my kitten is 6 weeks old and it doesn't like to drink water every time i put water in his bowl he run s to it but then finds what its water and run away what do i do....?????
2007-01-08 11:20:29 · 10 answers · asked by elsa s 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
Whatever you do don't give cows milk like we drink. It can cause severe diarehha which can quickly dehydrate such a small and young kitten. Kittens digestive systems are made to be able to handle other types of milk. Remember that all species are different when it comes to there bodies and what they can and cannot have. Most vets carry kitten formulas and they can instruct you on how much to give and when to try to wein it off it. It may be simply denying the water because it has been used ot it's mothers milk. At six weeks they can drink water so I would continue to offer it. It's not good for cats to drink milk after a certain age so don't give up. But I would pick up some kitten formula and try it for a few days.
2007-01-08 11:44:00 · answer #1 · answered by dawggurl47 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your kitten may be getting most of the needed water from the moist canned food. In fact moist canned foods usually have a water level >75%. Research has shown that cats can actually live for pretty long period of time without drinking water when they eat food that is >66% water. Cats get dehydrated only when their food’s water level drops below that (assuming they don’t have other access to drinking water). So if you’re feeding your kitten moist food with high water content she’s doing ok. She will seek out the water if she needs it.
The important thing is to continue to make water available always. Also, be sure to monitor her water consumption more closely should you decide to move her to a dry food diet, which at ~8% has a much lower water content than moist food.
Also, below is a quick dehydration test you can use if you are concerned
Dehydration Test
A good way to make sure your cat is consuming the right amount of water is to test her for dehydration. The test is pretty simple. If you pull your skin you will notice that is snaps right back down. This snapping is skin turgor. If your cat’s skin has good turgor your kitten is well hydrated.
If despite the note you want her to drink more water I have another tip. Put a little bit of canned tuna juice in a water bowl. You’ll see her go crazy over the water bowl.
2007-01-08 11:30:43 · answer #2 · answered by Luvy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have to wait until the kitten is fully weaned. Then it will probably start drinking water. It should still be drinking a little of the mom's milk, but if you can not find that get it some replacement milk at a petstore like maybe Mounds.
2007-01-08 11:50:44 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
6 week old kittens are just barely fully weaned, so it will take a while for the kitten to be intrigued by water. Do not offer milk though. When the kitten is thirsty, he'll drink it.
2007-01-08 11:27:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Actually you shouldn't give your kitten tap water at all. Get a Brita water filter to take the chlorine out of the water at least. Six weeks is still pretty young and I would give the kitten half and half of kitten milk replacer and filtered water, or just the milk replacer for another two weeks and then start diluting it.
2007-01-08 11:28:11 · answer #5 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
our 6 month old kitten doesn't seem to drink either, but thats because he drinks from a stream outside or in the garden. It doesn't really matter as long as hes getting some water and by the sounds of it he is :)
2016-05-23 15:28:32 · answer #6 · answered by Marlyss 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tap water has been fine for my cats for many years, but now it is said that young babies should have bottled water so they do not get chlorine or bacteria etc. Just keep the water available and and your kitty will start drinking it when she is ready. You can tell she is not dehydrated by the test the previous person said and also that they are peeing and pooping at least twice a day at their age. I bet if you chill - your kitty will be just fine. When you take her/him in for shots and a check up, they can help you there too.
2007-01-08 11:43:48 · answer #7 · answered by Princess Fallopia 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My kittens (my cat's kittens) did the same thing. Leave the water, and eventually he'll drink. If he's still nursing, he may not be very thirsty. By the way, you could get some CatSip. My cats love it.
http://www.akpharma.com/catsip/default.html
2007-01-08 11:27:03 · answer #8 · answered by duckkillerdan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well they could be any age. just because he doesnt drink it doesnt mean there is something wrong with him. he might just prefer milk or something.
2007-01-08 11:29:15 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
you feed it milk untill it is 6-8 weeks....
2007-01-08 11:25:55 · answer #10 · answered by beonca 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋