How to get kitten to drink after surgery?

[my4llma]

My kitten Stella began eating less and less. She eventually would only take 1 lick of tuna. She's been here only a month and when she arrived she ate. She ate real good. I knew something was wrong. Took her to the vet. She got an x-ray and they found something in her intestines. They did surgery on her that night. Wound up being cotton balls. She did ok during surgery, but she wasn't eating the amount that the vet wanted so she wound up staying another night.

She has now been home 2 days. Yesterday my mother was able to get her to drink a lot of water. She's eating fine, she's using the box fine. But now she won't drink water. No matter how much I try to get her to drink it. We took her to the vet today. She was given fluids there. So she's ok now. But how do I get her to take a drink of water tomorrow? And from now on?

 

[LTS3]

The easiest way is to feed canned cat food and add water to that. It doesn't need to be soupy unless your cat likes that. A few spoonfuls is good. Many cats don't drink enough water from a bowl anyways to meet their daily needs so feeding a food that has a high water content is the best way to keep a cat hydrated.

There are additional suggestions here: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake

 

[my4llma]

Thank you for the link!

 

[stephanietx]

If she got fluids at the vet, she's probably still hydrated, unless she's been urinating A LOT.  If she's eating, add water or plain baby pedialyte to her food for a few days to keep her hydrated and her electrolytes in balance.

 

[feralvr]

Yes - if she received fluids from the vet then you won't see too much drinking because she is well hydrated. AW hun, I am so sorry that you are having to go through this terrible scare with baby Stella. I was very relieved to hear that she made it through surgery and hope now that she will recover quickly. Between you and your mother, I am sure she is being looked after like none other. :rub:

Keep up with the canned food adding in some warm water as LTS3 suggested above, very good advice!!!!!! Keep us posted and mega vibes and hugs. :grphug: :rub: :cross: