New kittens not really drinking?

[BruceAndMarley]

Hello, first post on here but I have had an account in the past.

Marley and Bruce (Named by my husband ) arrived yesterday - lovely little kitties. They settled in really well, cuddled up to us, have been playing, jumping, rolling around together, exploring the living room, dining room, kitchen and even tackled the stairs ! had lots of time under the sofa, lots of crazy kitten antics - the lot. They’ve both used the litter tray, very comfortable and know where everything is.
They’ve eaten ( we’ve given them the soft and hard food as recommended by the breeder), and they’ve had treats. But they don’t seem to be drinking ? I mean they must be to have that much energy and they know where the water is as we have those bowls that are two joined together so one for food and one for water (they have one each) And they’ve sniffed the water . They have no issues eating at all but I’m so worried they’re not drinking but like i say they’ve used the litter tray but the water doesn’t seem to go down.
My husband isn’t worried but sometimes men are more chilled! So I thought I’d come on trusty MN.

Any ideas? I have tried to attached a pic of the little rascals but because I’m new it won’t let me just yet-they really are fine in themselves and maybe it’s just my motherly instinct kicking in as I’m pregnant but I’d appreciate some reassurance.

Thanks for any advice!

[LaughingDonkey]

Both of my cats were not drinking water until they were 6 months old. They only drunk Whiskas cat milk until then.

[MaidenMotherCrone]

I think they get the fluids they need from the wet food. I rarely see my cats drinking water and I've never given them cat/kitten milk. They don't need it. Once weaned from their mother they don't need milk. They are not human babies.

[fizzkat]

I'm not sure how much kittens tend to drink (I have an older senior cat so not sure if it's different) but just one tip - cats tend to prefer it if their food and water dishes are kept separate - with the water dish well away from the food.

Your new kittens sound lovely!

[Fettfrett]

Is it a plastic bowl? Both of mine are happy to eat out of plastic bowls but refuse to drink out of one. We have a ceramic water bowl, although they both prefer to drink out of the pond.

[Tadpolesandfroglets]

We have new kitten and I’ve noticed the same problem. I think it’s true they get a lot of water from wet food but I am also adding tiny bit of water and mixing it in to make sure. Also try offering water in different types of bowls (cats are notoriously fussy) dip their head in gently so they know it’s there and change water often.

[KatherineJaneway]

Was coming onto say what Fizzcat said. Cats prefer water and food to be separated. I keep food in the kitchen and their water bowl in the hall.

[Ohnonotnow]

Agree with @fizzkat they prefer their water to be away from the food. My cats have a fountain bowl. Cats also like moving water, it's the best £20 I've spent on them!

[Tadpolesandfroglets]

I think a kitten is too small to drink out of a water fountain, maybe when they are bigger.

[Tadpolesandfroglets]

(Also none of mine are bothered about having food and water next to each other but you could try it )

[Luckystar1]

My cat is a lot older but I’ve never actually witnessed her drinking water! God only knows where she gets it from.

We previously had a rescue who was part Bengal, he LOVED water and we had a fountain for him, but our current girl... nope!

[UncleShady]

Mine prefer rain water and manky pond stuff. Could you collect some from outside and bring it in?
They also love kitten milk - brings on a massive purring fit... but it has to be room temperature.

Basically they are fussy gits.

[Allnamesaregone]

Cats are designed to be desert dwellers. If they are on wet food they will get most of their water requirements from that. If they weren’t drinking enough they would be unwell. Relax and enjoy your kitties with their lovely toe beans 🤗

[BruceAndMarley]

Thanks everyone , some great tips so I’ll just do a general reply to all!
The bowls they have are joined together but what I’ve done is use one for water and one for food this morning to see if that makes a difference so they’re not eating food next to their water . If that makes sense ? So both bowls have food and both have water but separate . I’ll see if that makes a difference today and will also mix some water into their food. I’ll also ask the breeder if they had used any kitten milk or if they are happy on water , just before I spend money on some milk that they won’t drink! I assumed they drank as much as dogs to be honest so I was shocked ! But seeing as they’ve done a few little wees in the box they’re evidently not dehydrated yet and their energy is through the roof !

[TroysMammy]

Haribo has a pet mate water fountain and he loves it because it's big and he swirls the water with his paw (and flicks it all over the place) before drinking. I only turn it on for a treat. I've read that cats don't like their whiskers touching the sides of a water bowl and that is the reason they drink from puddles, showers and baths. Troy had a plastic rectangular takeaway container as his water bowl because he wouldn't drink out of the pet mate!

[Tadpolesandfroglets]

A good test to see if your cat is dehydrated is ‘skin tenting’. To do this, take a pinch of skin around her shoulders /back of the neck and gently pull it up - if she is adequately hydrated it should ping straight back into place. If she is dehydrated it will return much more slowly.

[DappledOliveGroves]

I have three cats. None of them ever drink from their water bowl. The boy cat will drink hot bath water. One girl cats likes drinking puddles. Other girl cat never drinks anything (and she's about 17 now). They seem to get all their water from the wet cat food and they're all perfectly healthy.

[Stokey]

We have kittens, just over 4 months old. They drink quite a bit of water, especially the female, but never from the bowl next to their food. I've ended up moving it next to the other water bowl, they're both just simple metal ones.

[EachandEveryone]

Aw I need to see some kittens

[dementedpixie]

No need for cat milk. Only 1 of mine drinks water from the bowl. They both drink from the manky green pond though! They get fluids from wet food too

[QuestionableMouse]

Cat milk isn't great for them.

Mine seems to prefer cooled boiled water or water that's a day old. I have two bowls and switch them daily so one is old water and one is fresh.

[NotanotherboxofFrogs]

I have 2 kittens, almost 11 weeks and they will drink water quite happily, I put it in small glass bowls and they esp like it from the fridge dispenser, they refuse to entertain the idea of wet food so I am glad that they are drinking plenty.

[vanillandhoney]

Our kitten is 11 weeks old and barely drinks anything! He eats plenty of wet food, though and gets his liquid from there.

[Srictlybakeoff]

I’ve only seen my cat drink water since she’s become an old lady . We keep the water in another room from the food , and she prefers it out a shallow cup rather that a bowl.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Ours drank more after we got a filter jug for the fridge.

[BruceAndMarley]

They’re doing great now thank you. They’re eating and drinking plenty ! Must’ve been a bit unsettled coming to a new home but they’re great now. Thanks everyone :)