My kitten needs more water. Is sardine water safe to add to food?

If your cats have not had any issues with either product then they are probably ok for a treat occasionally for your kitties. The sardines if they contain bones may pose a slight risk as occasionally we can see obstruction or damage to the esophagus or stomach due to bones. If the sardines in tomato sauce have garlic or onion in them, they would not be recommended. Neither food would be recommended as a sole diet however as they wouldn't be a complete and balanced diet for your kitty.

Although good as a treat, sardines do not make up a balanced diet. What your kitty is doing is training you to feed her what she wants, when she wants it. Discontinue feeding the sardines. You can mix a tiny bit of the water from the can into the food to simulate her appetite. Warming the food slightly may also help. Be firm and be consistent. She won't starve herself.

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 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.

I would be very cautious about feeding any food in addition to kitten dry food as this upsets the nutritional balance of the diet and can lead to excess protein and lowered mineral intake and can affect growth and development. A teaspoonful a couple of days a week as a treat should be ok but I would not feed daily

Cats do not like their drinking water close to their food, so you should move the drinking water bowl at least 6ft away from the food. If Bandit eats mainly wet food he will drink less as well than if he only eats dry food. The problem with tuna broth is that it may be salted, so it would be better not to add that to his drinking water. Try moving the water away from the food. Make sure the water is always fresh and clean. Also cats prefer running water, so a water fountain may also solve the problem.

Many kind of fishes would be good but sardines and white fish like codfish would be great. Please carefully removed any fish bone inside. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.