How to Keep Your Cat Hydrated All Year Round
Prevent A UTI By Keeping Your Cat Hydrated
Mom says when she took me for my first vet visit after adoption, Dr. John Hatch at Secaucus Animal Hospital told her to add a ¼ cup of water to my food every meal. He said keeping your cat well-hydrated will hopefully prevent a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection).
It’s a known fact that many cats, particularly males can get a UTI – often from the dust in many litters that can back up into the urinary tract. It has also been said that cats should not eat too much fish because it can also cause urinary infections and even kidney disease.
A lot of the concern with fish concentrates on the processed wet food in cans or kibble – not the organic, raw food frozen and freeze-dried that Beau, Jack & I eat.
Moisture In Raw Food
And speaking about hydration and raw food – raw food inherently has a lot of natural moisture – so much that I don’t drink water from the water bowl. Neither does Beau. However mom still puts out a fresh bowl of water every day just in case we are extra thirsty!
Meanwhile, Mom says you can never have too much hydration – and faithfully every meal she adds that 1/4 cup of water that Dr. Hatch recommended. One thought about the quantity of the water - mom says use your eyes to determine the exact amount - a lot depends upon the weight of the pet and the quantity of food served...She says the ratio should turn the meal into a “stew" – not a soup...freeze-dried raw food may need more than the 1/4 cup to reconstitute well, whereas the unfrozen raw food may need a little less than the 1/4 cup. Mom also recommends warm water not cold. We like it warm!
Keeping Freeze-Dried Food Hydrated
Also mom says we can't say it enough...please remember that freeze-dried raw food must be re-hydrated with water to return it to a wet food so we can easily digest it...a freeze-dried treat given "as is" - is fine...but a meal portion must be well rehydrated, otherwise it will expand in the pet's stomach - and they will vomit...ugh!
Recently, mom was introduced to Primal Feline Bone Broth which is packed with nutrition and has been using that to hydrate our raw food sometimes.
The bone broth is good for all types of food – both wet and dry. She even served us a ¼ cup of the bone broth as a treat! YUM!
And the warm months mean we can get dehydrated if we don’t have enough moisture in our diet….some homes have air conditioning and others don’t - so temperatures can rise and us kitties can get hot…the summer is a purr-fect time to introduce more moisture into your cat’s diet and make it a “must-add” to every meal.