Water, water everywhere, but what to drink?

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George&Bert

George&Bert

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Last week i lost a 12 year old female to internal cancer. Never saw it until it got to her and was too late.
This week I have been getting treatment for a four year old fixed male who has diabetes or pancreatic cancer and a bad URI. He will not eat even though he is starving. He turns his head away from food and water even though he wants to eat and is thirsty. he is having an Ultra Sound as i am writing this. I have another 12 year old Male who may be diabetic. It has shaken me and making me rethink my process.

I have been giving them distilled water for five years. Is that bad or good? What ideally should they drink?
I feed them dry Taste of the Wild and California Natural and let them graze. Some are fat, some are skinny and some just right. I have twenty one cats. Twelve in my house and nine in my shelter.

I lost my Bert eighteen months ago due to do to cancer complications. He was severely diabetic, but controlled with PZI.
I do have a lot of experience on here in the past and treating Diabetes. At this time neither cat has been officially diagnosed due to other issues.

All thoughts, ideas and comments appreciated.
 
1. Stop feeding the diabetics dry food. Feed them wet food. You find Binky's list here with suitable wet foods and less expensive.

2. They can drink normal tap water you yourself drink + with the wet food they will get water in them with the food

3. You should start to home test and monitor their blood sugar. There are several meters on the market, some less expensive and with less expensive test strips.
 
Thank you, Anne. I have been drinking distilled water along with them.

One of the cats who "May" be diabetic refuses wet food regardless of what it is. He is a dry food junky. So, i may be going back to EVO if he tests out.
 
I am so sorry about your loss. It really sounds like your kitties have been having a tough time.

Please re-think giving distilled water both for your cats and yourself. There are absolutely no solutes in distilled water (i.e., minerals). As a result, the water pulls those compounds from the cells. Ultimately, this will cause deficiencies in certain minerals and electrolytes. If you want to provide a purified water, using a filter (e.g., a Brita) or spring water would be better since there are minerals in those types of water. Tap water is fine if you know that the tap water in your area doesn't cause any problems. (The best use of distilled water is in a humidifier or an iron.)

EVO cat and kitten dry food is an OK alternative to wet food. You might want to take a look at Lisa Pierson, DVM's site on feline nutrition if you've not seen it already. She provides some suggestions as to how to transition a cat that's a dry food junkie to canned food.

I hope the vet is able to rule out cancer. If your cat has a URI, it's possible the infection has raised your cat's BG levels. I truly hope that this is the case. Another possibility, if the vet hasn't ruled it out, is pancreatitis. Did the vet send out a blood sample for a spec fPLI? This is a blood test that's specific for pancreatitis. The URI is likely interfering with your cat's ability to smell his food. Anything that makes it smellier may help (e.g., warming it, sprinkling parmesan cheese, crumpling bonito/tuna flakes on top, using the water in low sodium canned tuna). At times when my cat has had a URI, the fet has also suggested running the shower so the bathroom is steamy and shutting the cat in the bathroom for 20 min. or so to help break up the congestion.
 
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