There is nothing more heartbroken when seeing your loved cat get sick. For some people, the cat is considered to be a little baby, thereby, when they fall ill, we definitely have the caring methods like the ones we treat with a little kid.
Whether you have a dog or a cat, instructing them to eat, drink or housetrain them properly are initially hard. It will take weeks or even months to teach a cat to drink in its bowl. Or when you finally win its heart, yet once it becomes ill or has problems with health and emotion, the habits will be lost for a while. Some cat owners are oftentimes in a divided mind as to how to get a cat to drink water when sick. As a matter of fact, this is not an unsolvable issue as you know the processes. This article will solve the problems as well as give you some ideas on how to get your ill cat to drink water.
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1. Pay attention to where your cat drinks water
Bowls should be placed in an attractive position away from food bowls or cat litter trays. While some do not care about water bowls near sanitary trays or food bowls, some others want their food and toilet near the water source.
You should make it easy for your cat to see you move water to the new area, away from food or toilet trays. In this way, they will not feel scared when the bowl is removed.
In fact, a sick cat might be drinking water in the bowl which is closest to them, because they are lazy to go around to find it. If your car lies down wherever in the house, make sure there is a bowl around it.
1.1. Place the bowl around the house
You should not just place the bowl in a specific place because the cat may not drink water. Instead, you should place the bowl near the water tank, on the kitchen counter, near your bed, in the bathroom, or around the house. This step will encourage the cat to discover as well as remind them to drink water.
You should place bowls of water in the cat area. For example, if your cat is sleeping tiredly or sleeping on a windowsill, you may have a glass of water next to the area.
You can also place the bowl near the tub to see if the cat is interested. Remember that a sick cat does not prefer hot water as a sick person does.
1.2. Keep the bowl and water clean
You should always make sure that the hygiene is prioritized, especially when your cat is sick. How to get a cat to drink water when sick is not just a duty but make it your pleasure.
You can wash the bowl with soap and water every two days, paying close attention to water. Once a week, you should put the bowl in the dishwasher for sterilization. Replace the water at least once or twice a day and regularly check for something in the water bowl, especially when you place the bowl near the kitchen.
Cats may not drink much water if the bowl is not clean. Some sick cats are very hard to drink only clean water and will show fuss by refusing to drink water.
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2. Encourage your cat to drink more water
Averagely, a sick cat needs to take more than 12% the amount of hydrated liquid. Water helps cats’ gastric become softer so they can absorb nutrients efficiently. Also, providing as much as water benefits the cats’ urination a lot. When they pee, the substance is also eliminated.
2.1. Add flavor to the water
An ill cat wouldn’t want pure water because its taste has been influenced by the health problem. Therefore, you need to put something tasteful to water to attract it.
Pour tuna or chicken into cats' drinking water. You can also add water to cat food. Just one or two teaspoons of water mixed well enough to attract cats to drink, especially when they like to eat wet food. However, it is important to note that not all cats prefer flavored drinks.
In addition, you can encourage cats to drink water by crushing the mint leaves into the bowl. You can show the cat how to grind the mint leaves in water so they know that the leaves they like are in the bowl.
2.2. Feed cats regular meals a day
Many cats drink water after eating, just like humans, so you should feed cats more than once or twice a day. Divide meals into small portions to encourage them to drink water throughout the day. Cats often spend a lot of time adjusting their diets, but this helps them absorb enough water.
If you want to eat regularly, you must always arrange the time to do this work.
Conclusion
Pets are like human beings. When they get sick, they will need a more intensive caring than ever before. Moreover, encouraging cats to drink water in the illness days not only help them to recover faster but also better their immune system. I hope the tips on how to get a cat to drink water when sick will help you somewhat. Always be a good owner of your kitten.
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