Male cat not drinking much

by Amber
(Caloundra, Qld, Aus)

I have recently taken in a persian cross. He is 13 months old, and I am concerned. He refuses to drink water most of the time but loves his wet food and eats his dry food. And is very hostile towards human touch. That bad that he shakes as is if a human shakes when they have the flu. Any help? Thank you.

Reply
Hi
It is not unusual for some cats not to drink water if they are eating wet food as they get some moisture from this and so they may just not feel thirsty. However it is advisable that cats do drink some water especially males so as to prevent uti's developing. try increasing his dry food to wet ratio as this can encourage them to drink more.

As for his shaking, well it sounds to me like he may have had a bad start in life and has either had bad experiences in the past with people or is simple not used to human contact. Sadly if kittens are not socialized during the first weeks of like they can find it hard to adapt to human company. However he is still very young and so has time on his side to learn to trust you. Perhaps try using the bonding technique described on this page

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/new-cat.html

However you may just have to accept that it will take him some time to learn to relax around you.

Best wishes kate

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