Is my cat drinking enough?

shebaa

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I have a 11lb 1 year old. Had to take him to the pet urgent care for something else, vet said he was minimally dehydrated after seeing his eyes. No skin tent. Morning, he gets half a can of friskies with half of a 1/4 cup of dry. Same for dinner. The wet has 82% moisture. Since the vet visit, I have added water to his food, about a tbs per meal, so 2 tbs extra water a day. It's been a while since I've seen him drinking, maybe right before the vet visit (friday). His eyes still look sunken in despite the 100mls of fluids they gave him that day, no skin tent either. He eats, plays, still have zooming, all normal. I ordered a fountain so I'm hoping he likes it. I'm wondering based off of that, how much water is he still lacking? He has a appt on the 8th but till then I'm just curious
 

verna davies

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Not all cats drink water, they get the moisture needed from the wet food. As you are adding water to his food that's great but if you decrease the dry and increase the wet that will help, cutting out the dry other than a small treat daily will be even better.
 
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shebaa

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I'm hoping the cat fountain works otherwise I will have to decrease the dry food
 

Robyn5678

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I would cut back the dry and add more wet. And add more water if he tolerates it. I add a full can of water to my cats wet food. Some cats won’t eat it if you do so you’ll need to figure out how much you can add to yours
 
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shebaa

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He prefers no added water. Looks at like "mom you ruined it!" He still eats it though. I'll add more slowly over time. You add a 5.5oz can of water to it? What brand/texture do you feed? Mine gets shreds or prime filets friskies. I feel like a whole can of water will completely ruin it for him
 

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He prefers no added water. Looks at like "mom you ruined it!" He still eats it though. I'll add more slowly over time. You add a 5.5oz can of water to it? What brand/texture do you feed? Mine gets shreds or prime filets friskies. I feel like a whole can of water will completely ruin it for him
Would he lick up a bowl of freshly made broth that is served separately from main meals?

I've been making regular batches of stock and have started freezing it in ice trays (then ziplocking).

Desmond will lap up broth as a "snack." I typically serve from 2-4 tablespoons. Perhaps an option for you?

Bill
 

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He prefers no added water. Looks at like "mom you ruined it!" He still eats it though. I'll add more slowly over time. You add a 5.5oz can of water to it? What brand/texture do you feed? Mine gets shreds or prime filets friskies. I feel like a whole can of water will completely ruin it for him
I use either 4 3 ounce cans of food or a 5.5 ounce and 2 3 ounces. The main part is pate and then I have a shreds of some sort that I add or it’s all pate. I also don’t mix the water in, I pour it around the food like it’s a moat. I use up to 3 ounces depending on any shreds I use. The tiki cat come in broth so theirs are nice and liquidy so I don’t add as much to that
 

Robyn5678

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Would he lick up a bowl of freshly made broth that is served separately from main meals?

I've been making regular batches of stock and have started freezing it in ice trays (then ziplocking).

Desmond will lap up broth as a "snack." I typically serve from 2-4 tablespoons. Perhaps an option for you?

Bill
How do you make your broth?
 

Box of Rain

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How do you make your broth?
Because I raw feed--and especially feed a lot of dark meat turkey--I tend to gather a lot of "excess" bones (as turkey legs are too large for cats to chew). Same with pork bones and beef bones. And I will use also chicken bones with and without meat (like legs and thighs).

If I'm not making broth right away, I will freeze the bones until ready.

Since I often "split" the stock between a portion for the cat and delicious soup for we humans, I will typically roast the bones in a hot oven (425) until golden brown (although this step is optional) then the bones and meat go into a pot covered with water and I will simmer it stovetop for hours.

I remove the "cat's portion" before adding salt, other seasonings, or allums (like onions and garlic, which are not suitable for cats).

If there are special reasons to keep fat low one can refrigerate the stock (after first allowing it to cool) and skim the fat once it solidifies. That's not an issue here. I typically take enough broth to fill one or two ice trays and freeze them (before zip locking) Then gently reheat and serve warm.

My Desmond does not drink very much water, but he will lap up the homemade broth. Sometimes I will use a small amount in lieu of water to warm his meals, but he will consume more if the broth is served alone between meals.

Might be something to try. Using chicken legs and/or thighs is an easy way to start if you don't have a regular supply of bones.

Hope this helps.

Bill
 
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shebaa

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I use either 4 3 ounce cans of food or a 5.5 ounce and 2 3 ounces. The main part is pate and then I have a shreds of some sort that I add or it’s all pate. I also don’t mix the water in, I pour it around the food like it’s a moat. I use up to 3 ounces depending on any shreds I use. The tiki cat come in broth so theirs are nice and liquidy so I don’t add as much to that
That's a lot of water! Is this per day or per meal? I mixed the water in. Maybe I should add water first then the wet? I added wet to my other cats wet too. They both stared at it but then I added dry on top and they ate it
 

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I’ve had success with the moat method too, albeit my cat would never tolerate 3 oz of water added! I only feed her pates, it works best with the ones that are juicy since the water mixes with it and becomes a kind of gravy my girl laps up. I can usually add 2 tablespoons or so per feeding. I’ve never seen her drinking water otherwise, so I assume she feels hydrated. I had a fountain for her at first but she didn’t use it ever. Every fountain I ever owned, from plastic to ceramic to steel would get moldy and disgusting. I figure if you wouldn’t drink it, why should kitty?
 
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shebaa

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Can explain to me what exactly is the moat method?
I agree added water goes well with pate, not so much with shreds or other textures. But he's a piggy so I don't feed him pate since it's higher in calories and I don't want him to gain more weight. I set up my kitty cam facing the water bowl and saw he did drink water overnight. My guess if I calculating right he's getting about 65% of water with the wet and added water since I was able to increase that a big today, wasn't happy at first but he got over it. And then of course whatever he actually drinks from the bowl.
 

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Not sure about others, but for me, the moat method is putting the pate on the plate and I mush it up slightly and then I add water around it, but not on top. This creates a “moat” effect around the pate and the pate itself doesn’t get soupy.
 

Robyn5678

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That's a lot of water! Is this per day or per meal? I mixed the water in. Maybe I should add water first then the wet? I added wet to my other cats wet too. They both stared at it but then I added dry on top and they ate it
Per meal. I feed them 2 times a day. You’ll have to figure out how much water your cats will tolerate. I use a piece plate for the 3 of them hard to see but I kind of move the food part and then just pour the water around it
ACC581C6-6B0A-419F-97FC-BD6E12BB848B.jpeg
 
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shebaa

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this morning i poured the water in first then the wet. no disappointment faces from either cat! gonna keep adding more every meal.
 

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Every fountain I ever owned, from plastic to ceramic to steel would get moldy and disgusting.
Hi,
I have the pioneer pet fountain and just had to put on a new neck (Poppycat's been using this faithfully for a couple years). I clean it daily and additionally take the the motor housing apart and clean it and the impeller about once a week or so, but the neck has crevices that I couldn't take care of unless I soaked it in a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution. It finally got
to the point it wasn't working for him.

I can add a certain amount of water to some food I'm handfeeding him but otherwise it's a no-go :)

Anyway, this article talks a little about how much a cat should drink;

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake – TheCatSite Articles
 
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shebaa

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Fountain came today. They haven't used it. Any tips to get them using it? I have it where their regular bowl is.
 

Furballsmom

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Try adding an ice cube or two, and leave the fountain out for a few days, they may start.

Have a mason jar with fresh filtered water out for them as well.
 

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Nacho makes cat bone broth. My cat eats all wet but I also add a teaspoon of bone broth to each of her three meals. I give it to my dog as well.
 

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My moat method is to put the wet food in the middle of the dish, then add water. I don’t mash the food or mix it up.

Belle thought it was odd at first, but she’s used to it now. She doesn’t like it when I add water to the raw.

She was suspicious of the new water fountain. But before long, she was taking long drinks from it.

We give Belle bottled water. It’s much healthier than tap water for all of us and keeps her fountain much cleaner.
 
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