My 3-month-old stray kitten won't drink water. Is this a problem?

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think it Noushmc is otherwise acting 100% normal I think she will be fine. Just watch her closely. Also if she eats an all canned food diet there is a lot of water in that so animals will drink less. Or she could be drinking water from somewhere else (toilet, sink...puddle outside). If you are still worried you can try offering her some tuna juice. I hope this help and have a great day!

If your kitten is eating all wet food, he will get most of his water needs from the food. I would hold back on the steamed fish, only offering it as a treat, as more than that may upset the nutritional balance of the kitten food you're feeding. Also, if he is weaned, he does not need milk and may develop diarrhea if he gets too much. Again, a little taste, as long as there are no adverse effects is fine. Always make sure he has clean, fresh water available, but don't worry if you don't see him drink. To make sure he's getting enough water, you can mix some in with his wet food and/or offer him some low sodium chicken broth to drink. As long as he is healthy, happy and active, then you're doing the right thing.

He likely isn't drinking a ton of water because he is already getting his daily requirements through his food. Boiled chicken retains a good amount of water and if you are making sure he also drinks water run off from the food, then he is probably getting enough already. Cats aren't big water drinkers anyway so don't feel like you are doing anything wrong. I would suggest placing a pet water fountain (from your local pet store) in your home to encourage him to drink more. Also I would not recommend just feeding him chicken alone because this is not a complete diet for a cat and he is likely to become deficient in a lot of vitamins and minerals he needs, especially Taurine. He need a well balanced high quality kitten food such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet or Innova. You can go with a wet canned food as well to increase his water intake and he will likely be just fine. Best of luck with your kitty!

I am sorry this is happening with Minu, it is a very common problem with cats. First of all rest assured that if she is having wet food she gets most of her water intake from that source. I worry about the tuna juice too and I would suggest stopping that, as you mentioned the salt content concerns me. Instead I would suggest trying a water fountain. Many cats prefer fresh or running water that the fountains provide. There are many designed to cats on the market. I would also try some of these simple but maybe helpful tips; Switch the location of the water bowl Multiple water bowls if you have multiple cats Change the type of bowl Refresh the water in the bowl often I hope this was a helpful answer and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If the cat is stray, you will probably not be able to know for sure where her water source is. If she looks relatively healthy and is continuing to eat what you offer, I would not be concerned that she is dehydrated. If she is easily handleable, you can check her hydration status by pulling on some of her skin on her back to see if there is appropriate elasticity. Dehydrated animal's skin will often stay in place rather than returning to the normal anatomic location. You can also get a look at her gums and check for pinkness / moisture. Hope this helps.

Congratulations on your new addition! If you haven't previously fed 100% canned food before, you may not be used to how infrequently cats will drink water. My cats are also on a 100% canned food diet, and I rarely see them drink water (maybe once a week). That is because they get almost all the moisture they need from the canned food. It is important to have fresh water available to her at all times, but I would not be worried about not seeing a cat on 100% canned food not drink. If you're concerned, you might consider adding some water to her caned food or adding a running fountain since most cats prefer that to drink from. If Bronte seems stressed otherwise, you could try a couple of things. One option for decreasing stress is to add a Feliway Diffuser ( https://www.feliway.com ) to your house. This is a calming pheromone that will work for a month. I have also had luck with Rescue Remedy ( http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/ ) which can be added to the food. You could also consider calming music specifically for cats ( http://throughadogsear.com/tace/through-a-cats-ear-1-music-for-calming/ ). Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.