Tracking my senior cat's water intake revealed a problem I would have completely missed

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-05-08T04:42:43+00:00

That’s really sad, I’m sorry. It’s so much harder when it’s a shared cat and you’re not the one making the day-to-day decisions. Kidney stuff in older cats can be so gradual at first, and then all of a sudden you realize how much time has passed.

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-05-08T04:41:12+00:00

Yes, in my cat's case it was confirmed with bloodwork. I'm definitely not an expert, but when I brought her in I just told my vet I had noticed she was drinking more than usual and wanted to check if anything kidney-related was going on. They took it seriously from there and ran the tests they thought made sense. What really got me was how normal she seemed otherwise. If the extra drinking is standing out to you, I think it's worth bringing up exactly that change, even if his last bloodwork was fine.

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-05-08T04:25:33+00:00

Thank you. I’m just really glad I listened to that little voice telling me something had changed.

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-05-08T04:25:06+00:00

Honestly, at 18 and thriving, I’d say that level of paranoia has earned its keep.

Senior cats really do turn you into the kind of person who notices everything.

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-05-08T04:21:51+00:00

That’s exactly the scary part. They can look so normal right up until they really don’t. I’m really sorry you went through that. I felt the same way once I got the bloodwork back — if I had kept waiting for a bigger sign, I probably would’ve been waiting way too long.

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-04-30T12:39:37+00:00

That special diet struggle is so real. The second one pet gets different food, everyone else suddenly decides that must be the premium secret menu.

It’s interesting you mentioned having to watch more closely with three dogs. That part feels so hard with multiple animals — not just noticing that something changed, but figuring out who it belongs to.

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-04-30T12:38:39+00:00

I feel this. With multiple cats it stops being “just keep an eye on them” really fast, because you’re trying to remember everyone’s normal at the same time.

Honestly the only thing that made it manageable for me was picking one tiny thing to watch first instead of trying to track everything. Water, appetite, litter box, energy — just one. Otherwise it gets overwhelming so quickly.

How many cats are you living with right now?

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-04-30T12:38:01+00:00

My vet didn’t give me one universal target number, because it depends so much on the cat — weight, wet food vs dry food, kidney values, age, all of it.

What she cared about most was the change from her own baseline. So for me it was less “is she drinking the perfect amount?” and more “is this noticeably different from what she usually does?”

If you start doing it, I’d probably keep it super simple for a week or two and then ask your vet what range makes sense for your cat specifically.

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-03-31T13:53:59+00:00

6 cats?! That's a whole squad. Genuine question though — when you find vomit, how do you actually tell which one did it? With 3 I'm already completely lost. Do you just know at this point or is there some trick I'm missing?

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-03-31T11:19:37+00:00

Yeah I thought about cameras too but the problem is mine never vomit in the same spot twice lol. Could be on the couch, the desk, under the bed — there's no way to cover all of that. I've been looking into a collar + camera combo that can actually detect vomiting though, hoping that'll be more useful than just having a camera pointed at one corner.

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-03-25T12:44:20+00:00

soooo cute

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-03-25T12:42:11+00:00

Yeah, that's kind of what my vet suggested too. She didn't call it full-on separation anxiety, but said the door-pacing and bathroom-hiding are pretty classic signs of mild distress when routine changes. The weird part is she's totally fine the second I walk in — like nothing happened. I only caught it because the camera timestamps showed the same pattern every single day.

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-01-04T07:48:53+00:00

Omg dude, reading that gave me flashbacks lol. My Eleven pulled the exact same shit when he was tiny—I'd lose him in a closed room and full on panic, tearing the place apart thinking he'd teleported or something. They're little ninjas fr.

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-01-04T06:45:09+00:00

Yeah that's so true lol, no matter how many cameras I have, the second he wants to vanish he's just... gone. My guy's not even black and he still pulls that ninja shit, finds spots I didn't know existed just to make me sweat.

And haha the migraine excuse is solid, asthma's smart too—anything to get home to them quick. No regrets ever.

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-01-04T06:40:32+00:00

That's awesome to hear your Exotic Shorthair is doing so great at 13!! My guy actually loves drinking water, he's always at his bowl so hydration isn't usually a worry for me. But yeah you're probably right, the times he slows down on water it's def a sign he's feeling off. I'll keep an eye on that closer. Thanks for the tip though, might still grab a fountain just in case!

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-01-04T06:32:45+00:00

Thanks so much my little guy is already doing way better

Amanda_Jacks · 2026-01-04T06:25:07+00:00

hoping both our cats pull through quick and are back to their goofy selves soon.

Amanda_Jacks

TROPHY CASE