Monitoring Water Intake

Marisa496

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Hi,
I have 2 cats (Sam and Lee) and I was wondering of anyone had any tips on monitoring how much water a cat drinks.
Sam had a recent health scare (Hepatic Lipidosis) and I'm under the impression he's drinking more water than he used to. His last blood tests (in August) were completely fine so I'd like to be sure there's a problem before contacting the vet. I started measuring their water, but I've noticed both of them seem to love putting their paws in their water dishes and spilling the water everywhere before drinking it. They also play with the dishes and drag them. I've tried different dishes for both of them and even got them one of those fancy cat fountains (they broke it in two days) and the problem remains. They are indoor cats and they are usually alone during the day cause everyone works in my house.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
 

KittyCatCove

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I've had cats that drink more water and less and they did not have any health issues. Even my cat Buddy (who I recently lost because of CKD) loved drinking LOTS of water and swishing it around with his paw before drinking it... this was long before he was diagnosed with CKD. I guess what I am trying to say is if their blood work is normal, I would not be very concerned about their water intake. BTW, wet food contains 70-80% water.
 

Azazel

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The best thing to do for cats’ water intake is to feed all wet food. Cats won’t get enough water on dry food and excessive water drinking is usually a sign of dehydration or underlying illness. Cats on all wet food rarely, if ever, drink water. Cats are made to obtain moisture from the meat of their prey so an all wet diet is a better mimic of their natural diet than kibble.
 

jen

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Also agree with above. Get them on more of a canned diet or ideally all canned, add water to it even. ESPECIALLY for males! Then continue to check bloodwork yearly.
 

Uncled

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My two male cats eat only wet food, I have only seen William drink occasionally and Elliott once in the year and a half that we have had them. As stated by others wet is vital for cat health.
 
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MissClouseau

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Wet food is the best to control as it's been said. If you can give only one can a day, try to split it into different meals and add extra water to each. Like half of the can in the morning, the other half in the evening. I first change the water with fresh water in the morning to wait in case she drinks, then give some wet food and still add a bit extra water to that too.

There are also puree form treats or you can make your own with boiled chicken/turkey + its boiling water.

BTW we can't make them not splash the water with their paws unfortunately but to not spill all the water, there are heavy bowls or better, platforms with bowls, or "DIY water bowl no spill" - for Google search. My favorite method that only works in one room in my place is to stabilize the bowl by placing it in between two heavy plant containers of non-toxic plants.
 

Catsinger

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Hi,
I have 2 cats (Sam and Lee) and I was wondering of anyone had any tips on monitoring how much water a cat drinks.
Sam had a recent health scare (Hepatic Lipidosis) and I'm under the impression he's drinking more water than he used to. His last blood tests (in August) were completely fine so I'd like to be sure there's a problem before contacting the vet. I started measuring their water, but I've noticed both of them seem to love putting their paws in their water dishes and spilling the water everywhere before drinking it. They also play with the dishes and drag them. I've tried different dishes for both of them and even got them one of those fancy cat fountains (they broke it in two days) and the problem remains. They are indoor cats and they are usually alone during the day cause everyone works in my house.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
I spent a ton of money taking my boy to the vet hospital twice with urinary blockages due to not enough water intake. He was put on a special prescription diet. After the second visit, an aide at the hospital gave us the best ever advise. Put several water dishes around your house. If you're having trouble keeping the water in the dishes, buy the weighted ones with the wider bottom edge or the heavy ceramic dog bowls. My boy seems to like his dishes elevated, so one is on on the hearth about 4 inches above the floor and an other one is footed (we have a total of three dishes). We decided that the ingredients in the prescription food were almost the same as regular canned, so we just look for the ones with extra gravy. He's been fine for may years now (he just turned 9). One way to tell if they are getting enough water is to empty the litter pans daily and just check. It is tricky with 2 cats.
 

Azazel

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My two male cats eat only wet food, I have only seen William drink occasionally and Elliott once in the year and a half that we have had them. As stated by others wet is vital for cat health.
I refill my cats’ water bowls every morning, and yet, I haven’t seen a single one of them drink from them in a very long time. My water-obsessed cat enjoys splashing around in them though. :)

My vet is happy that my cats don’t drink water. She says only dehydrated cats regularly go to the water bowl.
 

jen

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My vet is happy that my cats don’t drink water. She says only dehydrated cats regularly go to the water bowl.
God it sure is nice to hear a vet who knows what they are talking about in regard to this.
 

Azazel

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God it sure is nice to hear a vet who knows what they are talking about in regard to this.
Yes, she is a gem. Also supports me feeding homemade raw. :clap2:
 
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JTBanana

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This thread just gave me the answer I was looking for! This site is so helpful. I was so worried about water intake as my little guys would rather play in it then drink it. So, I too now feed wet and add water to the food @ every feeding. I have a water bottle that I fill up start of the day that measures how much they drink for the day. Just like I do for myself. Works like a charm. I also add the water to the dry/wet food mix and they eat it right up.
 
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