Mookie Drinks Water With New Wet Cat Food: Good Or Bad?

[Lenox]

Mookie (GF's cat) moved in in January, so there has been a lot of trial and error the past 3-4 months. One thing has been different wet canned cat food brands/sizes (and yes, I know it's bad to change it up and it's better to stick with one). Generally speaking, I do not catch her drinking water with most cat food brands. What I mean by this is that I see her drinking water maybe once every 2-3 weeks. However, with the latest brand I purchased, she actually is drinking water. Sometimes right after eating. Almost as if she ate dry food.

Is that a good or bad sign?

 

[Lenox]

This is the brand:

Merrick Purrfect Bistro Canned Cat Food Variety Pack - 4 Flavors (Chicken Divan, Beef Wellington, Chicken Casserole, Thanksgiving Day Dinner) - 5.5 Ounces Each (12 Total Cans)

 

[Azazel]

I wonder if this new cat food has a lot of added salt? Or, has the weather become warmer?

It also could be completely unrelated to the food and could be potentially a sign of an underlying condition. How is her appetite and energy? Excessive water drinking has been tied to kidney disease and hyperthyroid. Given that she is 15, I would have a senior blood panel done by the vet.

 

[Lenox]

I wonder if this new cat food has a lot of added salt? Or, has the weather become warmer?

It also could be completely unrelated to the food and could be potentially a sign of an underlying condition. How is her appetite and energy? Excessive water drinking has been tied to kidney disease and hyperthyroid. Given that she is 15, I would have a senior blood panel done by the vet.

Not sure if the new cat food has a lot of added salt. Is that something printed on the nutrition label?

Her appetite and energy are old cat-ish. Same. Lays around. Is sweet for a few hours. Naps a bunch.

I wouldn't say it's excessive. It's that it went from no water drinking to some.

She just came by the vet on Saturday actually. Everything checked out but we are proceeding with some tests for some other issues.

 

[Azazel]

Not sure if the new cat food has a lot of added salt. Is that something printed on the nutrition label?

Her appetite and energy are old cat-ish. Same. Lays around. Is sweet for a few hours. Naps a bunch.

I wouldn't say it's excessive. It's that it went from no water drinking to some.

She just came by the vet on Saturday actually. Everything checked out but we are proceeding with some tests for some other issues.

I think they should typically list 'salt' in the ingredients list. But I don't normally see it added to canned foods as much as dry.

I would keep an eye on her behavior and weight. If she starts acting restless, losing weight, losing her appetite, vocalizing a lot, or feeling lethargic I would pursue further.

You could also just switch out that particular food for a week and see if she stops drinking again.

 

[lisahe]

I agree with A Azazel 's suggestions but also want to add that those four foods are a bit carby, not super high but if Mookie has been eating something like, say, Fancy Feast Classics, those would definitely be a little higher on the carbohydrate side. (You can check out carbs on this handy chart...) Drinking a lot of water can also be linked to diabetes so I might try seeing if she stops with the extra water if she eats lower carb foods.

Salt is definitely listed on food labels.

It's actually usually fine to switch canned foods, both brands and flavors within brands. I say "usually" only because there are a few cats whose digestive systems can't tolerate the change. Our cats, on the other hand, demand variety and wouldn't tolerate being fed the same thing all the time!

 

[KarenKat]

Just went to Chewy, and Salt is listed explicitly on all the Merrick cans. What did you switch from, was salt listed on those cans?

 

[Lenox]

Just went to Chewy, and Salt is listed explicitly on all the Merrick cans. What did you switch from, was salt listed on those cans?

This was the previous brand. But there have been probably 5 or so different brands/types. Only the brand in the original post makes her drink water afterwards. I'm still unclear from all the responses in this thread if that is a good or bad sign or unknown.

Merrick Whole Earth Farms Grain Free Wet Cat Food Variety Pack - 6 Flavors - 2.75 oz. Each (12 Total Cans) Real Salmon, Turkey, Duck, Beef, Tuna & Whitefish, and Chicken Recipe

 

[Lenox]

I agree with A Azazel 's suggestions but also want to add that those four foods are a bit carby, not super high but if Mookie has been eating something like, say, Fancy Feast Classics, those would definitely be a little higher on the carbohydrate side. (You can check out carbs on this handy chart...) Drinking a lot of water can also be linked to diabetes so I might try seeing if she stops with the extra water if she eats lower carb foods.

Salt is definitely listed on food labels.

It's actually usually fine to switch canned foods, both brands and flavors within brands. I say "usually" only because there are a few cats whose digestive systems can't tolerate the change. Our cats, on the other hand, demand variety and wouldn't tolerate being fed the same thing all the time!

I've been told that switching brands is bad because it makes cats picky eaters. They then expend something new every few weeks.

 

[Lenox]

I think they should typically list 'salt' in the ingredients list. But I don't normally see it added to canned foods as much as dry.

I would keep an eye on her behavior and weight. If she starts acting restless, losing weight, losing her appetite, vocalizing a lot, or feeling lethargic I would pursue further.

You could also just switch out that particular food for a week and see if she stops drinking again.

She'll be going to the next brand/type in a few days once this runs out. I bought a few different brands at once. If she stops drinking, is that a good or bad sign?

 

[KarenKat]

I'm still unclear from all the responses in this thread if that is a good or bad sign or unknown.

I would guess unknown if the drinking water is good, bad or neutral. We can only guess from the information, and we are not vets and can't diagnose. A vet visit or call might be best, make sure that she hasn't coincidentally developed something at the same time as a brand switch.

From my understanding, switching brands is not inherently bad as long as the cat's digestive system can handle it. If switching the food causes vomiting or diarrhea, or if the kitty has a sensitive stomach I would not do that. Our girl Olive seems to prefer switching flavors often, and I try and give her a different brand or flavor at each meal. Our boy Trin has possible IBD and switching anything on him has a period of adjustment. Because of this we go slow with the food changes for him, and probably will not give him as much of a range.

The benefit of having multiple flavors/brands is so that the cat is used to not just one food and will actually be less picky (or if there is a recipe change or the food is discontinued you have a fallback option or options). Also, if one brand is less nutritious, or ends up with a recall from missing or bad ingredients then the impact is less since that wasn't the only thing the cat ate.

She'll be going to the next brand/type in a few days once this runs out. I bought a few different brands at once. If she stops drinking, is that a good or bad sign?

Personally, I am not sure. I think is beyond my own experience level. I noticed when we first got Olive she was only on kibble and she tended to overgroom. She drank a LOT of water. When I switched her to canned food (and she groomed less since she was not as stressed), she drank less water. But as for specific water habits compared to the food brands, I haven't observed those myself but we switched her to a water fountain so I don't monitor the water as closely as I did. It's great that you are so in tune to with her habits you recognize the change, but I have no personal knowledge or experience as to what the increased water means and if it's good or bad. I wish I did. Let us know what you find out!

 

[Gizmobius]

I'm of the belief that sticking to one brand/flavor alone makes picky eaters because they won't ever want to try anything else. Variety is good when it comes to wet food. My male cat is primarily raw feed with very little canned and my female cat is all canned and neither of them ever drink water. So with that said, I'd be slightly alarmed if they did start drinking water suddenly.

I suppose it could be the salt. Salt makes humans more thirsty so I would assume it would do the same for cats. Keep a close eye on her. See how she does when you switch to the next brand and go from there. If she doesn't drink as much water, I would guess she's getting enough from her food and blame it on the salt.

 

[yeva2292]

Most likely its due to salt and you could try switching her back to her previous food to see if she stops drinking water again. Keep an eye on her weight, sleep patterns, and activity levels. If you notice changes in those, you probably do want to visit the vet to get some tests done and an expert opinion.

 

[chandler49]

Mookie (GF's cat) moved in in January, so there has been a lot of trial and error the past 3-4 months. One thing has been different wet canned cat food brands/sizes (and yes, I know it's bad to change it up and it's better to stick with one). Generally speaking, I do not catch her drinking water with most cat food brands. What I mean by this is that I see her drinking water maybe once every 2-3 weeks. However, with the latest brand I purchased, she actually is drinking water. Sometimes right after eating. Almost as if she ate dry food.

Is that a good or bad sign?

Thought I was crazy. See the same thing when feeding Merrick Rabbit or Chicken Pate. Seems to be thirsty. Sometimes Millie will move directly from food dish over to water bowel. Never see her drink when she eats Fancy Feast Classic Pates.

 

[duckpond]

My cats get a lot of different wet foods. I see them drink occasionally right after eating. Two of mine always seem too, no matter what they eat. As long as they do not have a health problem i would not worry about it. If she is at the water bowl a lot more than normal, then i would have a vet check.

 

[Lenox]

Thought I was crazy. See the same thing when feeding Merrick Rabbit or Chicken Pate. Seems to be thirsty. Sometimes Millie will move directly from food dish over to water bowel. Never see her drink when she eats Fancy Feast Classic Pates.

Aha! Thanks for confirming.