky eaters), and if he's thirsty, he would too. She'll call back in a few days and even offered to give pills for him that helped him the day of the vet visit. I just hope he gets back into his normal diet of the wet food that he loves so much. Do you know if this is just temporary, since he's normal?

 

[mysugarcat]

Have you tried giving your cat Fancy Feast? My cat who had a loss of appetite started eating again once we brought out the Fancy Feast. Also, once your cat starts eating wet food again, you can add more water to the wet food to increase his fluid intake.

 

[ma1998]

Have you tried giving your cat Fancy Feast? My cat who had a loss of appetite started eating again once we brought out the Fancy Feast. Also, once your cat starts eating wet food again, you can add more water to the wet food to increase his fluid intake.

A few of the new brands we bought are Fancy Feast. We gave him the bag version, though (which he refused). We still have the canned ones. Right now he's eating the dry food and just finished a pile of cut up, cooked chicken. The vet said as long as he's eating something, it should be fine. I asked this to the other, but perhaps this is a temporary issue? Because the test results came back normal.

 

[mysugarcat]

A few of the new brands we bought are Fancy Feast. We gave him the bag version, though (which he refused). We still have the canned ones. Right now he's eating the dry food and just finished a pile of cut up, cooked chicken. The vet said as long as he's eating something, it should be fine. I asked this to the other, but perhaps this is a temporary issue? Because the test results came back normal.

It could just be a non-issue. Maybe your cat got tired of the flavor of his old food. Another option to get him to drink more water would be to get him a kitty water fountain! I heard cats prefer fresh, running water. I got one for my cats . Not sure if there has been a big difference in how much they drink, but I think it's worth a try. They're not too expensive and are very quiet!

 

[ma1998]

It could just be a non-issue. Maybe your cat got tired of the flavor of his old food. Another option to get him to drink more water would be to get him a kitty water fountain! I heard cats prefer fresh, running water. I got one for my cats . Not sure if there has been a big difference in how much they drink, but I think it's worth a try. They're not too expensive and are very quiet!

Good news, I fed him the canned Fancy Feast and he ate it, as well as drinking his water. He's also getting back to his old habits, like meowing more often, less lethargic/hiding, and being active.