Water intake WAY down

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MamaMug

MamaMug

Member Since 2019
So we've been on wet food for about 2 weeks now and insulin for a week. I've noticed since starting the wet food that water intake is way down and urination output is looking pretty much normal. At time of diagnosis Gato would scream and scream for water, and was peeing so much!

The vet prepped us to see water intake go down. 'Cats in the wild get most of their moisture needs through prey instead of water sources alone.' But I didn't think it would be this drastic. We went from refilling the water bowl 3-4 times a day, to having to dump nearly a full bowl to refill at meal times. I might start supplementing by adding a bit of water to the wet food, because I'm concerned they are hardly drinking at all. How much water do you're sugarcats drink outside of what they get through wetfood? Is there any reason to be concerned by this?
 
Wet food has moisture. Many of us also add water to the wet food to make a “soup.”

Feeding my cat wet with added water I rarely see her even touch her water dish anymore, that is because she is getting enough water in her wet food.

If they are not thirsty, that means their bodies are getting enough water. Also less peeing is good, can mean diabetes is better controlled!
 
MamaMug said:
We went from refilling the water bowl 3-4 times a day, to having to dump nearly a full bowl to refill at meal times.
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That's exactly what happened with China.....she was drinking a huge amount of water and I was refilling it several times a day…..after about a week of insulin, all the sudden it just stopped!

My litter budget was very happy about that!!
 
Idjit is on a raw meat diet, and I add water to the meat and supplement when I mix it up. I usually add a spoonful or two of water or broth at mealtime too, and Idjit never seems to touch his water bowl at all. It's always available and we just switch it out every day just in case, but he doesn't seem to need or want it. His urinary output is fine and he's definitely not dehydrated.

Gato is having nice numbers today, hooray! :cat:
 
Idjit's mom said:
His urinary output is fine and he's definitely not dehydrated.

Gato is having nice numbers today, hooray! :cat:
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Curious as to how hydration is best measured? I noticed when the vet was commenting on hydration, particularly for our older boys, he seemed to be manipulating the fur and skin for elasticity. I didn't think to ask at the time because I've never been concerned about hydration given he was previously drinking so much.

He's been a trooper today with all the testing! I don't often get the time to get daytime numbers, so it's been interesting to watch his cycle in real time.
 
I googled that and got this:
If you take a pinch of skin over the cat's shoulders and pull up gently, the skin should snap back into place when released. As the cat gets more dehydrated, the skin goes back in place more and more slowly. If the pinch of skin stays up (the "tent"), it is a sign of severe dehydration.
We mess with Idjit throughout the day, brushing, petting (he and Dad go rolling around on the back porch in good weather, well Idjit rolls around and Dad rubs and pets him all over), so we get lots of opportunity to check for hydration. I bet Gato is fine. Maybe you should go outside, or if he's an indoor cat get on the floor, and roll around with him, and see? LOL
 
Idjit's mom said:
I googled that and got this:
If you take a pinch of skin over the cat's shoulders and pull up gently, the skin should snap back into place when released. As the cat gets more dehydrated, the skin goes back in place more and more slowly. If the pinch of skin stays up (the "tent"), it is a sign of severe dehydration.
We mess with Idjit throughout the day, brushing, petting (he and Dad go rolling around on the back porch in good weather, well Idjit rolls around and Dad rubs and pets him all over), so we get lots of opportunity to check for hydration. I bet Gato is fine. Maybe you should go outside, or if he's an indoor cat get on the floor, and roll around with him, and see? LOL
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Unfortunately we live too close to a very busy road in the suburbs. I wouldn't feel very comfortable taking him out. We've considered harness training all 3 boys but have had some issues finding harnesses that fit. Oddly enough, our sugarbub is the only one of them that seems to be terrified of the outdoors!

However he is a very floorcentric kitty lol. I get down with him at least once a day for pets and brushing. I'll keep the skin tip in mind vis a vis hydration. I'm sure he's doing alright in that department, I just like to be sure.
 
My daughter got a harness and leash for her wonderful Russian Blue mix (my grandpuddy!). She put it on Mello and kitty promptly laid down on floor with her little "arms" outstretched, the most pitiful thing I've seen in a long time. "I can't move!!"
A repeat of the harness application got the very same reaction. We had to laugh a little.
 
Idjit's mom said:
kitty promptly laid down on floor with her little "arms" outstretched,
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China tried to "back out of it" first....when that didn't work, she fell over and just laid there....but I kept trying and eventually she learned she could still walk normally with the halter on and from there I added the leash....took awhile, but I did get her out the door on her own 4 paws!
 
Idjit's mom said:
My daughter got a harness and leash for her wonderful Russian Blue mix (my grandpuddy!). She put it on Mello and kitty promptly laid down on floor with her little "arms" outstretched, the most pitiful thing I've seen in a long time. "I can't move!!"
A repeat of the harness application got the very same reaction. We had to laugh a little.
Click to expand...
I am picturing the poor cat and laughing, I apologize to the cat, but they are funny sometimes:joyful:
 
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