Doesn't Understand Drinking?

pearjas

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Hello everyone,
My kitty, named 'Lucky', is a cat that was dumped/abandoned at a gas station in September. As I had lost my senior cat earlier in the year, I figured it was a sign that it was time for another kitty. I've had her a while now, and aside from being sensitive to sounds, she has some odd traits that I've not really ever seen in cats.

She doesn't seem like she understands what water is or how to drink it. She is very curious. If I run the faucet, she will jump up and watch. If I have a drink in a cup, she's been known to sniff it. She does not acknowledge her water in a bowl. The few times I've seen her almost drink, she acts surprised upon how the water feels and pulls away real quickly.

She also insists on mostly eating wet food. She will snack on dry food in between meals if she's hungry, but she seems to only want wet food..and she wants it served on a plate. At least that's the easiest way I've found so far to be to her liking. She also requires food to be cut/shredded up in advance, so if it's a canned cat food that's more together like some types, she acts as if she doesn't understand how to eat it and will actually paw at it and lick her paw instead of just eating it regularly. Is any of this normal or perhaps even my fault? She doesn't appear dehydrated at all and is very healthy according to the 3 different vets I have taken her to since September.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi! Some cats just don't drink a lot, especially when they eat mostly canned/wet foods. You can always add some water to the foods she will eat, for added moisture. As far as her eating her food, I think she will eventually get the hang of it over time. Some cats like pates better, others like chunky foods - that is simply a cat preference. You can continue to experiment with that aspect.

In the meantime, regarding the water, maybe help her 'dip' her paw in the water so that she will have to lick it off? You can try that with the faucet, and if she responds positively, you could consider getting her a water fountain - there are those that dispense water like a faucet would. The other thing is if the water is extremely cold, she might not be used to it, so maybe try some water that is a little less cool to see if that makes a difference. On the other hand. some cats like to bat at ice cubes, and lick them, so that is another possible 'trick' you could try.

I am sure other members will come along soon with additional ideas for you!
 

Whenallhellbreakslose

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A few of my cats would never drink water. One was proned to getting bad U.T.I.'s. I had to cut the dry food out completely with that cat. I did put a little water in their wet food, when I was able I bought premium cat food with a higher moisture levels. I was successful in getting one of the kitties to drink water by putting some tuna juice in it. I also used the Friskies broths and added some water, so that the kitty would drink. There are these soups some cat food lines make that you can look into as well. I would tell you to avoid using the broths you find in the supermarket because they have ingredients that are not good for the kitties, even the salt-free versions.

You will have to experiment and see what works. I had a friend who had a kitty who wouldn't drink water. A family member gave her a water fountain, she set it up, thinking it was going to be a waste of time, and strangly enough her cat was drawn to it. At first, she started playing around with it, but then she finally start drinking from it. I don't know if this will work for your kitty, but just thought I share this with you.

Well, I hope you find something that works. Best of luck.🙂
 

Rowen

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Hello everyone,
My kitty, named 'Lucky', is a cat that was dumped/abandoned at a gas station in September. As I had lost my senior cat earlier in the year, I figured it was a sign that it was time for another kitty. I've had her a while now, and aside from being sensitive to sounds, she has some odd traits that I've not really ever seen in cats.

She doesn't seem like she understands what water is or how to drink it. She is very curious. If I run the faucet, she will jump up and watch. If I have a drink in a cup, she's been known to sniff it. She does not acknowledge her water in a bowl. The few times I've seen her almost drink, she acts surprised upon how the water feels and pulls away real quickly.

She also insists on mostly eating wet food. She will snack on dry food in between meals if she's hungry, but she seems to only want wet food..and she wants it served on a plate. At least that's the easiest way I've found so far to be to her liking. She also requires food to be cut/shredded up in advance, so if it's a canned cat food that's more together like some types, she acts as if she doesn't understand how to eat it and will actually paw at it and lick her paw instead of just eating it regularly. Is any of this normal or perhaps even my fault? She doesn't appear dehydrated at all and is very healthy according to the 3 different vets I have taken her to since September.
When my cat Gem was a kitten I played with her water to get her interested - she ended up being a big water drinker but her diet was primarily dry with some wet. When I brought my new kitten Robin home the shelter had given us some dry- I saw her drink then. Now that shes on all wet I never see her drink. We also add water to her food.
 

Mr. Meow

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Wet food contains more moisture, so I'm not as worried about her being dehydrated than if she was only eating dry food.
A couple of things you can try - cat water fountains! The sound entices them to want to drink, the moving water keeps it in better condition than a stagnant bowl, and most have filters to help keep it clean for a long time. You can also try putting ice in the bowl, sometimes they like trying to lick the ice cubes.
 

TobyTims

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I wanted to chime in and say my cat Lola (13 months) was exactly the same! For the first year of her life, she seemed totally puzzled by water, occasionally shoving her nose in a bowl and being shocked it was wet! It was bizarre. We tried a water fountain but aside from some rare occasions, it didn't work. She mainly eats a wet food diet so I figured she was okay and on vet visits, they always said she was well and no signs of dehydration.

However, in the last month, all of a sudden - she is drinking water out of a bowl quite regularly!! At first, I was kind of worried and convinced she must be sick but the vet says she is well. It coincided with us getting a second cat who loves to drink water, so perhaps she learned from her? I'm not sure. But maybe there is hope for your kitty to learn, too :)

Either way she seems well looked after and happy, so I wouldn't worry too much.
 
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pearjas

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Thank you everyone! A fountain sounds like it's worth trying out. Hopefully she will be like some of the others and just get curious enough to drink the water eventually :p
 
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