Kitten not drinking water...

missysmum

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I recently got a new kitten....was hard moving on from the loss of Missy, but i happily adopted a 11week old kitten...

She didnt seem to want to drink any water, so this evening i got alittle worried and picked up some catmilk....i've never in my life had to give a kitten milk...so, im new to this......is it healthy to continue to give her this?? it's pretty expensive... $1.00 for a little small jug... can i buy a cream type milk from the grocery store?? or shall i just continue with the catmilk...

How do you wean kittens off of milk and to water??

Also......I need some ideas for kitten names...
I've been thinking about Sassy and Katie....but, i dont know.....any ideas welcome....can view a small video clip of her here...

 

jen

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Is it Whiskas cat milk or Hartz? I think cat milk is good for her but always offer water too.
$1.00 is about right for those little cartons. There might be other brands too you could look for. No definately don't give her cows milk or cream, cats are usually lactose intolerant and it will make her sick.

One good way to get them to drink more water is to add warm water to her wet canned food.
 

weathercat

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It depends on what your kitten is eating. Cats dont really have a strong thirst drive. I feed my cats raw food and canned and I almost never see them drink any water because they get plenty from thier food. If you are feeding mostly canned then your cat probably isnt feeling very thirsty.
 
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missysmum

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It's Whiskas cat milk, she drinks it...has drank half of the little jug so far...

What's best to feed kittens? I have kitten chow, but she doesnt seem like a big fan of it... ive been mixing half canned food, and half dry...she eats the canned up pretty quickly....should i just be giving her wet? and if so, does it matter the brand or kind?
 

liza24

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I feed my lil guys the Wal-Mart Maxxium Nutrition brand, good ingredients, not that $$. also the canned i used Meow Mix or Fancy Feast.
 

shaun

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I wouldn't worry really, when I got my kitten I did exactly the same thing, got worried, fed him whiskas cat milk etc but was assured he would drink the water.

So i took the milk away and left water, sure enough the water goes down but I very rarely actually see him drinking it.
 

jennyr

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When kittens all mine loved goats milk which is Ok for cats and cheaper than the catmilk (and all I could get in Bosnia!) They still have a bowlful a day between them as they love it. I dilute it with a little water.
 

trixtersmomma

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IMO, definitely feed all wet, NO DRY. Dry food contains far too many carbs, and should be avoided, IMO. Dry food was the cause of my Trixters diabetes, and now that he no longer eats it, he no longer needs insulin! If you really think she needs more fluids, put a little bit of water, warmed to room temp. into her food. Thats what I do with my boys because since the switch to all canned food, I NEVER see either one drinking water. There is lots of water in the food, which is how cats are supposed to ingest water, anyways. In their food; live prey! But I want to be sure to keep them nice and hydrated, in an attempt to help prevent early kidney problems. I put about a tablespoon of water into each meal, and mix it in as good as I can. My boys love it and slurp up all of it, and I feel better knowing theyre drinking.
Hope this helps. Your new baby is BEAUTIFUL, by the way!

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your new baby!
 

tiffanyjbt

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Originally Posted by Shaun

sure enough the water goes down but I very rarely actually see him drinking it.
LOL! Ain't that the truth!

Not speaking as an expert or even anyone too knowledgeable here, just speaking from my own experience. I got my Duke from a BYB when he was six weeks old. He was a mess! He wouldn't eat (dry kibble) and he wouldn't touch water. We took him to the vet, and they told us it was normal and that he would get his water requirements from the canned food. I got him some kitten milk replacement (KMR) and some high quality canned kitten food. Finally sucess!

In order to wean him off the milk, we just diluted it with water until it was just coloring the water a bit. (He throws up if we give him cows milk)

We have an indoor pond/fountain that he drinks from now, as well as his bowl, the bathroom sink (if I let the water run), the tub, and the toilet if I didn't keep the lid down (a constant battle with my husband). Of course, he NEVER lets us catch him drinking water from his bowl and he won't eat the dry kibble unless we're not looking (He's spoiled on his canned food).

I would check with your vet if you don't see positive results soon.

Tiffany
 

pippen

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My kitten wasn't drinking water either so I just continued adding water to dry and wet food until he made the switch over.

What I did find out is that he just doesn't like drinking water out of his dish--the bathtub, from the tap in the laundry room, out of our glasses left out on the table--anywhere but his dish. He got so bad he was spilling our glasses to get water so these days we just leave him one of "our" glasses in the laundry sink and the on the edge of the bathtub instead and he's happy with that.
 

batgirl2good

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If you are really concerned, how about getting an eye dropper and feeding her water? Just put it in the side of her mouth and squirt it from the side.
 
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