How can I make my cat drink?

Question

I have had my approx 1 yr old for nearly a month and I cannot get her to drink. We have tried cat milk, normal milk, water, cream even rice pudding and she wont touch it. Its now getting to the stage where she is just laying around all day and night. I am so worried. Please can someone help my poor baby?

She cant get water from anywhere else as she has to stay in doors for another couple of weeks, as a settling in period.

Answer 1

I have had my cat for 6 years and in that time I have only seen him drink about twice. I'm sure your cat will be getting water from somewhere so don't worry too much. However, if she does seem ill take her to a vet.

Answer 2

Cats don't actually drink an awful lot. They are descended from desert animals, and hence can exist on relatively little fluid intake. What are you feeding her - wet food? If so, she's probably getting a lot of water from that. If she's not eating then you must get her to a vet pronto.

It may be that she doesn't like the taste of your tapwater - cats have more sensitive noses than humans, so the chemicals may be putting her off. Hence the frequent complaints of cat owners that their cats won't drink from water bowls, but will happily drink from puddles. You could try leaving some water out for a few hours, even as long as a day, to allow the smells to disappear and then give her the water. As for ignoring milk, etc, maybe she just doesn't like the taste.

Of course, she might be getting water from other sources - the sink, a dripping tap, even the water in saucers under plant pots.

Now, the gross bit - is she peeing and pooing OK? Struggling; blood in the litter tray? Again, get her to a vet pronto.

Hope you find a solution soon.

Answer 3

I "force" my 1 yr old cat to drink (when I think he hasn't been drinking enough) with a syringe meant for giving liquid medicine to a cat (or dog). I fill it up, grab kitty by the scruff of the neck and insert the tip of the syringe to side of mouth and push a little water out. Just a bit at a time so kitty will have time to swallow. I am a fanatic when it comes to keeping my cats well-hydrated.

Also, do you feed your cat wet canned food? If so, then the cat may be getting needed water from that. Canned wet food is usually 75% water. You can also try to tempt kitty with canned flaked tuna in water (human grade). Although some people think tuna is bad for cats, I personally have not seen any adverse effects. I've fed my cat canned tuna a lot when we were in Manila. Of course, its better not to give tuna very often becuase of the mercury levels in it. But I see no harm if we use tuna to tempt a convalescing cat.

Answer 4

Some cats don't like to drink, and in the wild, a cat would get most of its moisture from it's food. You don't say if your cat has wet or dried cat food. If she will eat wet (canned) food, you can mix a small amount of water in with each meal. If she only has dried food, you have more of a problem.

If she is just laying around all day, all is not well, and you really should see a vet as soon as you can. If she's dehydrated (which sounds likely) they can give fluids by injection and advise you better about feeding.

If your cat remains reluctant to drink, you will have to watch out for feline urinary syndrome, which is like bladder stones in humans. This is more common in male cats, but if you ever see her try to wee unsuccessfully, or hear her cry out in pain when she's weeing, you need to act fast and get her to a vet, because this condition can become very serious, very quickly.

Answer 5

Hi, my cats prefer rain water to tap water but they do like water from the kettle (once it's cooled of course). I don't think cats should drink cows milk, but I could be wrong. My cats drink out of vases and even the toilet sometimes so I'm sure that if your cat is thirsty it will find the water it needs. Most cats sleep all day and move about at night so it could be drinking when you are asleep. If it was dehydrated you would probably be able to see its inner eyelid. If you're that worried take it to a vet.

Answer 6

I very seldom see my eight year old cat drink. However, I change his water bowl regularly, just in case he might take a drink. Only very occasionally does he drink milk. I think he must drink outside, maybe rain water, which is good. What sort of feed do you give? If dry biscuit type then more liquid should be drunk.
Is she laying around because the weather is bad and chooses to stay in? My cat is very weather conscious! If you are worried, consult your vet.

Answer 7

I have a outdoor cat, and I leave her water and food in the shed. And it takes a week for her to drink her water. They don't require a lot of water. Try some water with a little suger in it. ( very little.) Plus, when I got my cat, she didn't eat or drink for a couple of weeks. She just wasn't use to us yet. Your cat might be use to the other people she came from and just misses them. They act the same way we do when we move. They just don't express themselves like we do. So, be patient and if it keeps up then take her to the vet.

Answer 8

Take her to the vet. Cats do lay around alot and it's possible that she's drinking out of the toilet when your not looking but to be on the safe side take her to the vet. You should be able to tell yourself if she is actually dehydrated because if you pinch the fur on the back of her neck (not hard obviously) it should immediately spring back to position when you let it go. If it doesn't she's suffering dehydration and is probably ill.

Answer 9

I have 5 cats....put some water out and just check it later to see if she has drank any...I had a persian cat that I thought something was wrong with him..cause I never seen him drink...I set up a camera and instead of him drinking his water he was drinking out of the fish tank! But just to make sure ...you might want to have a vet to check it out to make sure! Better to be safe than sorry! I hope this helps!

Answer 10

Cats don't need to drink as much as we do.Even though it may seem that she doesn't drink, she still might. You should always leave a bowl of fresh water out next to her food just in case she decides to have a drink.
check her gums and if they are pale then you should get her checked out by a vet.
cats love the noise of running water i would recommend getting one of those pet fountains. they come in all different shapes and sizes and they don't usually cost that much.you can buy them at
www.petplanet.com