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I have an almost one year old cat who just won't drink a thing. It's very worrying. When he was a baby he used to drink milk and he drank milk twice a day. He isn't fussy about eating, only about drinking. He gets some liquid in his wet food obviously (he's a Whiskas cat) but that isn't enough.
I'm worried about him. This cannot be good for him and I'm worried about his dehydrating and/or his kidneys. Help!
Tara
not knowing too much about cats. i would have to say that your cat will drink when he needs it. you can lead a horse to water, but you cant make him drink it....as they say.
you can try canning the wet foodand going dry....or try putting alitte salt in his food. this will make him thirsty.
just a thought.
I had one that drank only from the bathroom faucet. Used to sit in the sink at night and catch the drips. Wouldn't drink out of a dish at all.
The vet told me it is better if they drink more since it helps their kidneys, but the cat lived 17 years, so it couldn't have been too bad.
Steve
Tara,
I don't mean to sound gross, but do you leave the lid on the toilet seat up?? Kitty may be drinking and you never know it. One of mine will not drink normally, but will by dipping her paw in ANY water she finds and lick the water off. She used to "drink" that way out of the hot tub every time we took the lid off. Then we found the toilet seat "damp" all the time and I KNOW I raised the seat and lid [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]. The other one I have prefers to drink out of any running faucet. I fhe sees you go into the bathroom, instantly he is up on the counter "hollering his lungs out".
Does he regularly go outside? If he does, he may be getting water outside sometimes.
Never the less, mention it to the vet next time he goes.
My cat drinks out of one of my aquariums, thankfully the freshwater one, or the dogs'water dishes. Lately its been the bath tub after a shower. Anyplace but his own water dish.
You can see if your cat is dehydrated by checking the elasticity of its skin. grab a pinch of skin at the back of the neck and lift it up. It should return to its normal self in a couple of seconds.
Uhm. Isn't salt supposed to be bad for them? =/
Heh. I live alone, so the lid is up and the seat is always down, so to speak. =P
Well, he doesn't even like the shower, or the toilet or anywhere there is water, though he hangs out in the kitchen with me. This cat is *fussy* about getting wet and doesn't like it on his paws, fur or face. I know he isn't getting water that way. =/ I'm at my wits end. =( I even tried him with fish-flavored water (I boiled a piece of fish in water, cooled it and offered it to him. He only wanted the fish.)
*sigh*
Tara
If the cat is a year old, he's getting enough water from some other source.
I wouldn't worry too much about it unless eating habits change or if you see him getting sick.