Conference misery::feline_v1

    I suggest that you try this simple test. Feed your cat a can of
    tuna. Salt the tuna (not too much, but enough to make your cat want
    to drink). Give the cat plenty of fresh water in a newly cleaned
    dish. Make sure the litter box has hardly any litter in it (just
    a few specks on the bottom). Watch your cat when he pees. If the
    liquid has a reddish tinge to it, call your vet- he may have a stone.
    Maxwell has had this problem before. It is supposedly caused by
    food with too much ash. Males supposedly get this more often than
    females, due to the smaller diameter of their urethra. If you notice
    your cat howling and scratching in his box while being unable to
    pee, this is another indication of a blockage. Fortunately, if your
    cat is fairly young, the vet may be successful in treating your
    cat with drugs and a low ash diet.
    
     Let us know how you make out.
    
    The Doctah
    
    ps- get a sample of the urine for the vet if possible

    Your cat may be drinking when you aren't around to see it.  Your
    note didn't indicate that there was any other type of health problem
    going on.  If you are worried about dehydration, grasp the skin
    on the back of the cats neck (the scruff) and pull upwards on it.
    When you let go, the skin should fall back into place immediately.
    This would indicate that he is taking in enough water.  If the skin
    sinks slowly back down, or doesn't go down at all, then the cat
    is dehydrating and should be checked out by the vet.
    
    Just to add a bit to the previous reply, the cat could have a bladder
    problem without showing any reddish tinge to his urine.  I also
    don't recommend feeding Tuna to a cat that may have some type of
    bladder problem, the tuna has a high magnesium level and could
    aggravate the condition.
    
    Jo

    Check note #1359--it's about a cat with the same problem and has
    several replies.

    Have you changed his diet recently.  If you've switched from primarily
    dry to more canned food he is getting more water in his food and
    would therefore need less water from his waterdish.
      I also suggest checking for both dehydration and urinary problems.
    If you aren't home during the day then clean out the box every morning,
    put a small amouth of litter in and check it when you get home at
    night.  That should tell you if he's urinating during the day. 
    If not, call the vet immediately.
      Good luck.
    

    I had wondered about the same, at one time.  the vet suggested
    occasionally pouring the tuna water into the drinking dish - watch
    her/him drink!!!
    
    I also found out she prefers water which has been boiled and then
    cooled or spring water, but not the tap water.  And she has three  
    places to get water from, a large bowl downstairs, a saucer in the
    kitchen and another bowl outside(I have no idea if she really uses
    it but it's there).  She prefers drinking out of a saucer than the
    bowl, I read/heard somewhere it has to do with the wiskers touching
    the edges...  
    
    I have been paying more attention to it and she does drink quite
    a bit.

    Since we got our water filter, the animals (cats, dog & rabbit)
    drink a lot more water.  They're more sensitive to the chlorine
    than are we humans.
    
    /maureen
    

    Try moving the waterbowl somewhere other than next to food.  Some
    cats don't like to have water anywhere near food (probably something
    to do with contamination in the wild state).

    If you can read this quarters cat magazine,put out by "FRISKIES
CAT FOOD". It has an excellent article about cats not drinking and its
causes are explained. The magazine is a sort Playboy for cats, including
centerfolds.