How much moisture does a cat need?

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icedog - 25 Dec 2004 23:12 GMT

Chloe is always at the dried food but never drinks water. However she goes
for the Purina pouches and licks up the gravy or jelly but ignores the meat
so we end up throwing it away. So is she getting enough liquid?

Also, how do you get a cat on the scales as she won't allow being pickd up
or jump in a washbasket for weighing?

Sorry to ask simple questions but still learning.

Icedog

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Phil P. - 26 Dec 2004 00:02 GMT

> Chloe is always at the dried food but never drinks water. However she goes
> for the Purina pouches and licks up the gravy or jelly but ignores the meat
> so we end up throwing it away. So is she getting enough liquid?

Doesn't sound like she is. Cats need about 60 ml/kg/day - or about 1
oz./lb/day. If you want to be more precise, this link explains water
requirements in detail.

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm#Water Requirements

> Also, how do you get a cat on the scales as she won't allow being pickd up
> or jump in a washbasket for weighing?

Bribery! Simply toss a few treats on the scale.

http://www.maxshouse.com/weighing_a_cat_made_easy.htm

After a few times, your cat will jump on the scale and wait for a treat:

http://www.maxshouse.com/Ours/titionscale-12-17-04c.jpg

> Sorry to ask simple questions but still learning.

Learning about cats is a life-long work-in-progress!

Good luck,

Phil.

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Darmok - 26 Dec 2004 11:36 GMT

>> Chloe is always at the dried food but never drinks water. However she goes
>> for the Purina pouches and licks up the gravy or jelly but ignores the
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
>
>Phil.

Phil .. you always have the greatest advice (and accurate too!).
You must be a GREAT cat dad!

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Phil P. - 27 Dec 2004 06:28 GMT

> >> Chloe is always at the dried food but never drinks water. However she goes
> >> for the Purina pouches and licks up the gravy or jelly but ignores the
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
> Phil .. you always have the greatest advice (and accurate too!).
> You must be a GREAT cat dad!

Aww shucks. Thanks.

I don't consider my cats my kids anymore - two are older than me. They're
kinda like kept women! LOL! The cost me a fortune and smooch only when
they're in the mood! LOL! ;-)

Phil

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PawsForThought - 26 Dec 2004 01:35 GMT

>From: "icedog" deadnokennel@tesco.net

>Chloe is always at the dried food but never drinks water. However she goes
>for the Purina pouches and licks up the gravy or jelly but ignores the meat
>so we end up throwing it away. So is she getting enough liquid?

Here's an article you might find of interest:

http://www.catinfo.org/zorans_article.pdf
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecatjournal.com/articles/claws.htm

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Zythophile - 26 Dec 2004 15:45 GMT

> Chloe is always at the dried food but never drinks water. However she goes
> for the Purina pouches and licks up the gravy or jelly but ignores the
> meat
> so we end up throwing it away. So is she getting enough liquid?

Is she an indoor only cat or does she have access to the outside world? If
she's the latter, she may well be drinking from puddles etc outside. For
some reason, cats, like dogs, seem to prefer "dirty" water to tap water.
I've heard it suggested that they don't like the taste of the chlorine in
tap water. I've no idea how to get rid of the chlorine from tap water
though.

Personally, I've never attempted to weigh my cats. If I were worried that
they were over- or under-weight, I'd take them to the vet to check. I know
how to calculate my Body Mass Index, but not idea of how to do it for cats.

I'm sorry that I can't be more helpful. I hope you find reassuring answers.

Signature

Z
51? 37' 23" N, 3? 56' 27" W

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MrAVenez - 27 Dec 2004 01:24 GMT

An easy way is to weigh yourself while holding the cat, and then again without
the cat, then just figure out the difference...

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