Food and water behaviors

[rang_27]

I have a couple of quick questions:

1. Several of my cats like to drink out of the dog bowl. My dog's water bowl is elevated and they have to stand on their back legs to get a drink. (My dog is a 105 lb Rotti/Shepard mix) One of my cats will only drink from that bowl. Does anyone else have cats that will only drink from their dog's bowl?

2. I have a cat that had a complete urinary blockage earlier this week. He is now on wet CD food. He has had a hard time with the switch and I was having to syringe fee him most of the week. Last night I discovered that if I add extra water and puree his food he will lap it up. This is fine in the short term, but I really don't want to have to puree his food for the rest of his life (he is only 2). Has anyone had luck switching a cat to prescription food? Given how severe his blockage was I could not do a slow transition.

 

[vball91]

1. I don't know why your cat likes to drink from your dog's bowl, but I don't see a problem with it. I suppose you could try getting her her own raised water bowl,. My cat likes to drink out of my water glass all the time. I thought cats didn't like the edges of the water bowl touching their whiskers, but my cat doesn't seem to mind sticking her face way down into my glass to drink, almost to the point of getting her head stuck! Who can figure out cats sometimes???

2. He shouldn't have to be on c/d for the rest of his life. Over-acidification of urine from long-term use of struvite prevention prescription diets is linked to the increase in calcium oxalate stone formation in cats. Personally, I would use c/d for as long as it takes to dissolve the existing struvites and lower urine pH to normal range (based on a urinalysis) and then switch him to all wet meaty diet which is naturally acidifying from the meat content but not overly so like the Rx diets. Here's more info on this. http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth#Prescription_Diets

 

[MoochNNoodles]

My Mother's cats and dog all drink from the same large bowl inside her house.  She has other bowls in the garage and one outdoors; but when they are inside they drink from that.  It's a very large mixing bowl basically; but they stay on 4 feet.