Juno's Long Day:How A Cat Needs Water-"Picky" Cats Get Dehydrated

Here is Juno after a very long 24 hours.She is enjoying her new bed from Pakratz and resting. Let's start with YESTERDAY. We came home from our various round-a bouts (and work) to find a kitty that had vomited on the floor. Then, she vomited again after letting out a deep painful meow.I had thought the worst--maybe she ate one of my house plants or maybe she ate something else that is poisoning her. She refused food and water all night and did not use her litter box.She continued to vomit clear saliva and then yellowish stomach acid goo- approximately 9 times from late evening until noon on Wednesday. I took her to the vet. All I could think is she has a bowel obstruction. After her hand- to-fur exam from the vet at Leland Veterinary Hospital and two x-rays we saw a long line of backed up poop and a huge bladder. As a cat gets dehydrated and the poop doesn't move the urethra is blocked too from the bowel blockage.POOR JUNO. We had to leave her at the vet for a two hour stay.She received intravenous fluids for her dehydration and an enema to get all of that scrap out of her.She had been eating too much dry food and not drinking enough water. I came home with her after the vet visit and place multiple bowls of water of various sizes and kinds around my home to dry to get her on the road to happy kitty life again. I had been putting cold water with ice cubes out for her and changing it once daily-sometimes twice- but the location was not to her liking at all apparently. Now we are hoping to get her back into shape. Let this be a lesson to any new cat owner:PUT THE WATER WHERE THE CAT LIKES IT, IN THE BOWL THE CAT LIKES AND HOW THE CAT WANTS IT (IE.WITH ICE). You will save your cat from suffering, your carpet/floors from vomit, and your wallet from extra bills!!The cost today for Juno was $299.80! All because that ounce of prevention was not there- it truly is worth a pound of cure.

How to check for dehydration in cats:

Skin turgor test: To check for dehydration grasp some skin at the scruff of the neck and gently pull it up. In the hydrated cat, the skin will spring back immediately. In a dehydrated cat, the skin will be slower to retract. The more severe the dehydration the slower the skin will take to retract.

Capillary refill time: This helps you to test your cat's blood circulation and can indicate dehydration, heart failure or shock. To test capillary refill time life your cat's upper lip and press the flat of your finger against the gum tissue. Remove the pressure and you will see a white mark on the gum where your finger was placed. Using a watch with a second hand, time how long it takes for the pink colour to return to the white spot. In the healthy cat it should take around 1 - 2 seconds to return to pink.

http://www.cat-world.com.au/dehydration-in-cats

Here are tips from various sources to keep your kitty hydrated:
1.Moist canned cat food fed to cat daily-dry kibble- not so great from what I have read.
2.Bowls that are placed in the "right" location(s)
3.Bowls that are easy on the whiskers-no whisker stress please!
(Follow link to blog about whisker stress: What is whisker stress?)
4.Bowls made from material the cat will drink from (be it plastic, ceramic, glass or safe metal)
5.Add ice cubes to water
6.Add ice cubes to food
7.Purchase a fountain or filtered water device for kitty
8.Add a little tuna juice or broth to kitty water
9.Leave a faucet dripping-if feasible of course.
10.Serve smaller, more frequent meals to encourage thirst.(Ways to get Cat to drink more water)
11.Put water on your finger or hands and let the cat lick it off.
12.Offer raw organic goat's milk
13.all kitties especially ones with diseases such as CRF need a high quality can food, with no grains and no meat by-products www.medhelp.org
14.NOT DESIRED but may be occasionally necessary:Use a safe force method with syringe- check out the correct methods for this before attempting this: At PetMD.com it is stated:"Kittens seem less averse to the procedure than do adult cats, so I’m more willing to syringe feed youngsters. Also, some adult cats are just exceptionally laid back. I’ll often try force feeding a patient for 24 hours or so. If I feel we can get adequate amounts of food in without unduly stressing the cat, we’ll continue. But if the process puts the cat’s health at risk (or the person doing the feeding), it’s time to move on to another option."

So...I hope your furballs are great...Juno is once again in a sick bed....tomorrow shall be better.