How do I get my cat to drink water?

jandcrosewolf

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Ok so we adopted a 4moth old cat from a very nice lady who fosters and adopts out unwanted cats. We named him Atreyu, and he and our other cat Zelda are slowly getting along with each other. But I've noticed that He has never touched his water bowl, its stainless steel and we wash it every day. We feed our cats a wet food only diet because they have very stinky litter boxes(I clean them every day). but I worry about him getting enough liquid. we started adding chicken broth to his food but I don't really think its healthy to be giving him swanson everyday twice a day.

Does anyone have any tips on how to get him to drink more water?
 
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jandcrosewolf

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I don't know how it got cut off but they have very strong and bad smelling litter boxes every time we try to go with dry food.
 

stephanietx

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We add water to our cats' wet food to ensure they are getting enough water.  We add enough to make their food the consistency of thick oatmeal.  You can also try various types of water containers such as large mugs, bowls, or even a pet water fountain.  However, if you're feeding an all wet diet, you probably won't see your kitty drinking a lot of water.  For a kitten that young, though, I'd suggest you supplement with a grain-free dry food in addition to wet food, then you can wean off the dry food as he gets older.  The odor of the litter box is greatly affected by what you're feeding.  Grain-free tends to stink less, unless you're feeding Wellness kitten, then it really stinks!  LOL  Having said all that, my kitties' poop smells just like their food as it's being prepared.
 

LTS3

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Instead of ading chicken broh to the canne food, just use plain water. Many commerical broths contan garlic and onion in them which are harmful to cats.

You don't need to make the canned food completely soup-like unless your cats like that. A spponful or two of extra water is good. You can check your cat for hydration status - pull up the skin at the back of the neck and let go. If it snaps back in place right away, your cat is well hydrated. If it snaps back quickly but there's still a bit of tent of skin stickng up, your cat is proabbly a little dehydrated.
 

bigperm20

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I agree on adding a little water to the canned food. Cats who eat canned don't drink much water as the food is mostly water anyway.

Another thing to consider is the bowl. My girls are very picky and will only drink out of a ceramic or glass bowl.

They will just as soon not drink as drink from plastic or metal.

A fountain is another option too, if they like running water.
 

pinkdagger

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Canned food tends to already have around 78% water, so you don't have to add a ton if the cats seem put off by the extra moisture. Having a wet diet alone is good as is, as I found I saw a dramatic decrease in water bowl visits when my cats went on a full wet diet. One cat will tolerate a complete soup, and so I soup it up for him. The other prefers chunks of pate, so I add about a teaspoon of water and mash it up, then re-pile it and she digs right in. A little bit here and there is what will do the trick. You won't likely see a cat sitting at a water bowl just lapping up like a dog would.

Other than that, offer a variety of bowls in different locations, and water fountains can help. The sound of running water attracts animals naturally. We have a fountain, a plastic dish, and a stainless steel dish, and they all get cleaned and refilled so they never have to have stagnant water or have to deal with anything floating around in the water.
 

lokhismom

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 You can check your cat for hydration status - pull up the skin at the back of the neck and let go. If it snaps back in place right away, your cat is well hydrated. If it snaps back quickly but there's still a bit of tent of skin stickng up, your cat is proabbly a little dehydrated
Interesting!  I had no idea.    Many will be checking their furbaby's necks today 
 

starbuk

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Might also be drinking a little when you don't see it, don't forget that. I agree that wet food especially with water mixed in once in a while is sufficient if you leave a water bowl out too. I don't think you need to deal with kibble, stick to wet if they are eating that now.
 

alismama

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We bought Ali a kitty drinking fountain and she is drinking a lot more water.
 

starbuk

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My cat also likes to drink from glasses I pour for myself and leave around the home.. Although I have to keep level low since she tips them occasionally.
 

betsygee

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We add water to the wet food and also switched from water bowls to running water fountains.  Ours really like the running water.
 
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