How Much Water To Add

yeva2292

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I bought Smallbatch chicken sliders today to start Smokey on her transition to raw. The bag says max 68% moisture, compared to the 82% she's been getting from canned - plus the 1 tbs of water we add to her dinner every day. She's not a big fan of drinking water from other sources.

Is there a simple way to calculate how much water to add to her meals when she's 100% on raw? I plan on staying with commercial raw for now. Do you think adding 1 tbs of water to her food, 3x a day be ok?
 

silverpersian

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My understanding is that the more water, the better. I would gradually increase the amount to avoid a sudden change in consistency.

I add enough water to make my cats' food like a thick soup.
 
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yeva2292

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Ok! So I'll just keep her at the 1 tbs extra per day (if she transitions well), and then slowly bump it up. I remember when I had asked her vet about adding to her canned food, he'd said "well, obviously 1/4 cup would be too much to add". So I'll keep it below that.... maybe :biggrin:
 

orange&white

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I don't know that there is a "formula" but more water can't hurt. I mix my cats' food in all chunks, so water doesn't stick to it like ground. My kitten won't drink the "gravy" with water and supplements, so I stopped adding any water to her recipes. The supplements and egg yolk stick to the meat better without more liquid.

My senior cat is on a diet, and I've been adding a pound of water (as premade unflavored gelatin) to 2 pounds of his food. So he is essentially drinking an extra 1/4 cup of water a day in addition to the natural water content of raw meat. It makes him feel more full and, unlike the kitten, he loves his "soup". :p

So, I'd say add as much as she'll tolerate, but don't add so much that she fills up on water and doesn't eat enough food to satisfy her minimum nutritional needs.
 

Ardina

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You can experiment with different amounts of water and see what your cat likes. Saipha has always been a gravy-licker, so I add enough water to make a stew-like consistency, and she laps it right up.
 
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yeva2292

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Thanks so much for the advice! Maybe tomorrow I'll try a little experiment - one bowl with water + 1/2 slider and another bowl of water mixed with the other half of the slider and see which she likes more!
 
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yeva2292

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Well, she definitely ended up preferring water added to the side over mixed in! Not to jinx myself, but I'm rather surprised at how easy she's switching over. I just need to cut out her morning meal of canned food and she'll be 100% raw.
 

orange&white

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Some cats become "hopeless kibble addicts". Most cats, when given food choices, prefer healthy raw food. :) Glad to hear the transition is going well!
 
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