Increasing water intake for a cat with 0 thirst drive

Musiaka

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Since I started feeding Musiaka wet food only 1 year ago, his thirst drive is non existant. I saw him drink water only 2 times during this year. I wasn't too worried, cause wet food has high moisture content, but he looks a bit dehydrated and we are having a major heat wave. His fur looks dryish and he's still shedding. He isn't interested in water in any shape or form - I have a water fountain and it just doesn't exist to him. I tried squirting some water into his mouth but it ended up in him throwing up the liquid later on

Our local vet pharmacy has a special electrolyte drink that's irresistable for pets and Musiaka does drink it on his own. But I think it has so much taste enhancers (the vet says literally not a single cat or dog has refused it) that it also ends up causing tummy issues. He won't eat food that's been diluted with water and he in general eats very little now during the day when it's abnormally hot (we have no ac) and mostly eats during the night. Luckily he doesn't vomit too often right now.

Any ideas on how to get him hydrated?
 

CindyH66

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I have heard some people add a little chicken broth to water ... watch the salt, tho ! good luck ! 🤞
 

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Hi Try a different fountain ( I went through four before I found THE ONE :) ) and also try tall water glasses or mason jars, placed in unusual locations in the house (not near his food) and other ceramic or glass bowls at different heights (placed on a small box, or several books etc). Fresh filtered water daily (cats don't need the fouride and other "stuff" that's in tap water) and fresh cleaned daily vessels.
 

chelsmarie

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I’ve been able to add a few teaspoons of water to my cat’s wet food, she slurps it up like a gravy. Otherwise, I too have never seen her drinking water EVER. She did at first when she was on dry food, but barely. Her fountain went unused and would get so moldy. I leave out a dish of fresh water but she doesn’t use it. I try to give her lickable treats now and then to supplement.
 

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It sometimes takes a few tries (and merchandise returns) of fountains to find what appeals to the cat, sometimes they might not like the way the water flows, or the sound of the little motor etc. But yea, fountains need to be cleaned very frequently, including the motor housing and the implellor because mold growth can start in the tiniest crevices and general slime starts fast. Giving attention to the bowl daily is the best approach, and keeping an eye on the motor housing for any discoloration and cleaning that typically needs to happen at the very least on a weekly basis.
 
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Musiaka

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I have heard some people add a little chicken broth to water ... watch the salt, tho ! good luck ! 🤞
He can't have chicken due to ibd
 
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Musiaka

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He used to love the water foutain we have, when he ate kibble, this water fountain was in constant use. I'm not sure I can afford buying many of them to try as we can't return stuff once unpacked and fountains are expensive.
Does anyone know if water, if syringed, can irritate an ibd stomach? Or maybe it doesn't go down as it should if the cat is resisting?
 

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You could utilize Amazon, they have a very efficient returns process :) but you may have good luck with a couple of mason jars in different locations.
 

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What is the additive that didn't work for him?

Betty is having a low grade fever right now and I would really like her to stay hydrated. But she too, does not drink. I have not landed on the fountain she likes. And she's not eating very well right now, probably because of the fever.

Because she doesn't have any severe symptoms, we have not ruled out chicken yet. For her, I will be going out and picking up a premade bone broth and making my own if she doesn't go for it.
 
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Musiaka

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What is the additive that didn't work for him?

Betty is having a low grade fever right now and I would really like her to stay hydrated. But she too, does not drink. I have not landed on the fountain she likes. And she's not eating very well right now, probably because of the fever.

Because she doesn't have any severe symptoms, we have not ruled out chicken yet. For her, I will be going out and picking up a premade bone broth and making my own if she doesn't go for it.
I think it was the dextrose and the chicken flavoring that didn't work for him. Otherwise it would have been a great thing for hydration as it's the only liquid he touched by himself since a long time ago. Maybe I will also try bone broth, but I'm a bit worried about the fat content as Musiaka has gallbladder issues.
 

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Maybe I will also try bone broth, but I'm a bit worried about the fat content as Musiaka has gallbladder issues.
Would 0.05% be low enough (that's the minimum, the max is .5%)? I have Nature's Logic dehydrated beef bone broth (the manufacturer confirmed they do not add sodium).
 
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Hydration is really tricky during hot weather - we had a hot day yesterday and my cat didn't eat much or drink during the day so I was also worried about dehydration. He eats exclusively wet/raw food and I also rarely see him drinking although he does drink any water I add to his food. However, he only had a few bites of food during the day yesterday and only ate properly in the evening after it cooled down.

What I found was that he does accept Churu tube puree treats during the day when it's hot - does your cat like those? They are mostly water so they can help with hydration. You can also put them in the fridge to make them a cooling treat. There are also gravies, broths, and mousses made specifically for cats that are high in water content that you can try giving him during the day. Even if he only has a little, it would still help.

The other thing to try is feeding him early in the morning before it gets hot - that way he can get some food and hydration in before the hot weather really kicks in.
 

daftcat75

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I think it was the dextrose and the chicken flavoring that didn't work for him. Otherwise it would have been a great thing for hydration as it's the only liquid he touched by himself since a long time ago. Maybe I will also try bone broth, but I'm a bit worried about the fat content as Musiaka has gallbladder issues.
Bone broth shouldn’t have much fat at all. If you’re making it yourself, you will skim off the top after it cools and before you freeze whatever you won’t serve in a few days. Commercially prepared bone broth has zero fat.
 

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As long as your cat isn't dehydrated, I wouldn't worry about it. Do the skin test: pull up the loose skin at the back of the neck as far as it will go. Then let it drop back down. If the skin snaps back into place, the cat is hydrated. If the skin slowly sinks back down, the cat is dehydrated and should be seen by a vet in case IV fluids are needed.

Canned food has plenty of moisture. You can add extra water to it as well. How much water to add depends on your cat's preference. Some will eat soup. Others barely tolerate a spoonful of water.

Some cats don't tolerate being syringed anything. Water won't irritate any stomach so if water just leaks out of the mouth, your cat is just resisting.

Regardless of whether you see your cat drink from a water source, you must have a bowl or fountain of fresh water available at all times. Clean the bowl or fountain regularly to remove bacteria and sludge build up. Some dish soaps leave behind a scent or reside that cats detect and may result in them thinking the water is yucky so they won't drink.
 
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Musiaka

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As long as your cat isn't dehydrated, I wouldn't worry about it. Do the skin test: pull up the loose skin at the back of the neck as far as it will go. Then let it drop back down. If the skin snaps back into place, the cat is hydrated. If the skin slowly sinks back down, the cat is dehydrated and should be seen by a vet in case IV fluids are needed.

Canned food has plenty of moisture. You can add extra water to it as well. How much water to add depends on your cat's preference. Some will eat soup. Others barely tolerate a spoonful of water.

Some cats don't tolerate being syringed anything. Water won't irritate any stomach so if water just leaks out of the mouth, your cat is just resisting.

Regardless of whether you see your cat drink from a water source, you must have a bowl or fountain of fresh water available at all times. Clean the bowl or fountain regularly to remove bacteria and sludge build up. Some dish soaps leave behind a scent or reside that cats detect and may result in them thinking the water is yucky so they won't drink.
His skin snaps right back, but his fur looks dry. We are suffering from a heat wave with no AC at home and he's shedding like crazy and has been vomiting again, I think he has a hairball stuck, because all that shedding and still no hairball in the vomit. I hope he won't get dehydrated from the vomiting. He did eat a lot during the night/morning though. No appetite during the hottest hours and nausea, which is why I worry about his hydration :/
 

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do the pinch test on his scruff tocheck if he is hydrated you can also add few spoons of water mixed into his canned food only negative with that is it mixes with any gravy etc. he might just lick it all and leave the food behind
 

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do the pinch test on his scruff tocheck if he is hydrated you can also add few spoons of water mixed into his canned food only negative with that is it mixes with any gravy etc. he might just lick it all and leave the food behind
That may not be a bad thing tho in his case since kitty is dehydrated.
 

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maybe add an ice cube or two into the fountain mght or might not work my lil sisters cats got used to the idea the fountain is for drinking after messin around trying to catch ice cubes out of it :lol:after all anything new must be messed with
 

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Sylvie eats only wet food (either canned with a little extra water added, or fully rehydrated freeze-dried raw) and has always ignored the water in her water bowl. For the most part, I don't worry about it, because she's getting plenty of liquid from her food, but I did mention it to our vet.

The vet advised me that a cat's water bowl should not be placed right next to the food dish, because the cat will instinctually avoid drinking that water. In the wild, she said, a big cat's food source (its freshly killed prey) and its water source (the nearest river or stream) will not be adjacent; if they were, the cat would consider that water source contaminated by the dead animal and would not drink from it.

I was skeptical, and don't have enough floor space in my kitchen to place the water bowl far from the food dish. But, as an experiment, I filled a Pyrex custard cup with water and tucked it into the little bit of floor space between the kitchen table and the microwave cart. To my amazement, Sylvie has been going there and drinking the water!
 
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