cat milk vs water vs dehydration!

butler_helen

ok so this is my latest issue with our rescue cat - he doesn't drink.

I didn't think he was drinking, even though I was changing the water for fresh every time I fed him. So I drew a line on where I had filled to and he didn't drink below it over the course of the day.

So... I bought whiskas milk and he loves it - he's drank 1/4 of the bottle in one sitting! however, I can't afford to give him this all the time, it was just to check he was actually able to drink from his bowl (my parents cat can only drink with her neck and head up).

I've spoken to the vet who says if there's nothing wrong with him to drink the milk then there's nothing wrong with him to drink water and perhaps he gets it from elsewhere?

so my question is- how can I tempt him into drinking water and from his bowl? or will his body stop him from dehydrating?

thank you in advance! I'm such a worrier but I just want him to be happy and not think we're killing him.

olias

If it is an outdorr cat then it is highly likely likely he is getting water outside somewhere. If you are really concerned then make sure to feed him wet rather than dry food, the wet foods are bulked up with a lot of water! Other than that, I would leave him to it, especially if the vet has checked him out and said he is healthy

Olias

chez22

Cats were originally desert creatures and as such don't need to drink as often as you'd think. I have never once witnessed one of my cats drinking,(the other one I see regularly drinking), but I'm sure he does. Puddles/bird baths etc are always preferable to what's in their water bowl!

I wouldn't be overly concerned. What kind of food does he get? Wet food provides a lot of the moisture cats need, you can add a little extra water to it and this would ensure he is getting ample fluids.

jonnyd281

My puss cats both drink out of the pond in the garden - although our little girl puss will drink water if it's fresh straight from the tap (she has to see it come out of the tap the awkward so'n'so).

Kavanne

our cat didn't drink EVER inside. so we put an upside down lid on the patio and once that filled with rain we saw him using it regularly! So try to put something outside where you can see it and keep an eye out when you let him go outside

shelly

Could you gradually water down the milk so over a few days he is drinking more water than milk? Doing it this way he might not notice.

spookylukey

Cats don't like to have their water bowl by the food so you could try moving the water bowl to see if that encourages him to drink more, he might like to drink from a dripping tap or you could treat him to a water fountain.

One of my cats is the same, he will drink as much cat milk as he is allowed but won't touch water, I always add water to his wet food to make sure he gets enough. Cat milk is actually classed as a food rather than a drink though so I try to limit how much they get as I don't want them getting fat Pets at Home often have their own brand milk on offer 5 for £2.50 if I remember rightly so I buy that now instead of the Whiskas or Felix milk.

BitterAndTwisted

As stated earlier because cats were originally desert animals they have a very low thirst-drive. I'd do what Shelly suggested and gradually water down that cat-milk. One thing I discovered is that cats rarely drink where they eat, so you could try putting a couple of water bowls elsewhere in your home. My boy Stanley has a favourite one on the living-room windowsill and never uses the one in the kitchen next to his food bowl. I still keep it filled up with clean water, just in case. You know how cats are......



ETA: Eh, I see that spookeylukey beat me to it

the_devil_made_me_do_it

My cat's water bowl is next to her food bowl & it isn't a problem. I give her cooled boiled water & she is fine with that, considering she was a whiskas cat milk addict until she became diabetic & I had to stop giving her the milk. It's boiled water or nothing now. Cats do like water that has been left a while, so I usually fill up a small jug & just add it to her bowl when it's nearly empty. It's hit & miss with cats, they are very particular about everything. It has to be just so for them to feel comfortable

nanokitten

my old rescue cat was very fussy she would not drink tap water, filtered (or even posh bottled) what she did like was manky puddle water so we used to give her water out of the water butt (which she thought was marvelous).
It was a bit embarrassing when she went to the cattery and we took her with an evian bottle filled with best manky yorkshire rainwater!

cattie

Cat's are funny old creatures. I've only ever seen my cat drink from his water bowl 2 or 3 times over the past 12yrs, but assume he does take little sips from time to time.

However, I often see him out in the garden drinking the most disgusting looking water that accumalates in containers etc after rainful. I think lots of cats do this. They must prefer their water with a bit of a kick to it. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: