Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How much water does a cat need per day?

One of the new cats, Kubla, is not eating or drinking very much. We just got them from the shelter Tuesday. After giving him a day or two to settle in, he still is not eating and drinks little.

He saw the vet yesterday and was treated for dehydration. We have a 6 ml syringe for giving him water and food. But how much water per day? How often?

I am a little concerned that your vet left you on your own with so little information. I recommend contacting an emergency vet to see what should be done here. Then on Monday contact your own vet about how much should be given to the cat!

Good luck! I hope you will find an answer to this. I certainly don't have a ready one for you!
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

Hi There,

Your questions aren't easy to answer and should have been discussed with your vet. Water requirements vary from cat to cat and it has to do with age, size of the cat, and degree of dehydration.

However, I would give at least 60 cc's of liquified food twice daily. This would be 10 syringes full of the size you have now. I recommend blending a can of food with 1/3 can warm water for syringe feeding. Or, strained meat baby food (with no onion added) can be syringe fed right out of the jar.

Remember to feed slowly and give the cat a chance to swallow the food in his mouth before giving him more. I hope your vet has shown you exactly how this should be done. It is possible to get food into a cat's lungs if this is done incorrectly.

Please keep us updated on how your baby does.

Regards,
PHKitkat

Definately talk to your vet on this. You may need to take the cat in every day or two until this is sorted for SUB-Q fluids to help with the dehydration. I would keep in touch with the vet daily for advice and an update until your cat is better.

After my 10 pound male had amputation surgery and didn't eat or drink, I gave him about 30 cc's of liquified food every 6 hours. Most cats are nibblers and eat several times a day. I found chicken baby food (100% chicken) worked well mixed with enough water to suck up into a syringe, but what really helped him is I asked the vet for Science Diet AD (canned food) that is developed specifically for sick cats and is packed with nutrients. Mixed it with enough water to suck up into a syringe.

You can get a larger syringe from your vet. I picked up a 10 cc syringe and that makes it SO much easier. You can get the cat in a comfortable position with the head elevated and only have to fill it once after the first syringe is done.

I also found that Tender Vittles cat food worked well after a couple days of syringe feeding. It is semi-moist and I was able to get solid food into him by popping the Tender Vittles in his mouth like M&Ms. He'd eat if I lightly force fed them to him -- but not on his own.

Your vet can also give you an appetite stimulant (Cyproheptadine) to help the cat eat on its own. I wound up gently force feeding for about a week before I found out about Cyproheptadine and it made a big difference. He started eating on his own after that.

Just keep food pretty steadily in him every 6 or so hours. If you have to work, make sure he gets a good meal before work, after work, and before bed.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

My mistake -- the vet gave me a 20 cc syringe, not 10 cc, for feeding. I only had to fill it twice during feedings. He generally ate about 30 cc, but sometimes a full 40 cc every 6 hours. I recommend you double check with your vet and get a bigger syringe...
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey