1)When you make whole chicken, save the backs. Once you have a couple, boil the to make stock. Pull the bits of meat off the bone, strain the stock, and offer Hex some of the meat in the broth when it is cool. If he does like it, he will probably accept other foods moistened with the broth. If you make a large batch of broth, you can freeze it in small containers. The broth keeps for 2 or 3 days in the fridge and was a tried and true for one of our cats with crf.
2) I have a cat who is at least half Maine Coon. He has a problem drinking. He wants a drink (and patiently gets one), but when he tries to crouch down, the fur between his toes makes him slip and slide, and generally we always know when he's drinking because we hear the scritching sounds as he tries to brace himself in a good position to get a drink.
A placemat helped, but he shredded it in short order. We are looking at that tape you put on stairs to try to offer him more secure footing, especially now that we have another long-haired cat experiencing the same issue.
Is Hex having this problem, with his not feeling good making it not worth the effort to get a drink? You might try one of those stands that hold a bowl, I think they are for small dogs, but if he didn't have to bend and brace to drink, he might be more inclined. You can also try tossing a few ice cubes into the bowl--our cats adore this, especially in hot weather.
3) Does he like milk? There's a cat milk product out there that purports to be low in calories that's in a box like a juice box and is supposed to not have the same problems as regular milk. If he did like it, it's not that expensive and you'd know he was getting liquid. If either worked, you could also dilute it with a bit of water without making him turn his nose up at it.
4) You can mix a little extra water with canned cat food. The trick to this is to let it sit for a minute or two and give one final mix so that it's more like a gravy.
5) While he's on the meds, you can force water on him if you must. You just want a needle-less syringe, a small one is better. Just be sure to push the plunger down slowly, if you've squirted a bit of water into his mouth, make sure he's swallowed it before you give a little more. This method is a pain but may get you over the hump.
6) If all else fails, talk to your vet about sub-Q fluids. They are very easy to give once you learn how, even if it's kind of squick-inducing.
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1)When you make whole chicken, save the backs. Once you have a couple, boil the to make stock. Pull the bits of meat off the bone, strain the stock, and offer Hex some of the meat in the broth when it is cool. If he does like it, he will probably accept other foods moistened with the broth. If you make a large batch of broth, you can freeze it in small containers. The broth keeps for 2 or 3 days in the fridge and was a tried and true for one of our cats with crf.
2) I have a cat who is at least half Maine Coon. He has a problem drinking. He wants a drink (and patiently gets one), but when he tries to crouch down, the fur between his toes makes him slip and slide, and generally we always know when he's drinking because we hear the scritching sounds as he tries to brace himself in a good position to get a drink.
A placemat helped, but he shredded it in short order. We are looking at that tape you put on stairs to try to offer him more secure footing, especially now that we have another long-haired cat experiencing the same issue.
Is Hex having this problem, with his not feeling good making it not worth the effort to get a drink? You might try one of those stands that hold a bowl, I think they are for small dogs, but if he didn't have to bend and brace to drink, he might be more inclined. You can also try tossing a few ice cubes into the bowl--our cats adore this, especially in hot weather.
3) Does he like milk? There's a cat milk product out there that purports to be low in calories that's in a box like a juice box and is supposed to not have the same problems as regular milk. If he did like it, it's not that expensive and you'd know he was getting liquid. If either worked, you could also dilute it with a bit of water without making him turn his nose up at it.
4) You can mix a little extra water with canned cat food. The trick to this is to let it sit for a minute or two and give one final mix so that it's more like a gravy.
5) While he's on the meds, you can force water on him if you must. You just want a needle-less syringe, a small one is better. Just be sure to push the plunger down slowly, if you've squirted a bit of water into his mouth, make sure he's swallowed it before you give a little more. This method is a pain but may get you over the hump.
6) If all else fails, talk to your vet about sub-Q fluids. They are very easy to give once you learn how, even if it's kind of squick-inducing.