Can I add warm water to wet cat food

Can You Mix Wet Cat Food With Water?

You may have heard that cats do not drink enough water because they have a low thirst drive. If so, you are probably also aware that this can lead to health problems, and you might be wondering what you can do to help. Of course, wet food is a good start, but can you mix wet cat food with water to increase the amount your cat drinks?

Can You Mix Wet Cat Food With Water?

You can add water to your cats wet food, which may help ensure that your cat drinks enough fluid, especially if it is fond of dry biscuits or rarely seems to drink. However, this could lead to problems with your cat feeling full too quickly, and it should be done with a bit of care.

Why Might I Add Water To My Cats Food?

Many of us are becoming increasingly aware that many cats dont drink enough water because they have a relatively low thirst drive. Cats take in much of the water they need from their food, but this requirement is not necessarily met by commercial foods, especially if your cat likes dry food.

Cat biscuits are suitable for your cat because they help keep your cats teeth clean and strong, but they do not contain nearly enough moisture to keep your cat healthy. Giving your cat wet food is the first step to combating dehydration, but you might decide to take it further by mixing water into the food.

So, lets find out why this may be a good idea and the possible drawbacks!

What Are The Advantages Of Adding Water?

The most significant and obvious advantage of adding water to your cats food is that this ensures they are taking in an increased amount of liquid. So if your cat eats a lot of dry food or doesnt seem to drink, no matter how many different vessels you offer water in, you might want to do this.

Constant dehydration can increase the cats chances of suffering from urinary tract infections. It also puts increased strain on the kidneys, leading to renal failure if not addressed promptly.

Renal failure is difficult to control in cats, and its crucial to make sure your cat is drinking enough so you can avoid this problem.

Other issues can include poor blood circulation and an imbalance of electrolytes. The imbalance can affect almost every single one of your cats organs, and its imperative to avoid it if possible.

As a final benefit, is an increase in water can improve your pets digestion. Cats have shorter digestive tracts than humans, meaning that food is not digested for as long, and adding water can make the digestion process easier for them.

Therefore, adding water is helpful in many ways, and it should keep your cat healthier. However, note that unless your cat is suffering from dehydration-related health problems, you may not want to add very much water to your cats regular meals because it can also cause some issues, which we will look at next.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Adding Water?

Some people say that adding water to a cats wet food is unnecessary because it already contains quite a high water content. This may be particularly true if you are feeding your cat soups or gravy foods that have a very liquid sauce in with the meat.

However, you might be left wondering whether there are any specific disadvantages associated with doing this.

One of the first potential problems is that many cats do not like it when you mess with or change their food. So what might seem like a minor addition of a few drops of water to you could put them off the dish entirely, and once a cat has rejected a meal, it may refuse to go back to it, even if you increase the meat to liquid ratio.

However, the second problem is that extra liquid in the meal could cause your cat to feel full before it should. If your cat is not used to having its stomach full of water, it might not recognize that it still needs nutrients, and in this case, it might not eat enough.

This could, in extreme cases, lead to deficiencies and weight loss. However, this is quite unlikely, especially if you only add water in small amounts. Nevertheless, you should keep an eye on your cats food intake and make sure that it is consuming as much as it should be over the course of a day.

Theres no problem with including additional water in its diet as long as it is, provided it will still eat the food.

How Do I Add Water To My Cats Food?

The easiest way to add water is to keep a dedicated knife or fork near your cats bowl. When you have served up some food for your cat, add a small amount of water to the bowl, and use the knife or fork to mix it around and incorporate it into the food.

PetMD suggests that you should add about a quarter of a cup of water to a bowl full of cat kibble, but they are explicitly talking about dried food. You will probably find that you need significantly less for wet food.

Its a good idea to start with a small amount so you can check that your cat does not object to this. You can then slowly increase it, until you feel happy with the amount that the cat is getting. There isnt a risk of over-hydrating your cat as with people. It will just urinate out excess liquid.

That isnt to say that you should drown your cats dinner in water, but you dont need to worry too much about quantities. If in doubt, chat to your vet.

Different cats have different needs. If your cat has had issues or is at risk (male cats are much more likely to suffer from urinary tract issues than females, for example), you might feel it is safer to add quite a lot of water, whereas other cats may only need a small amount of water adding.

Should I Also Provide Water Separately?

Yes, your cat should always have access to a bowl of clean, fresh water. It should not be placed by the food bowl, as many cats dont like this. Instead, put it in a different area and remember to refresh it regularly to avoid dust or hairs in it.

Even if you add lots of water to your cats food, you should provide it with a separate drinking dish. This will ensure the optimum setup where your cat has access to the water it needs and is getting its natural water requirements met by additional moisture in its food.

Final Word

You certainly can mix wet cat food with water, and your cat will benefit from you doing this. Cats are at risk from multiple health issues due to dehydration. An increasing number of people are becoming aware of this problem.

So give your cat a boost by adding more liquid to its wet food!

Related Articles

Can you add water to dry cat food?

Can you add water to dry cat food?

If you are a fan of dry cat food, you may be concerned if they are getting enough water (Click here to see my 3 Best Cat water Fountains to help increase their intake) or if the dry food diet is even ideal. But what about mixing the two together?

Can you add water to dry cat food? Yes, however, its advisable to consult your vet to confirm for your cat. If he/she agrees, you will find that water will not only enhance the flavor but also help to increase your cats water intake.

Now that you know it is possible to add the water, I will go on to explain the following: The benefits of adding water, if mixing wet & dry food is a good idea if cats can live on dry food alone and much more. Keep reading

What are the benefits of adding water?

kitten eating dry cat food from a large bowl

Understanding if you can or cannot add water (Click here to see how much water cats should be getting) is one thing, but fully understanding the benefits is a whole other ball game. Therefore in this section, I will explain some of the benefits.

Boosting their water intake

Earlier I mentioned that adding water to their dry food can increase their overall daily water intake. In fact, this is one of the main benefits that I want to revisit. You will find that this is one of the easiest ways to increase their intake.

The dangers of dehydration

The reason I say this is the main benefit is because of the list of knock-on issues triggered by dehydration. Such as:

• Impact blood circulation
• Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
• Electrolyte imbalances

This is just a small sample of potential issues that are linked to dehydration.

Improve Digestion

One of the issues with dry cat food, such as kibble, is the texture. It is not easily digested. In reality, not every piece that is put into your cats mouth is properly chewed and digested. Inevitably, there will be pieces that get swallowed whole and may cause digestion issues.

Therefore, adding some water can help to improve their digestion. So, these random pieces that may get swallowed will be reduced.

Slow down fast eaters

One issue with dry cat food, such as kibble, is the speed that it can be consumed by your pet. Lets be honest, she can literally suck it up fast, like a tornado lapping up local debris, are you with me?

Therefore, adding a small amount of water will affect the texture and as an added benefit, will reduce their ability to hoover up the food, are you with me?

Can you mix dry & wet cat food?

As well as adding water to dry food, you may have considered adding wet food to it. This makes logical sense, but is this really the right thing to do? Let me explain

Yes, you can mix the food (Click here if you are wondering if Laxatone can also be mixed in). And, to be honest, many cat owners do this.

Adding Moisture to their Meal

The benefits vary, but one of the known benefits is adding more moisture to their meal. Wet food is obviously not as beneficial as adding water, from a hydration point of view, but a close second.

Adding Flavour

Another reason why cat owners do this is to add some flavor to their bland and dry kibble. Wet food typically has a gravy that cats typically love (Click here to see if there is gravy-only cat food).

Flexibility

Also, mixing these foods allows many cat owners the chance to have more buying options. Obviously it depends on how your cat responds to it because some are naturally picky.

But, if you are one of the lucky ones, you may be able to mix and match all day long. Which will allow you to find a combination that will keep them happy and hopefully keep your cost down.

To be safe

One thing I would advise though is to consult your vet for the best advice on the ratio of wet to dry food and their views on it with regards to your specific cat.

Can cats live on dry food only?

Yes, cats can live on dry food (Click here to see if it is ok to leave it out all day) alone. But, there are some considerations that you need to understand before adopting this kind of diet. Let me explain

Like us humans, cats need a certain level of daily water intake. Much like any living and breathing creature, right?

The danger of dry food

The danger of a dry food only diet is that it does not contain the required hydration for your cat. In the wild cats get a lot of water directly through the food they consume.

Fortunately, the makers have loaded it with enough nutrients, so that side of things is not so much of a concern.

How to keep them hydrated while living off dry food

To get around this hydration issue, you need to make sure that you keep them well hydrated. This can be by simply giving them lots of water in a bowl. And, a raised cat bowl will help to make this easier for her (Click here to see why I rated this the best).

However, a water fountain is even better (Click here for my best 3 cat water fountains). This will stimulate their natural instincts to thrive on running water.

Why you shouldnt leave wet kibble out too long

Earlier I have explained the benefits of adding water to dry food. But there are some nuances with this that you need to look out for. I will discuss this with you now.

Firstly, leaving kibble that has been covered in the water out unattended is a big no-no! Why? Because of potential bacterial or fungal contamination.

To avoid this happening, it is important to reduce the exposure time to a maximum of 30 minutes. And, in hot environments, in particular, hot sunny days, this needs to be reduced even further, to more like 10-15 minutes.

Why its important to calculate a cats food intake

So far I have focussed on the best ways to deal with dry food and the benefits of adding water. But what we have neglected is the impact of this food on your cats health. In particular, the amount of food they consume.

Its important to regulate, and calculate your kittys food intake because you need to avoid obesity. Unfortunately, many cats suffer from obesity, much like us humans. Unfortunately, this is caused by bad habits that have been adopted by their owners.

This site reports that up to 60% of domestic cats in the US suffer from obesity. That is an alarming statistic. Hence the reason why I say its important to watch how much food they eat, regardless of it being dry or wet food.

One of the biggest culprits is indoor cats. They tend to have less exercise than other cats. This, along with a high-calorie diet is a recipe for obesity. To help this simple thing like toys, cat trees (Click here to see my Best 3 Cat Trees) can be used to keep them mentally stimulated and active.

Is there a naturally softer food available?

Yes, you can get moist food. I know you may be thinking: Isnt this the same as canned wet food? The answer is no. But, let me explain.

This moist food is typically sold in a pouch and usually has approx. 65% moisture. To quantify the difference, normal wet canned food is typically 85% moisture. And, to add a further comparison, dry food (kibble), usually has about 10% moisture.

However, be careful. Some of these moist foods have a high number of artificial colors, e-numbers, and sweeteners, so you need to check them carefully.

How much water should you be adding to dry kibble?

If you are serious about adding water to your cats dry food you may be wondering how do you actually do this, how much water do you even add? Good question, let me discuss

Before you go ahead and add water it is important to get the ratio of water to kibble correct. According to this site, they recommend a ratio of one-part water for every three parts of dry kibble.

However, its worth checking to see how your cat responds to this. And, if there is any doubt you can check with your vet.

Does adding water to dry cat food reduce bloating?

Yes. This is because it allows the dry food to expand before it is eaten. This can reduce the feeling of bloating. This bloating feeling is often due to the dry food expanding once its eaten.

Can you mix dry food with wet?

You can mix dry and wet cat food. Some cat owners benefit from the variety of food they can offer, improved hydration to the dry food, and reducing their costs.

Some cats can get bored easily, so the introduction of wet food, in with the dry, can give them that variety that they may be craving. And, give you the options that you need.

As you may know, wet food is good for hydration. Meaning, that the high water content helps to keep your cat hydrated throughout the day. So, when combined with dry food, it allows the cat to benefit from this, instead of just dry cat food.

Lastly, I mentioned cost reduction. Typically dry cat food will be cheaper than wet. So, if you mainly offer wet food, mixing in dry cat food can offer a cost-saving in the long term.

However, whatever your choice is, its worth consulting with your vet to see their advice. Especially with the exact portions that should be mixed for your cat, or if they advise it for your situation.

Can water in dry cat food help with vomiting?

Yes. It is known that dry kibble can expend within your cats stomach that can lead to it vomiting. Therefore, some cat owners have reported that their vet has recommended adding water.

The theory is, by adding water first, you can expand the kibble before it hits their stomach. Therefore, it will allow the cat to eat the food at the expanded size and avoid it expanding after eating it.

Without this your cat might eat until they are full, then it expands making them feel too full.

Can adding water to dry cat food boost their appetite?

Yes. adding water to dry food can help to boost your cats appetite, especially warm water. This is because it can improve the flavor, make it easier to eat, and improve the flavor.

Some cats are picky. So, they may not like the idea of cold dry food. And, simply adding some warm water may make them gain some interest.

However, like most things, each cat is different. Some may still refuse, while others may start to devour it.

What type of water is best to use?

It is best to use tap or filtered water to add to the dry cat food. Bottled water is an option, but its not ideal. Firstly, its expensive. Also, the quality can vary a lot, due to the lack of standards.

Ideally, filtered water will be used. This will require a filtration system being installed. WHich is a good investment, but not everyone can justify this spend.