Jacques and Pumpkin
Member Since 2023
Pumpkin has drank water from a bowl for her whole life. Until her diagnosis she's always been on a combination of dry and wet food. After her diagnosis I switched her to 100% wet food but she kept drinking water from the bowl (starting at 15 oz per day and dropping down to 6-7 oz once I got her somewhat regulated).
A few weeks ago she got badly constipated. I took her to the vet who suggested adding water to her food to help up her water intake. As soon as I started doing that, she stopped drinking water from her bowl.
My challenge is that I can't add enough water to her food and have her eat it. If I add some water, she'll eat it, but past a point she's not interested. If there isn't too much water, she will lap up the water from around the food and then I can add more water... up to a point. Eventually she decides the food is "too used" and won't eat it if I add more water. And this only works if I'm around. If I'm not around I can't top it up so I have to stick with however much water she's okay with on the first try.
I'm adding cat safe bone broth mix to the water and mixing the food and water in whatever way she seems to find most palatable (I think having some of the shredded chicken stick out of the water helps, as does mixing her chicken liver pate in well with the water).
When her BG spikes, she doesn't get enough water anymore, and then she gets constipated again. Which probably doesn't help with her BG. Unfortunately it's hard for me to tell exactly how much water she's drinking now because of the way she doesn't always finish it.
Any ideas about what I can do to either get Pumpkin interested in drinking water from a bowl again? Or in eating more watery food?
A few weeks ago she got badly constipated. I took her to the vet who suggested adding water to her food to help up her water intake. As soon as I started doing that, she stopped drinking water from her bowl.
My challenge is that I can't add enough water to her food and have her eat it. If I add some water, she'll eat it, but past a point she's not interested. If there isn't too much water, she will lap up the water from around the food and then I can add more water... up to a point. Eventually she decides the food is "too used" and won't eat it if I add more water. And this only works if I'm around. If I'm not around I can't top it up so I have to stick with however much water she's okay with on the first try.
I'm adding cat safe bone broth mix to the water and mixing the food and water in whatever way she seems to find most palatable (I think having some of the shredded chicken stick out of the water helps, as does mixing her chicken liver pate in well with the water).
When her BG spikes, she doesn't get enough water anymore, and then she gets constipated again. Which probably doesn't help with her BG. Unfortunately it's hard for me to tell exactly how much water she's drinking now because of the way she doesn't always finish it.
Any ideas about what I can do to either get Pumpkin interested in drinking water from a bowl again? Or in eating more watery food?
