Drink the damn water!?

Question

I recantly got a new kitten a couple of day ago, and he is eating fine, but he will not drink his water! I'm worried that he will get dehydrated. He hasn't had anything to drink since i got him. How do I get him to drink some water?

Answer 1

Give him some dried Biscuits & make them soggy with water but not drenched. My poor kitten has a urinary problem because he does not drink enough, & the only way I can get him to get enough liquids is too add it to his food. I also leave bowels of water around the house for him.
You should never give a kitten cows milk, it upsets their tummy & can give the runs.

Answer 2

If your feeding him can food, sometimes that holds quite a bit of moisture in it. Not generally enough to get by without drinking water but, he may be getting enough "just" to get by. Also, what are you giving him water in? Check the water bowl for smells, dirt, or even the bowl itself may have rough edges.....this can detour a kitten from drinking out of that bowl. Also, keep food and drink containers away from the litter box. Cats don't like to eat or drink anywhere near where they go to the bathroom. If none of this works......try bottled water. Just water, not sparkling or carbonated water....just plain drinking water from a bottle. Some cats are highly aware of chemicals....etc. My sisters cat only drinks bottled water. She can afford it so.....I say whatever. AND she only has one cat. I have 18. All rescued, fixed and vaccinated. Anyway, if he still won't drink after these tries, call your vet. But, don't wait until he's dehydrated. If you pinch the skin between his shoulder blades and it sticks up like a small tent, he's dehydrated. A normal hydrated cats coat should snap back down when pinched. If in doubt, call your local 24 hour emergency vet. clinic, being today is Sunday. Or, maybe your vet. takes Sunday calls. Either way, don't wait if your not sure about your kitty's health.

Answer 3

How old is the kitten? has it been weaned fully?. To be honest I have only seen my cat drink water several times and I have owned her for over 14 years. If you are concerned, leave some milk out and then start to water it down over the next few days. cats will naturally drink water, but it will take a bit of time.
The main thing to do is not force it, and plenty of TLC.

Answer 4

You can lead a cat to water....but you can't make him drink.

Is it possible he is drinking without you seeing him? Make sure the water is clean. Also, try changing the bowl it is in, some cats will not drink out of metal bowls (go figure).

You can check if he is dehydrated by gently lifting up his skin on the back of his neck. If it snaps back down, he is hydrated, if it stays up or very slowly returns to normal then he needs some fluid. Some kittens do not drink if they are sick, and in this case he needs to be taken to a vet for sub-q fluids immediately. Good luck!

Answer 5

In the two years I have had my female cat, she never once drank water. We would even go as far as mark the water bowl to see if she had. Change it every day, use different bowls.

My suggestion, switch to milk.

We changed her to milk when we early on realized she wasn't drinking, and she couldn't have been happier. We rotate between cow milk (from a local farm) and a cat formula, to make sure she has the right vitamins (especially since she seems to get pregnant fairly often.)

We still put out a water bowl and change it every day in the chance she may drink it, but we have had a sucess with milk, and it does keep her healthy, and hydrated.

Answer 6

As any cat owner knows, cats are little freaks with some pretty weird behaviours. My two cats rarely drink the clean water from their bowl, but they are always waiting outside the shower for me to get out as their favourite drink is the soapy water on the shower floor, or a dirty puddle in the yard. Don't worry about your kitten. It will be finding water from a favourite place.
I am not sure about the answers suggestion giving milk as most cats are Lactos intollerant and cows milk can make them sick, however some petfood companies, Whiskers for example, produce a long-life Lactos free milk especially for cats. I have seen it on supermarket shelves.

Answer 7

my cat always jumps in the bathroom sink for me to turn the tap on when i go in the bathroom. I turn the tap on and she drinks the water as it goes down the plughole.my cat is a indoor cat and only likes to drink UHTskimmed milk but in this hot weather the milk goes off too quickly, so I leave a big plastic jug of water on the floor which i have seen her drink from a couple of times. other cats i had always drunk the rain water from containers outside. Sometimes they want to lick your skin for moisture or salt in the hot weather.

Answer 8

Maybe he is getting water from another place in the house, could be from the toilet or from the sink for example. Is really weird to see a pet to not drink water at all. But to be sure take him to the vet. he will tell you if the kitty is Ok.

Answer 9

I have a 13 year old Havana Brown Oriental cat in all that time I have never seen her drink any water, but that does'nt mean she hasnt drunk any, it just means she does it when I am not looking, maybe your kitten is the same, many cats feel vulnerable when they drink, so do it when its quiet in the house, ie at night when you are in bed!

Answer 10

Keep it fresh and changed throughout the day, not too cold either. When kitty is thirsty, it will drink, don't force it, try putting your finget in the water and make the water move and let kitty see it, and then touch the water to the kitty's mouth, gently, it will lick it and get the idea water is there when it needs it.