Young Kitten And Drinking

Chellelynnx3

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Hey guys!
Looking for some possible answers to my dier question!

I just adopted a 8 week old male kitten 4 days ago and he plays and seems healthy and eats tons! One thing I'm struggling with is his water intake. He doesn't seem to want to drink water of any sorts. The first day he did lick some from my finger tip and attempt to drink from the shallow bowl I have but nothing since then.
I've done research and tried some things and just contacted who I adopted him from to see if I can get any intell on it. She says he was drinking along with the other kittens.
Things I've tried are
-cat milk (which he will drink and continues to) I do this to make sure he gets some water intake
-a kitty water fountain incase it's moving water he wants
-wet food to give him some water intake
-shallow bowls
-tuna drops in his water to intise him

I just need some tricks and tips on getting this baby to drink water!even though the milk is made for kittens I want him to learn and drink water to stay healthy!

Thanks so much in advance for all your help!
 

Azazel

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Hi, cats have naturally low thirst drives because they are supposed to obtain moisture from their food. What are you feeding? Cats who eat all wet food rarely drink water, which is similar to how they would be in the wild because their food provides them with hydration. Cats who go to the water bowl often are usually dehydrated, which is typical of cats who eat kibble. So the concern about drinking water really depends on what you’re feeding and how much water they are getting from their food. If you’re feeding primarily kibble and your kitten is not drinking then I would be concerned. But if feeding mostly wet food I wouldn’t be too concerned. You can also add extra water to wet food if you’re worried.
 
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Chellelynnx3

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Hi, cats have naturally low thirst drives because they are supposed to obtain moisture from their food. What are you feeding? Cats who eat all wet food rarely drink water, which is similar to how they would be in the wild because their food provides them with hydration. Cats who go to the water bowl often are usually dehydrated, which is typical of cats who eat kibble. So the concern about drinking water really depends on what you’re feeding and how much water they are getting from their food. If you’re feeding primarily kibble and your kitten is not drinking then I would be concerned. But if feeding mostly wet food I wouldn’t be too concerned. You can also add extra water to wet food if you’re worried.
He is eating kibble food. It wasn't until I realized he wasn't drinking that I opted to give him a bit of wet food. My concern is the lack of interest in water all together
 

Azazel

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He is eating kibble food. It wasn't until I realized he wasn't drinking that I opted to give him a bit of wet food. My concern is the lack of interest in water all together
Most cats have no interest in water because they have low thirst drives. It is concerning though that he doesn’t drink water and eats mainly kibble because it can lead to dehydration. My advice would be to increase the wet food and add extra water to it too.

My cats eat only wet food and never drink water. I fill their water bowls every day and not a single one has touched it in years. This is normal for cats. In the wild they would eat raw meat (e.g., mice) which is over 70% moisture. The concern really isn’t that your cat isn’t drinking water. That’s normal- cats aren’t meant to go to a water hole to drink (at least not often). The concern is the lack of water in his food. Kibble is a non-natural food source for cats.
 

She's a witch

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One of my cats doesn’t drink water at all. I think he doesn’t know how :) he would always touch the surface first with his paw on the rare occasions when I remember him drinking, and then he’s very unsure when he finally drunk it. He doesn’t drink from the fountain nor tap either. I feed him wet and raw only with some added water to ensure he’s properly hydrated. Interestingly, he’s fixated with water and loves moving around the water bowl and playing in the sink.
You can get water fountain to see if yours will like it, it seems to work with most cats. But as A Azazel aleeady said, feeding wet only/mostly it’s the best you could do to your cat if that’s possible, especially that he’s male (they tend to have more UT problems).
On a unrelated note, your kitten was separated from his mom and siblings a bit too early, so he needs lots of love and attention from you now. He may also play a little rough with your hands so it’s worth implementing the rule of never playing with hands and feet. If possible, you can consider adopting another kitten for him to play with- kittens do best in pair :)
 

FeebysOwner

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I guess you said you tried some canned tuna water and added it some to his water? How about adding some low sodium broths, just to see if that might entice him to drink it? If he starts making a habit of drinking, you can reduce the amount over time and hopefully he will continue drinking!!

Also, see what kind of dish the adopter was using. Or, maybe ask her if you can have it? (Odds are she probably doesn't know which if the kittens were actually drinking the water, he may not have been one of them.)
 
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