There are many questions surrounding your pet’s nutrition, “What can cats drink?” is one of the most asked questions. Preparing food products for your cat is quite a lot of trouble.
Especially with kittens, when the intestines are still immature, their owners must pay more attention to their drinking water source.
There are several drinks that the owner can feed the cat, such as Clean, Fresh Water; Bone Broth; Tuna Juice; Goat Milk; Cat Milk; Oral Rehydration Fluids; Milk From Their Mother (And Only As A Kitten); and Kitten Formula (Only for Kittens).
The article below will provide detailed information about the above drinks, which your cat can drink without health problems. Enjoy it!
What Can Cats Drink?
Clean, Fresh Water
The best drink for cats is water. However, your cat must be provided with enough water daily. Especially if the cat has health problems like kidney disease or urinary tract disease, choosing the type of water for the cat to drink is also critical and needs attention. Some cats don’t like to drink water, but you can use simple tips to encourage them to drink water.
Ensure that the water source for cats to drink must be fresh, clean, hygienic, and free of harmful substances. You should give your cat clean, natural water to drink and consider installing a water treatment system at home or a faucet filter.
Bone Broth
Cats do not produce collagen naturally in their bodies, so adding bone broth to their diet is an excellent way to provide them with more collagen.
Collagen is an essential protein for human and animal skin and connective tissues. This protein forms cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and bones. It also helps to make the cat’s skin softer and smoother. Studies have shown that adding collagen to the diet of older cats can improve their health.
Bone broth is the best bone broth, with the most nutrients. The broth is super high in protein, with about 70% of the protein being collagen.
There are also small amounts of essential amino acids such as arginine and glycine. These amino acids are often lacking in pet foods, and adding them to a cat’s diet can positively affect its health.
Tuna Juice
You can add tuna juice to your cat’s regular food to stimulate their appetite if they are picky, but don’t give it too much.
Most cats can safely drink some tuna water, but only in moderation and under certain conditions. In some cases, tuna can be harmful to cats.
Tuna Juice is generally safe for cats if eaten in moderation and should not replace a cat’s average balanced meal.
While Tuna Juice will provide cats with a decent serving of protein and omega 3s, it will not provide the other essential vitamins and nutrients they need. Drinking Tuna Juice too often can lead to serious health problems in cats.
Goat Milk
If your cat can tolerate milk without any health problems, raw goat milk will be a good choice for your cat’s meal but should be given sparingly and infrequently.
Goat milk is generally higher in minerals and vitamins than cow’s milk and includes some taurine. Goat milk also has a slightly lower concentration of lactose, although the difference is minimal.
According to some studies, goat milk is easier to digest than cow’s milk. And it allows more iron and copper to be absorbed.
But, most veterinarians would not recommend giving goat milk to kittens as there are better formula options that are balanced and adapted to the kitten’s digestive system.
Cat Milk
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A kitten will possess the enzyme lactase, which allows them to digest milk, but this enzyme usually disappears when they are a few months old. Therefore, most adult cats cannot digest milk. You can buy some ‘cat milk’ that is lactose-free and safe for adult cats to drink.
Oral Rehydration Fluids
In the case of cats with mild dehydration, cats that are not vomiting can rehydrate by mouth. If the cat cannot drink, infuse ORESOLE soluble electrolytes with 1 sachet with exactly 1000ml of water, pumped with a syringe or plastic bottle into the oral cavity. However, if your cat’s health problems worsen, or you suspect your cat is dehydrated, take him to the vet immediately.
Milk From Their Mother (And Only As A Kitten)
The best milk for kittens is the cat’s mother’s milk. Kittens can drink their mother’s milk, but as they age, they are no longer lactose intolerant and should not drink any milk, not even their mother’s milk.
In addition, as cats age, their bodies produce less lactase. This reduces the ability to digest lactose in milk, affecting the digestive system of adult cats.
Kitten Formula (Only For Kittens)
Breeders sometimes refer to complementary kitten formula as “kitty glop” or “cat milk substitute” when kittens are not nursing or do not have a nursing mother. It is usually used with orphaned kittens, but if you find your newborn kitten hungry, you will need to know how to feed it.
There are plenty of homemade kitten formula recipes out there, but if you can buy kitten milk replacers from the pet store, then it’s ideal.
For those that aren’t store-bought milk alternatives, look for a recipe where you have the complete ingredients until you can afford some Milk Formula. Homemade kitten formula should not be used for more than 24 hours.
What Kind Of Drinks Should Cats Avoid?
Alcohol
Soft drinks, soft drinks, beer, or alcohol (or caffeine) should not be given to cats; alcohol affects the liver and brain, causing poisoning, coma, and death. With just 2 tablespoons of Whiskey, you seriously poison a cat over 2kg, and one more spoonful will cause death.
Sugary Drinks and Juices
Sugary Drinks and Juices can quickly lead to obesity, more seriously, can cause diabetes in cats. Because this drink contains high carbohydrate content, it is difficult for cats to absorb it.
Milk
Milk and dairy products contain Lactose, which is toxic to cats. Many milk types have a lot of Lactose, which a cat’s body is not equipped to digest. Therefore, using milk or dairy products containing Lactose will make cats uncomfortable, causing vomiting and constipation.
Caffeine
Caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, energy drinks, soft drinks, etc., contain Methylxanthines. This is a harmful substance to pets and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, convulsions, fever, and even death.
4 Tips To Help Cats Drink More Water
Tip 1: Always Keep The Bowl And Water Clean
One of the easiest ways to get cats to drink more water is to ensure their water source and bowls are clean. Cats love cleanliness, so you should take care of the neat appearance of the bowl, change the water at least once or twice a day, and regularly check for anything that has fallen into the bowl. It would be best if you also washed your cat’s water bowl once a week.
Tip 2: Mix Wet Food For Cats To Eat Every Day
One of the easiest ways to keep your cat well-hydrated is to use cat-specific wet pate food daily. Since most cats are excited by the taste of meat and moisture, this is one of the easiest ways to increase your cat’s daily water intake.
Besides, wet pate food has a higher water content. You can add a little clean water or diluted broth to this wet pate food to increase the water your cat absorbs.
Tip 3: Use A Variety Of Ways To Help Cats Enjoy Drinking Water
The preferences of cats, each one has its own, and we can only know them through observing the behavior of cats in contact with water.
One method that works with cats is to place the water bowl in a new location, like the corner of the living room or bedroom; It can attract cats’ interest and make them drink water more often.
By storing water in different types of bowls or different placements, you achieve two important goals at once. In addition to encouraging your cat to drink enough water to stay healthy, you also provide an enjoyable environment for all cats to keep happy and healthy.
Tip 4: Use A Cat Fountain
A cat fountain is a perfect solution for cats who love flowing water. This is an alternative to this toy and water bowl combination that saves water, is fully automatic, and uses very little electricity.
In addition, many pet fountains include a water filter to help ensure the water stays clean. But just like the bowl, the pet fountain must also be cleaned regularly.
Conclusion
The above article has provided the right answer to the question: What can cats drink? that owners need to know. Please apply what is written to take good care of your pet. If you suspect your cat isn’t drinking enough water or is showing any other severe signs, take your cat to the veterinarian closest to your home.
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Fair article. One addition i would suggest; Never let ANY pet, drink from the toilet. Not everyone has common sense, so people need to be told/reminded of this.
Thank you for your excellent feedback. I will update the information in the article so that everyone can read it