Strictly wet diet & water intake?

wrenka

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Hi cat family.
My cat has been feeding strictly wet food for about 2 years now and is so much healthier. I will be transitioning to raw soon when we move. Anyways, about water intake - I open her canned food and place it in a bowl, measure 1 cup of water, and add it to the food, mix it, and feed this through the day My question is; is that enough water? The food is wet, she does not drink water on her own. I can't really seem to find any information on how much water a cat needs a day, so I figured I would post here. It's exactly 1 cup of water; we started at 3/1 cup, but moved to a full 1 cup in time.
 

tabbytom

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I can't really seem to find any information on how much water a cat needs a day,
Here's some tip :- Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake – TheCatSite Articles

My boy is also on wet but I add a tablespoonful or two to his wet food to get him to drink more. Too diluted he'll reject the food as the taste has changed.

One way to test if your cat is hydrated enough is by doing a skin pull test. Gently lift up the skin at his shoulder blades and release and see if the skin returns immediately. If it does, your cat is hydrated and if the skin returns in slow motion, your cat needs more water intake.
 
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Alldara

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A healthy cat needs 5 to 10 fluid ounces of water per day, in a temperature regulated environment and regular activity level. That's about 1/2 cup to 1 cup.

In the summer when it's hot, a cat might need a bit more. Or if it gets really dry in your home in the winter.

Wet food already contains water so she's likely fine with the full cup you add. Great job!

Be cautious with a full raw diet, and consider how accessible emergency and regular vet services are to you before starting. With raw, more risks of bacterias that are found on uncooked meats such as Salmonella, etc. Please also see experienced posters in the forums here. They have more knowledge base than I on the subject (I don't agree with it so I am bias and haven't learned ratios and the like).
 

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My cats who eat only wet food (one mainly raw food) rarely drink any water. It's always available, but since I also add extra water to their food, they don't feel the need to drink more. I usually add about a tablespoon to each meal. They are plenty hydrated according to their Vet.

The one time I kept seeing one of my cats drinking, I panicked and took him to the Vet. Sure enough, he had a UTI.
 
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wrenka

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Here's some tip :- Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake – TheCatSite Articles

My boy is also on wet but I add a tablespoonful or two to his wet food to get him to drink more. Too diluted he'll reject the food as the taste has changed.

One way to test if your cat is hydrated enough is by doing a skin pull test. Gently lift up the skin at his shoulder blades and release and see if the skin returns immediately. If it does, your cat is hydrated and if the skin returns in slow motion, your cat needs more water intake.
I had the same issue with my cat! Mixing the whole can with water seemed to help, also, taking a chicken thigh or something like that (whatever meat your cat likes) and boiling it down, then using that water can help because it's more flavorful if that helps any!
 
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wrenka

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My cats who eat only wet food (one mainly raw food) rarely drink any water. It's always available, but since I also add extra water to their food, they don't feel the need to drink more. I usually add about a tablespoon to each meal. They are plenty hydrated according to their Vet.

The one time I kept seeing one of my cats drinking, I panicked and took him to the Vet. Sure enough, he had a UTI.
I think mine has this same issue! Ever since adding the water to their food, she doesn't feel the need to drink on her own - similarly to when she was sick and didn't eat on her own because I was syringe feeding her hourly. Do you add warm water or cold water?
 
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wrenka

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A healthy cat needs 5 to 10 fluid ounces of water per day, in a temperature regulated environment and regular activity level. That's about 1/2 cup to 1 cup.

In the summer when it's hot, a cat might need a bit more. Or if it gets really dry in your home in the winter.

Wet food already contains water so she's likely fine with the full cup you add. Great job!
Oh good! That quells my concerns. Right now she gets a icecube worth of KMR; a tablespoon of another wet food with gravy; and an entire can of pate wet food with a measured 1 cup water, I mix them up into these containers.. (I'm trying to get her back to 10lbs - lost a bit due to getting sick recently)
20230201_152327.jpg

Be cautious with a full raw diet, and consider how accessible emergency and regular vet services are to you before starting. With raw, more risks of bacterias that are found on uncooked meats such as Salmonella, etc. Please also see experienced posters in the forums here. They have more knowledge base than I on the subject (I don't agree with it so I am bias and haven't learned ratios and the like).
I actually didn't mean fully raw - my bad, I plan on keeping wet food in her rotation in case of an emergency but the majority will be raw. We are moving soon where we already raise ducks; chickens and \soon meat rabbits organically. I will be raising rats as well for whole prey; and using rabbit kits as occasional whole prey too. Here's a resource on raw feeding if anyone wants to take a gander. Nothing wrong with properly researched raw, especially if it is farm raised and you know exactly what is going into your cat! Cats are designed to eat whole prey, afterall.
 

Alldara

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I actually didn't mean fully raw - my bad, I plan on keeping wet food in her rotation in case of an emergency but the majority will be raw. We are moving soon where we already raise ducks; chickens and \soon meat rabbits organically. I will be raising rats as well for whole prey; and using rabbit kits as occasional whole prey too. Here's a resource on raw feeding if anyone wants to take a gander. Nothing wrong with properly researched raw, especially if it is farm raised and you know exactly what is going into your cat! Cats are designed to eat whole prey, afterall.
Thanks. I'm sure someone will like the resources. I'm bias but I disagree, as commercial foods have contributed to longer lifespans. I feel like the raw diet is the same as people claiming that all people should eat Paleo diet, just talk.

But as long as you have the regular vet care necessary, do what you feel is best! Ensure that you're getting the bi-yearly stool samples to your vets, and regularly de-worming your cats (if they end up eating any wild bugs, rodents or birds on the farm it's necessary. I hated deworming day)

You'll need to be extra mindful of parasites, etc still. Even when raising the farm animals yourself. One thread here where we recently learned of another one where the larve lives in rabbits and rats and can get in to your dogs and cats too. Spooky.

Rats do have two diseases that can transfer to people as well (I had pet ones, and the one illness was warned to us by the rescue, has become more common in North America because of many rat breeders. There was an outbreak about a decade ago in Ontario). Just something to be mindful of, as you can bring it home on your clothing and pass along to your rats. You'll need to keep an eye out for outbreaks in your area and steer clear of adding new genes to the pool at that time.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I think mine has this same issue! Ever since adding the water to their food, she doesn't feel the need to drink on her own - similarly to when she was sick and didn't eat on her own because I was syringe feeding her hourly. Do you add warm water or cold water?
I add warm water to my guys' food.
 
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