Getting A Feral Cat To Drink Water

[ria0089]

We caught a feral cat, coaxed it by feeding it everyday, then finally opened door it lead itself inside the house. It's still skittish to strangers, but it's showing signs of trust and coming out frequently to play, be pet, eat, purring, talking to us, etc.

The problem is, it doesn't want to drink any water! I also suspect it didn't from the bowl outside, but I'm sure it did from puddles or spots of water on the ground(?). The funny thing is, the cat knows how to drink (from a bowl)--it drank the little milk we give him at times. But, when it comes to water, it's like he doesn't know what to do with it. I've tried throwing a piece of food to see if he'd pick it up, I've tried mixing it with the milk in case his senses were off, I've tried showing him where the water physically with my finger, we've even tried giving him a colored bowl in thinking he couldn't see it. Yet, The most he does is just sniff it and turn away.
(He did lick up some that spilt today off the mat though...)

The vet said he was 8 months old and healthy, no bugs or worms. We feed him wet food more than dry now because of this. We've had lots of cats in that past know what to expect for the most part, and he's pretty comfortable with everything.

Is there anyway we can coax/teach him better, or is it just time? I know he is getting water from the wet food, but is it enough?

 

[tabbytom]

Hello ria0089, welcome to TCS

If you are feeding him wet food, it should be sufficient for his water intake. If not, you may want to add a little water into his wet food so that he gets more hydrated. But too much water in the wet food may not be too good as some cats drink more than eat and they get filled up faster with water and not food and not getting the nutrients from the food itself. So just be moderate in adding the water and see how it goes and adjust from there.

Cats drink from different spots, be it plates, bowls, puddles of water, floor, from the tap or anywhere. So it’s a little hard to get them to drink from certain bowls or plates sometimes especially if they have been used to drinking from other sources.

 

[shadowsrescue]

I always add a bit of water to the wet food. I also use a pet fountain. My feral boys that I have brought inside love the fountain.

 

[msaimee]

Yes, I add a little water to their wet food, too. You might want to try a larger-sized bowl for the water. I've read that small food and water bowls can bother a cat's whiskers. I use a soup bowl for one of their water bowls. Sometimes one of my former ferals dips his paws in it to wash them, I suppose like he used to dip them in the stream when he was outside. I change their water a few times a day so it's always fresh. You may just need to experiment with different kinds of water bowls. Also, I've noticed that cats tend to drink water at night. So it's possible that your kitty is drinking the water when you're not around.

 

[trudy1]

I have a few “ problem drinkers”, especially the guys. The pioneer fountain is great! They seem to love the running water. A little expensive but they run forever. But if you get one be sure to follow their recommendation on cleaning. We have some that are going on four years with the same pump! I also have large ceramic bowls out. Not deep but big around. Even a few cool whip bowls scattered about. Fresh water every day and rinsed. IMO four water sources scattered in the house are not overkill for 1-2 cats.

 

[ria0089]

UPDATE:
I just caught him drinking it out of his bowl from yesterday night to this morning. He does have an odd eating schedule so it was hard to tell. Nevertheless, thank you for your responses!