You can lead a cat to water, but......

consumerkitty

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Midnight Sun has had 2 UTIs in the past three months. Three months ago is about when he decided to stop drinking water. I have never given them tap water. They get filtered and spring water.

Last month, I bought a Drinkwell Platinum and a circulating waterer, which he will have nothing to do with. I add water to his wet food. I just bought an Infinity UV fountain that I'm putting together but I have an aching feeling he won't like that either.

He is now on a 3 week course of antibiotics. I know that if he would start drinking water again it would help his UT.

Does anyone have any suggestions about how to get a cat to drink water or at least a way to get more fluids in him?

On a brighter note, Christopher Cody loves the Drinkwell fountain
 

katachtig

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What about giving him some chicken broth? If you make it yourself, you can make it sodium free.
 

jcat

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Do you have water bowls scattered throughout the house? I've found having water bowls in several different rooms, placed where a cat will be walking past them, encourages more water intake.

The homemade chicken broth is a good idea, too. You can freeze it in ice cube trays and drop a cube in each water bowl for flavor.
 

ducman69

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Great advice given, but I just wanted to add that it is a misconception that all or even most UTIs are caused by crystals/stones, for which hydration plays a primary role. In women, hygiene and hormones are a more common cause for example, rather than just not drinking enough. Likewise in kitties it may have been from urine retention or unsanitary litterbox conditions or being overweight or just a fluke from a hormone imbalance and many other things. From what I'm told, in the majority of the cases, the vets really don't know the cause of UTIs and just treat symptoms.

A dilute urine and a higher urine PH both make for a more hospitable environment for bacteria, which drinking does not address at all. When checking for a UTI, one thing your vet should have noted was not just the urine PH and if crystals are present but also its concentration, as a highly concentrated urine indicates bacterial infection is unlikely and thus a culture unnecessary.

The reason I mention this, is that if your cat is on an all wet diet, its normal for them to drink very little at all, especially if not active while feeling under the weather. It may simply require time for the antibiotics to work, and perhaps a food with an acidifier if prescribed by your vet, reducing concerns over getting the cat to drink a whole lot.
 

minka

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I know lactose can cause tummy upset in kitties, but when in a bind, adding just enough milk to water to make it white usually is enough to coax a kitty to drink.
 

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Originally Posted by jcat

Do you have water bowls scattered throughout the house? I've found having water bowls in several different rooms, placed where a cat will be walking past them, encourages more water intake.

You can freeze it in ice cube trays and drop a cube in each water bowl for flavor.
That's exactly what l do as well and it works
 

just mike

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The scattered water bowls everyone else has suggested works well in my household. Ducman69 also had some valid ideas as well. I would immediately add additional water bowls just to be proactive. Glad your other meezer likes his Drinkwell. All of mine like the fountains.
 
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consumerkitty

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Originally Posted by jcat

Do you have water bowls scattered throughout the house? I've found having water bowls in several different rooms, placed where a cat will be walking past them, encourages more water intake.

The homemade chicken broth is a good idea, too. You can freeze it in ice cube trays and drop a cube in each water bowl for flavor.
I have bowls and cups of water all over the place. Ice cubes are a good idea. I'm going to try some with water and some with chicken broth. Thank you!
 
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consumerkitty

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Originally Posted by Ducman69

Great advice given, but I just wanted to add that it is a misconception that all or even most UTIs are caused by crystals/stones, for which hydration plays a primary role. In women, hygiene and hormones are a more common cause for example, rather than just not drinking enough. Likewise in kitties it may have been from urine retention or unsanitary litterbox conditions or being overweight or just a fluke from a hormone imbalance and many other things. From what I'm told, in the majority of the cases, the vets really don't know the cause of UTIs and just treat symptoms.

A dilute urine and a higher urine PH both make for a more hospitable environment for bacteria, which drinking does not address at all. When checking for a UTI, one thing your vet should have noted was not just the urine PH and if crystals are present but also its concentration, as a highly concentrated urine indicates bacterial infection is unlikely and thus a culture unnecessary.

The reason I mention this, is that if your cat is on an all wet diet, its normal for them to drink very little at all, especially if not active while feeling under the weather. It may simply require time for the antibiotics to work, and perhaps a food with an acidifier if prescribed by your vet, reducing concerns over getting the cat to drink a whole lot.
The culture turned up lots of bacteria. My vet says "The more the dilution, the less the pollution.", which means it's best to get more water in him to flush the bad stuff out of his system. Water has cleansing properties and I believe it will help him.

Midnight Sun eats both wet and dry. I can't get my kitties off the dry because Christopher Cody absolutely refuses to eat wet food (even people food like chicken or turkey breast).

True that drinking water doesn't affect the urinary PH, but it just seems logical that water helps flush out toxins and other bad stuff. If a cat has concentrated urine sitting inside his warm little body for too long, it seems to me that bacteria would thrive.

Midnight Sun used to drink a lot of water and he was fine for four years. Then for some reason he stopped. Next thing I know, he is squatting in the litter box for 25 minutes. Then there was blood. Then there was Clavamox.

Thank you for taking the time and thought for your post. Do you know of anything natural that lowers a cat's urine PH level? My concern about the prescription diets is that the nutrition is substandard.

His urine was concentrated but the urinalysis turned up lots of bacteria and no crystals. This situation is so confusing. I just want my babies to be healthy and happy.
 
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consumerkitty

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Originally Posted by Minka

I know lactose can cause tummy upset in kitties, but when in a bind, adding just enough milk to water to make it white usually is enough to coax a kitty to drink.
Thank you! I'm going to try that too!
 

ducman69

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Ah ok, yeah if they are eating some dry, they definitely need to drink the equivalent to make up for the water deficit. And I'd definitely stick with a vets recommendation if that's what they feel will best help. I just mentioned it since a friend was worried too his cat wasn't drinking much, but w/ a all wet diet they really don't have to.


The prescription diets are unique in that they are low in mag/phosph. and other minerals by being high in vegetable protein, and yet low in urine PH by adding an artificial acidifier for a one-two punch. Generally speaking, more meat protein makes for a more acidic urine, and veggie more alkaline accordingly. So a high meat diet will do the trick all the same, and according to Blue their Wilderness formula is created w/ a target urine PH of 6.0 to 6.5 which is plenty acidic. Its just not formulated for cats with stones/crystals since it has a regular amount of minerals/ash etc from the meat.
 

catsallaround

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A cat that normally drank then stopped...Were the teeth checked well to rule out any pain from drinking water?
I have a cat who did not drink for a while then started-he had many issues but have seemed to go away now(...)
 
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consumerkitty

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Originally Posted by catsallaround

A cat that normally drank then stopped...Were the teeth checked well to rule out any pain from drinking water?
I have a cat who did not drink for a while then started-he had many issues but have seemed to go away now(...)
He had his teeth checked when the first UTI hit and the vet said his teeth and gums were healthy. He stopped drinking water after I used an "odorless, tasteless" water additive recommended by the vet for dental health (Oxyfresh for pets). I used it for about two weeks and then suspected it could be the reason he wasn't drinking water like he did before. I haven't used it for a few months but he is still suspicious of the water it seems.
 
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