New kitten not drinking, sleeps a lot

[Desley (booktigger)]

I think it is better for us to advise that only cats milk should be given HK as we have guests that read threads without ever posting, and the effects of an intolerant cat arent pleasant

[Millys Mum]

Please tell me why there's such a down on cow's milk? I know some cats can't tolerate it due to lactose allergies, but most cats drink it happily. Why the need to shell out on cat milk? Please tell.

Theres no need for milk fullstop, 'cat' milk or cow. Id also say theres more cats intolerant than there are that can digest it, its natures way for the stomach not to be able to process it as once weaned you shouldnt get it so therefore you lose the enzymes in your stomach for dealing with it.
We are the only species that continue to consume such quantities of a substance designed for babies (bovine ones at that)

[CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls]

I give my Ollie cows milk every day, he follows me around in the morning while im making a cuppa so he can get some milk 

Maybe try getting a water fountain, my Harry likes to drink from the tap and I find he drinks much more with the fountain being there 

[Hippykitty]

Please tell me why there's such a down on cow's milk? I know some cats can't tolerate it due to lactose allergies, but most cats drink it happily. Why the need to shell out on cat milk? Please tell.

[nutzy]

He looks just like a tabby to me.     I'll post some photos of him when I get the hang of how to do it again.  I used to post a lot of photos of my rats to the rat forum that I belong to, but it's been a while now and I'm a bit slow when it comes to things like that, especially if I haven't done it for a bit . 

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

  your little one sounds like a real character ... he's not a bengal cross is he?  Bengals like to play in water.

[nutzy]

I have moved his water bowl to outside our bathroom, where he has access to a dripping tap too.  However, he prefers to stand in his water bowl and "dig" the water out - which is something new starting yesterday.  He will then sniff the water and then shake his head.  I can watch his antics for hours - except at 1am when he thinks its great fun to attack my feet under the duvet.   

Anyway, I'm more settled now.  Thanks All!

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Just had a thought about the water thing.  It might be worth trying different drinking bowls in different places.  My lot all have a bowl in the bathroom which has to be filled with slightly warm water for foxy (she won't drink cold water).  Zephyr likes to drink from a dripping tap in the bathroom sink and Rossi has a pint glass on the worktop 

I've also read somewhere that it's best not to use glass or dark coloured bowls as cats don't like to see their reflection in the water (not sure how true this is!).  As with most things "cat" a bit of trial and error usually comes into play and I'm sure your little one will let you know where he wants to drink from 

[Janeyk]

Hi Nutzy and  to Purrs 

I agree, my oldies drink alot which is to be expected but when when I had young cats I hardly saw them drink at all and they were fine.  Also very young and old cats do tend to sleep loads too so if your little one seems otherwise well I'm sure she she is ok.

[Gillian Harvey]

As others have said, cats that eat mainly wet food don't need extra water, as they get all they need from their food. Cats don't have a big thirst drive and it is quite unnatural for them to drink lots (as they would have to if they were eating mainly dry). If he's happy eating wet food I wouldnt worry about him not eating dry, he doesnt need it. 

[Tiggy's Mum]

  to Purrs

One of my boys doesn't drink water either, I was quite worried when he was a kitten as I would see his brother drinking but not him.  He does like cat milk though but got a bit addicted so I have weaned them off it now, they only have it occasionally as a treat and I just add a slosh of water to their wet food in the mornings 

As for the sleeping, my two would race round like loonies then pass unconscious for a few hours before waking up again and repeating the process. Rajah sounds perfectly normal but if you're in any way worried then as Sam says then best to pop him down the vets for a quick check up.

Looking forward to seeing a few piccies of the little man himself  

[nutzy]

Thanks all!  Rajah is fascinating with the dripping tap and on Saturday played in the bath with the water puddle, which we increased until he was up to his knees and wading while playing with his ball.  He had a great time and so did we!    I have never seen a cat who is totally unafraid of water.  Maybe this is just a passing phase, but certainly was entertaining to watch.  Anyhoo, he still wasn't overly tempted to drink.  But I will grab some kitten milk next time I'm in Tesco and will check out those links, Sam!

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

The following links have some useful "kitten" information.  Personally I would say fro your description Rajah is behaving like a normal kitten but if you are worried in any way I would take him to the vet and ask them to give him a quick MOT.

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,21647.0.html

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,4790.0.html

[LadyJane]

I don't know too much about small kittens but our Samson (almost 1yr) hardly drinks out of his bowl although he will lap at water running out of the bathroom tap (not the kitchen one though or the sink if we put the plug in and let a little puddle form.

Is Rajah big enough to be tempted with that?

If he's showing an interest in your cereal milk, maybe grab a bottle of kitten milk and see how he likes that?

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

 

Wet food contains about 83% moisture so I wouldnt worry too much about drinking water.
You are right about cows milk though, if anything then use kitten milk although best to stick to water really.

As for the sleeping, kittens do sleep alot.....the playing and then dropping down sounds about right bless him 
If You are worried you could always speak to your vet when he has his injections (unless he has already then them)

[nutzy]

Hi, I joined this forum some time ago in preparation for the arrival of our new baby who was born at the end of April, and finally joined our family last week on Wednesday.  Rajah is a tabby boy, very cheeky, very cute, loves cuddles and playtime.  BUT, he is avoiding the water bowl, and has barely had a sip since he arrived last week.  The majority of his diet comprises wet cat food in pouches, so I assume he is getting his moisture from that but when I think back to when I had my other cats, I remember them drinking a lot of water.  Rajah does seem to like the milk in my cereal bowl though, which I understand is not good for him so I don't let him have any.  He also has a bowl of dry cat food to snack on during the day, but won't eat it unless I feed him by hand.  He seems to prefer my rat's pellets, some of which he managed to scoff the other day when I was cleaning the cage.   

He is also sleeping an enormous amount of the time.  He is our first kitten in years, as our previous cats were rescues and all adults when we got them, so I don't know if this is normal.  He will play for a while and then flop down and sleep for hours.  We are naturally all pre-occupied with our work, etc during the day and so can't spend the amount of time playing with him that he probably needs, but would be pleased to know how much sleep a 3 month old kitten should be getting.