Problem with the ''drinking-gravy''...

[tigerbaby]

a) which either means he is always quite thirsty
or b) he's just greedy cos he thinks it's yummy.

I vote b, if he was thirsty he would have a drink,meat juices are tasty and he will cram as much in until he cant drink anymore. Simon is like this when i open cat milk, he would drink so much and then vomit, hes not thirsty hes a pig!!

made me chuckle. Yes I think you are right - it is probably the same with Jameson, he has got a healthy appetite and will do anything for a nice treat.

[Millys Mum]

a) which either means he is always quite thirsty
or b) he's just greedy cos he thinks it's yummy.

I vote b, if he was thirsty he would have a drink,meat juices are tasty and he will cram as much in until he cant drink anymore. Simon is like this when i open cat milk, he would drink so much and then vomit, hes not thirsty hes a pig!!

[tigerbaby]

Yes, that is very true. I should probably stop worrying too much, as he gets wet food daily!

In other words, does a 100g pouch of wet food (in either gravy or jelly) contain enough fluids for a cat? Reason I'm asking is cos everytime I make him gravy-water he'll drink for ages, which either means he is always quite thirsty, or he's just greedy cos he thinks it's yummy.

[Bazsmum]

I totally agree with that Milly'sMum....mine range from dry only...loads of water the less dry they eat and the more wet (going to other end of the scale) the less water they drink....One of mine will not entertain dry food and Ive rarely seen him drink! 

[Millys Mum]

If your cat eats wet food you wont often see them drink, they dont get thirsty like we do. Much like meerkats who get all their moisture from munching fat insects 

[CharlieFarley]

Personally I'm inclined to think we pander a bit too much - if he is thirsty he will drink!  He won't let himself dehydrate.  He just likes his meowmy pandering to his every whim! 

This thought has crossed my mind too. It's just that I've never seen him drink from a bowl. I'm going to invest in a large ceramic dog bowl for the garden and see how it goes.

I very rarely see Charlie drink either yet I see Harry drink all the time.  I just assume Charlie does drink because hes not dropped dead yet!  Ocassionally he also wanders round with a wet chin.

[tigerbaby]

Personally I'm inclined to think we pander a bit too much - if he is thirsty he will drink!  He won't let himself dehydrate.  He just likes his meowmy pandering to his every whim! 

This thought has crossed my mind too. It's just that I've never seen him drink from a bowl. I'm going to invest in a large ceramic dog bowl for the garden and see how it goes.

[CharlieFarley]

My OH's parents cat is a fussy drinker, wouldn't drink from a standard water bowl, only from a glass.  So they gave her a glass and slowly swapped it with wider glasses until they got her back to a deep clear bowl    She also loves to drink frm the bathroom tap, so everytime someone goes to the loo she follows you in, you turn the tap on and she'll sit on the sink and drink while you use the loo.  Maybe you could try that?

Personally I'm inclined to think we pander a bit too much - if he is thirsty he will drink!  He won't let himself dehydrate.  He just likes his meowmy pandering to his every whim! 

[tigerbaby]

I spotted a really cheap fountain on ebay, buy it now price of £7. Can't say how good it is but might be a cheap way of finding out if he will drink from it and you can decide if it's worth upgrading to a better model.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Drinkwell-Aqua-Garden-100-Organic-Wheat-Cat-Grass_W0QQitemZ160226109407QQihZ006QQcategoryZ20739QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks, just checked it out! (Do'h just got the reply...cat grass only. Booo!)

I have a spare CatIt one but I'm waiting for an email from a lady who adopted a renal cat from us to see if she wants it. If she doesn't, you can have it!

Feel guilty for tempting fate now but I don't think my lady will need it. It's all very sad. The full story's in Rescue and Rehoming about Sundae but it doesn't sound like the poor little guy has long left 

Oh no.. I'm sorry to hear that. i will go and read the story. Let me know how it goes...

[Sheli_80]

I knew it was too good to be true!!!

[Corporal Smokey]

That's the grass only sadly hun. Otherwise I'd have snapped a few up for the shelter!

[Sheli_80]

I spotted a really cheap fountain on ebay, buy it now price of £7. Can't say how good it is but might be a cheap way of finding out if he will drink from it and you can decide if it's worth upgrading to a better model.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Drinkwell-Aqua-Garden-100-Organic-Wheat-Cat-Grass_W0QQitemZ160226109407QQihZ006QQcategoryZ20739QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Corporal Smokey]

I have a spare CatIt one but I'm waiting for an email from a lady who adopted a renal cat from us to see if she wants it. If she doesn't, you can have it!

Feel guilty for tempting fate now but I don't think my lady will need it. It's all very sad. The full story's in Rescue and Rehoming about Sundae but it doesn't sound like the poor little guy has long left 

[Desley (booktigger)]

One of my bridge babes would only drink out of a wine glass on the front room floor for ages, it caused a few raised eyebrow's from visitors!!! Then we discovered the ceramic bowls from Wilkinsons, and she would finally drink from a bowl - I have only those now, and the cats seem happy with them - they have a large dog bowl in the front room, as the vet said they prefer larger bowls, and they like that, but wont touch any water bowls if they are in the kitchen.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Lady I knew her cat would only drink water from a desert glass with chipped ice in the water placed on the dinning room table....

That is brilliant and she has the right name 

[Mark]

Sorry haven't read thru threads but wonder if anyone has mentioned putting a couple of bowls around the house away from food bowl. It really worked a treat getting ours to drink more.

Alice has 4 different bowl around her room  - I haven't seen her drink once but I think she must when I'm not looking as one of them goes down 

Pretty much like Clapton refusing dry food but I have caught him several time eating the hedgehog food 

[Sabrina (Auferstehen)]

We've got one large ceramic dog bowl full of water near where the food bowls are and a drinkwell fountain in the library.

Got the fountain because the one foster kitten Harley likes to splash and she was getting water all over the place.

Now they don't really use the dog bowl! However all glasses of water a fair game so when I drink a glass of water I have to either drink it all in one go or watch it like a hawk otherwise I'll have cat backwash in my drink. Tea and coffee is also a favorite of our burmese who will dip her paws in the mugs to get at the bottom of them.

So, the best thing to do is try a varitiy of glasses, cups, bowls and put them all in different places until one suits your cat.

Lady I knew her cat would only drink water from a desert glass with chipped ice in the water placed on the dinning room table....

[Rosella moggy]

Sorry haven't read thru threads but wonder if anyone has mentioned putting a couple of bowls around the house away from food bowl. It really worked a treat getting ours to drink more.

[tigerbaby]

Memphis won't drink from his cat bowl (yet Molly the dog will) he always drinks from the large dog bowls.

It's like the Cat Bed Syndrome... Jameson has at least 4 beds around the house, yet will sleep in either ours or in weird places like on top of a stack of boxes or on my office desk. Also he has his own cat blanket on the sofa, yet has now adopted our blanket as his. 

I'd heard that cats often won't drink water from a bowl because of the chlorine in it.

Yes, this is what I heard too, so I tried giving him bottled water, and boiled-then-cooled water but he still wouldn't drink it. Then I saw him drink some water dribble from the taps and got even more confuzzled.

[Den]

Memphis won't drink from his cat bowl (yet Molly the dog will) he always drinks from the large dog bowls.

[koscha (Ruth M)]

I'd heard that cats often won't drink water from a bowl because of the chlorine in it.

Though that doesn't explain why Koscha will only drink clean water from a running tap. If she was in the room i'd take the opportunity to turn it on for her (an invitation she couldn't refuse  ) so that she got a good fresh drink every other day or so in addition to the bowls of water.

If a cat has access to outdoors  they generally can find all the water they need from drain tops etc (always makes me cringe  ), but the fish water and gravy sound like good ideas worth trying too.

I didn't know you could still get the Catit fountains... will have to look into that....

[tigerbaby]

I do have a bowl outdoors but it's quite shallow, maybe I should change it to a bigger one. I have no idea if he has drunk out of it though. I have seen him drink really old water from plant pot saucers too, you know the kind that has gone grey because of earth and mank. He seemed to prefer that to the fresh bowl o' water next to it. We also put a water bowl away from his food, but I never saw him drink from that either. Funny little creatures these cats!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Definately too salty.

I would also try putting a big dish, like one with a 5-6 inch across top , cerial bowl so deep too, outside and I found that Franta would drink from this but not from the bowl inside.

They love it especially when its got rain water in.

Mine lke to drinkl out of plant pot saucers and puddles too . also the buckets that catch the rain from greenhouse roof.

Last night Misa drank from the dish in my hand that I had just filled but usually wont touch them  He prefers to dip his paw in a watering can and then suck his paw!

[bluecat]

mix warter in with marys pouches felix as good as    mixes in well  mind she likes it slurpy

[tigerbaby]

I have a spare CatIt one but I'm waiting for an email from a lady who adopted a renal cat from us to see if she wants it. If she doesn't, you can have it!

That is really sweet of you, ! Let me know indeed. 

Does he eat much dry food? If not then he will get adequate water from his pouches without adding extra to it. They are about 80% moisture to start with.

 
He eats dry food in the mornings and throughout the day. I give him a scoop of dry, and a 100g pouch of wet per day (the wet food mixed with water).

Would he drink water from poached fish?
I have trouble getting Alice to drink but she loves the water fish is cooked in. She isn't too mad on the fish so I cook a small piece every day. Kylie gets the bulk of the fish and Alice gets the water and a couple of chunks. I also add a little bit of filtered water to it.

Good idea - will try this too!

[Millys Mum]

Does he eat much dry food? If not then he will get adequate water from his pouches without adding extra to it. They are about 80% moisture to start with.
Cats dont need to drink after play like dogs do, who canl gulp a big bowl in a short space of time.

I would set a routine of 2 or 3 wet meals aday. If he does get thirsty he can source it, my old cats fav place was the dip in the manhole cover 

The current cats have a glass bowl in the kitchen, a fountain and 2 ceramic bowls outside. I put one in long grass which they seem to like.

[Maddiesmum]

Charlie is fascinated by running water, the bath, the sink etc. He had a water bowl but I never saw him use it so got him a Drinkwell and he has a drink from it each morning.

[Leanne]

We have a nightmare with Jess, we now have a fountain, I'm not convinced he drinks from it but he rubs his nose in it frequently, and that'll do for me.

I've resorted to rubbing his mouth area with water before so he'll lick it off!   

[Mark]

Would he drink water from poached fish?

I have trouble getting Alice to drink but she loves the water fish is cooked in. She isn't too mad on the fish so I cook a small piece every day. Kylie gets the bulk of the fish and Alice gets the water and a couple of chunks. I also add a little bit of filtered water to it.

[Den]

Just a question - when we make gravy for ourselves we use the meat juice and add stock cube and flour. Is this ok for cats to drink (if diluted with water)? I would think it is too salty for their sensitive tummies.

Yes it is too salty for a cat.

[Corporal Smokey]

There are many outdoors fountains but they're ornamental rather than functional. Mine love the tap-running sensation of the Drinkwell fountain. It also oxygenates the water to make it better for them.

I'd say go for the Drinkwell rather than the CatIt in your case although I think PAH do a small CatIt for about £20. I have a spare CatIt one but I'm waiting for an email from a lady who adopted a renal cat from us to see if she wants it. If she doesn't, you can have it!

[tigerbaby]

Cats like fresh water I'm afraid.

I replace the water in my cat's bowls twice a day as I feed them and I have seen them using them often. Also bear in mind, if your cat has access to outside it may have found a water source it is just happier with. You may want to check around locally to see if there is somewhere he may be drinking from and is it suitable.

I find that several bowls around the house rather than just a couple by their food dishes make a difference. I have bowls in every room tucked away in a quiet spot as cats tend to drink away from where they eat, maybe this would help.

Hope this helps

Maybe they do - but I have only seen him drink fresh water on a few occassions. And maybe he is drinking elsewhere, because he goes outdoors, it is just that I wouldn't know. I had a look around where he normally goes but can't find a water source anywhere. We also tried putting water bowls in different areas around the house but no luck. I've caught him drinking manky rainwater in the garden.

I will check Ebay too for water fountains and bargains, it might be that running fresh water is more appealing to him. Are there water fountains for outdoors, or only indoors? Thanks all.

[JackSpratt]

My lot have normal bowls of water and a fountain. It has to be said they use the fountain the most. If you look on Ebay there are sometimes cheap water fountains. (I know because I looked before I got mine! )

[feebee]

Cats like fresh water I'm afraid.

I replace the water in my cat's bowls twice a day as I feed them and I have seen them using them often. Also bear in mind, if your cat has access to outside it may have found a water source it is just happier with. You may want to check around locally to see if there is somewhere he may be drinking from and is it suitable.

I find that several bowls around the house rather than just a couple by their food dishes make a difference. I have bowls in every room tucked away in a quiet spot as cats tend to drink away from where they eat, maybe this would help.

Hope this helps

[tigerbaby]

When you're making gravy for yourselves, why not make a lot more and freeze it in ice cube trays? Then  you can just take out as and when you need them and they will always be available.

Good ideas you two! Just a question - when we make gravy for ourselves we use the meat juice and add stock cube and flour. Is this ok for cats to drink (if diluted with water)? I would think it is too salty for their sensitive tummies.
The gravy we make for Jameson when we cook meat is simply meat juice, fat and water (no stock or flour etc).

[tiga]

Just saw someone else replied as I was doing mine - so you got the ice cube idea twice. Must be a good one!

[tiga]

What about getting a goldfish bowl and put a few ping pong balls in or some of those floating fish (not real ones)? He might think it's something he shouldn't be drinking and so will be more enticing.

When you're making gravy for yourselves, why not make a lot more and freeze it in ice cube trays? Then  you can just take out as and when you need them and they will always be available.

Mine have two water fountains  and did have a couple of water bowls but I have never seen them touch the bowls so stopped putting them out. They love the fountains though.

[Tiggy's Mum]

You could freeze some of the gravy you make him when you have a roast into an ice cube tray then he vcan have a fresh portion whenever you want to give him some.

[tigerbaby]

So, my dear cat will not drink unless his wet food has been mixed with warm water. This spells a problem, as I never know when he is thirsty, and often open his dinner pouch way earlier in the day just so he can drink, which means I waste a lot of pouches (he won't touch them if they been out too long, obv) - and I sometimes have to serve 2 pouches in a day for him to get enough water and fresh food. Food goes to waste and so does my money.

I have tried to make own gravy whenever we cook meat (mix the meat juices and fat with water) - he'll drink that, but that is not a daily thing that we do.

I HAVE seen him on FEW occassions drinking water from running taps, which boggles me as he won't touch normal water in his bowl. I have also seen him drink rain water and water in flower pots and door steps.
I wish I could ''try before I buy'' the water fountain, as they're quite costy.

Any other ideas how to ''water'' my fussy drinker boy??

Is there a way to make ''homemade'' gravy suitable for cats??

Already today we've gone through a pouch (this morning) as it's sunny and he spent ages playing outside and exhausting himself. I don't want to keep opening a new pouch each time he is thirsty. A lot of the time I'm only guessing he is thirsty.

Any ideas?