Not drinking lots of water?

skullman80

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Something I've noticed with my cat Emma, is ever since I made the switch from dry food to wet/canned food(natural choice) she seems to drink less if any water that I put out. I make sure I change it every day, and I've tried different bowls. Is this because she is getting enough water in with her canned food?

She doesn't seem to be acting any different or anything like that, I guess I just worry too much lol.

Her nose always feels moist unless she is sitting in the sun by the window, and I read you can pinch lightly on the back of their neck and if it goes back into place quickly all is well. I tried that, and it seemed fine.

Any thoughts?
 

otto

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Yes, she is drinking less water because she is getting the moisture she needs from the canned food.

It is smart of you to notice these details anyway. Emma Chose well.
 

stephanietx

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Originally Posted by otto

Yes, she is drinking less water because she is getting the moisture she needs from the canned food.

It is smart of you to notice these details anyway. Emma Chose well.
Since canned food has a higher liquid concentration, her body doesn't need to supplement it as much with water. Dry food sucks water from the body so the cat needs to drink more water to replace the water.

Great job on noticing the difference!
 

jane&meow

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Yeah, think of it like eating dry biscuits, you're going to want to have a drink.. but if you eat something moist in a sauce, you're less likely to need that. I know for our cat, I've actually never seen her drink - but she's been fine for years!
 

jenwales

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My Jack has been on a canned only diet for more than 10 years and I never see him drink. That doesn't mean he doesn't but I don't think he drinks much.

My two others eat mostly a dry diet and they drink from their bowl several times a day.
 

ducman69

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Dry food is 10% moisture, which is not an issue hydration wise as long as your cat is attracted to a water source. Some cats aren't big drinkers though, and mine I know would barely sip out a bowl until I finally broke down and bought a few water fountains to put up around the house and now they drink like horses.

Wet food is mostly water though, 78-80% per the label. Plenty of moisture in the food itself, quality meat, low filler, low carb, but not particularly calorie dense, convenient, great for teeth, or cost effective. So I do my kittens two 3oz cans a day with free feed kibble.
 

otto

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Originally Posted by Ducman69

Dry food is 10% moisture, which is not an issue hydration wise as long as your cat is attracted to a water source. Some cats aren't big drinkers though, and mine I know would barely sip out a bowl until I finally broke down and bought a few water fountains to put up around the house and now they drink like horses.

Wet food is mostly water though, 78-80% per the label. Plenty of moisture in the food itself, quality meat, low filler, low carb, but not particularly calorie dense, convenient, great for teeth, or cost effective. So I do my kittens two 3oz cans a day with free feed kibble.
It's actually a fallacy that canned food is bad for a cat's teeth. Canned food is not bad for a cat's teeth, nor does dry food "clean" the teeth. However a home care dental program is always good.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by otto

It's actually a fallacy that canned food is bad for a cat's teeth. Canned food is not bad for a cat's teeth, nor does dry food "clean" the teeth. However a home care dental program is always good.
Actually no overly processed commercial food is good for a cats teeth. Much like how most foods that are overly processed aren't good for our teeth, either.

The better way to phrase it is that canned food is no worse than dry food for teeth.
 
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