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My bottle-fed kitten won't drink from a bowl. How can I teach him?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 1 month and 29 days old | 0.88 lbs

I found him on a vacant lot and had to bottle feed him for about two weeks. He's now about 8 weeks old and already eating solids, but he hasn't learned to drink from a bowl. I tried using bowls of different sizes, put water on the ground, wet his lips, placed him next to a faucet, etc, but he still won't drink. By night, he's so thirsty that he'll suck at my fingers, I'll end up giving him the bottle. He has no issues eating food mixed with water, but how can I get him to drink from a bowl?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on August 30th, 2019

Check out this article below on how to help teach Mouse to drink from a bowl. You can also feed him canned food and add water to it, that will get extra water into him.

https://www.hillspet.com/cat-care/nutrition-feeding/why-cat-tips-over-water-bowl

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Karly Macon, DVM, MS, CVA Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Veterinarian
Published on May 22nd, 2017
Don't worry, he will figure this out. For now, feed canned kitten food, and make sure your water bowl is small, not deep, and heavy enough that he won't knock it over. He will get the hang of it if he has the right bowel!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on August 15th, 2019
Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Udon. Good job adding water to his wet food, as this will give him extra water. The wet food is also providing a source of water. Cats aren't big water drinkers, but I have found success with a cat water fountain. My cats love it and it encourages them to drink from it. I would get him a cat water fountain, you can find them online and at a pet store. I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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