Hi everyone! I’m writing this through a translator because I don’t speak English very well. So, my request for help is that my cat absolutely does not drink water in any form. Now for the whole story.
He has been drinking poorly since he was a kitten. From 3 months old, he ate dry food and drank very little, as he rarely used the litter box. I tried introducing wet food into his diet, but he wouldn’t eat it. Then, during a routine ultrasound at around one year old, they found a lot of sediment in his bladder due to lack of moisture. I started looking for a solution.
He wouldn’t eat wet food, nor dry food mixed with water, so I switched him to a natural BARF diet. He ate that, and I was happy, but after some time he began refusing it, and he also started suffering from constipation. The last straw was blood at the end of defecation (the stool was VERY hard). After that, I slowly transitioned him back to dry food and also tried to feed him wet food again. For a while, he ate both dry and wet food, then he started eating less wet food, and then refused it altogether.
Then began my year-long trial. I bought him different flavors from different brands. At first, he always ate well, after a week less so, and then refused entirely. I went through every possible wet food option I could get my hands on. Every week: refusal, new food, joy, refusal — and it repeats again. I’m tired of it. I can no longer mentally beg him to eat wet food or dance around his bowl for 20–30 minutes each meal, three times a day.
Just to be clear, according to his latest ultrasound, his bladder is now clean and in perfect condition — but it cost me an incredible struggle that I can’t keep up anymore. By the way, the cat is only 2 years old. And yes, tuna juice and chicken broth don’t interest him. And yes, he has a water fountain plus three large ceramic water bowls (all placed away from his food and litter box). I also play with him actively for 20–30 minutes every day.
Please give me advice, because I’m about to go crazy with this picky eater!!!