Is a tablespoon of water enough for my cat's freeze-dried food?

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.

Wet food does have a higher moisture content, so your cat may be getting enough water from the wet food that he doesn't need to drink anything additional. It's good that you see him drink a lot of water when he eats dry food, and you can add some more water to his wet food if you want just to make sure he is getting enough water :-)

I would feed a small amount of wet food twice daily with added water in it. Continue to leave out fresh water and you can try a cat water fountain too. That circulates water and encourages cats to drink more. Most cats will drink what they need daily so I’m not overly concerned about this if he’s acting normal, has a shiny coat, and is a normal weight. If he’s lethargic, thin or not grooming well then he may have an underlying medical problem that needs treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Topher.

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!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Rose. If she is eating a nutritionally balanced kitten food, it is ok that she only eats dry food. A proper food will be certified by AAFCO. Wet food will provide more moisture, but it sounds like she is drinking enough water. If you think her thirst is excessive, she should see her veterinarian as this can indicate a disease. However, it is rare in a kitten. I hope this information helps!

Try giving her another brand of wet food, such as Fancy Feast, or warm up her regular wet food. Freeze Dried is not wet food and I would be concerned about bacterial contamination. You may also want to have her teeth and mouth checked by your veterinarian.

Cats don't need dry food if you are providing wet cat food. The reason dry food is best is that most cats graze. You can leave the dry food out. Also, it helps with their teeth. I would not add any meat or anything else into a cat's diet. Just wet and/or dry cat food. Or as in Alice's case kitten food. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.