How can I get my cat to drink more water to keep her kidneys healthy?

Kidney disease in cats, in most cases, is caused simply by a loss of function overtime. I think we see this more in cats because they tend to live longer than dogs, sometimes on the upward end of 15 to 20 years. As the pet ages, so do the cells that make up the kidneys, and this results in a loss of function (kidney insufficiency). In theory, yes we can preserve kidney function by adding more water to their diet. But I think that at some point the kidneys will still lose function because that is what happens naturally as the pet ages. With all that said, I still encourage owners to feed their cats wet food and use kitty water fountains whenever possible, to preserve kidney function for as long as physically possible.

The best supplement for kidney health is water. There are not any specific supplements other than that are known to prevent kidney problems. There are supplements that are important for them to get when they are in kidney failure, but are not necessary before then. Canned food is a good way to encourage water intake and you can even add a little more water to it for increased water consumption. It's also good to have fresh, clean, water always available. I hope that helps and all is well with Mel.

Hello. With kidney disease, it is important to try to increase fluid intake. If he is not on a canned diet, I would try to transition him to one. Even better, would be a canned kidney diet such as Hill's k/d. Once he is eating the canned food, adding a little water will help, but you do not want to add so much water as to decrease the nutritional density of the food. Rather than broth, you can also try Pedialyte. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I don't recommend giving them water via oral syringe because they can choke on it. Cats don't like having anything syringed in their mouth! You can give added water to food, but it's not enough. Sub Q fluids are recommended for any cat with CKD. As their kidney function falters, the kidneys must produce more urine in order to eliminate the waste products. Cats with kidney disease cannot consume adequate water to meet the needs of their compromised kidneys. The waste products begin to build up in the bloodstream, which ultimately cause affected cats to feel sick. These fluids produce extra urine, thus helping flush out the waste products. The extra fluid intake helps with the kidney disease.

I recommend to play it safe and have some lab work run. Given their age, it's better to play it safe. Catching kidney disease early means you can start treatment (which is usually just a diet change) and this can increase the length of quality life after diagnosis. I hope this helps.

I'd feed Cupquake canned food, or add some low sodium gently warmed chicken broth to her dry food. I'd also recommend getting her a pet water fountain. It provides a continuous source of fresh water, and encourages the cat to drink. I have one for my cats, and they love it. You can get one at a pet store. I hope this helps.

The daily water requirement for cats and dogs ranges from 5 to 10 fluid ounces per day (or an average of 60 ml/kg/day). If your cat eats canned food, then the cat can get a lot of that fluid from the canned food as this has about 70-80% humidity. So, if ella drinks a lot more than 60cc(ml) of water per 2.2lbs body weight then you should take her to a veterinarian for blood tests. This could be caused by diabetes, kidney failure, a simple infection (also severe tooth infections/gingivitis) and other endocrine problems.