Try a petmate water fountain...it works wonders!!!

There is nothing wrong (actually, it is quite preferable) to have a wet-food only diet.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll check out the water fountain tomorrow

I've read that it is very preferable for him to be on an all wet-food diet. I certainly wouldn't mind, and luckily the cost is not an issue. But, I'm worried about the days that we're out of the house for 10 hours or so. It doesn't happen often, but it does occur. I'd like to be able to leave dry food out for him on those days, but I'm afraid he will just walk around starving instead of eating.

Another weird thing about this - he was fed dry food exclusively at the shelter. The first day we had him we only gave him dry food, which he didn't touch. We figured he was having trouble adjusting. But by about midnight we put out the wet food and he downed about 7 ounces of it, barely taking a second to come up for air. Why would that be the case if he had never even had wet food before?

 

As Shengmei said, he's probably better off on mostly wet anyway. Thinking back, I don't think any of my little kittens were very interested in dry food. After all they've just managed the transition to solids! Can't you just leave out some wet for him while you're gone? Unless it's excessively hot in your place, it should be O.K. for a few hours.
As far as him wanting you to watch him eat, that's pretty common. It's a new environment for him and he may need the extra reasurance. He'll grow out of that. (Although, even my adult cats have been very happy if I pet them while they eat. Heaven!)
Because he's eating wet food he won't drink as much water since he's getting a lot in his diet. That's normal. Cats don't generally drink much which is one (of many) why some of us think wet is a better choice. But a fountain is also a good idea.
If he hasn't peed at all in 5 days, however, I'd be concerned. Are you sure? That's a very long time to not go, I think. If that's really the case, I'd take a trip to the vet and get him checked out.

 

As Shengmei said, he's probably better off on mostly wet anyway. Thinking back, I don't think any of my little kittens were very interested in dry food. After all they've just managed the transition to solids! Can't you just leave out some wet for him while you're gone? Unless it's excessively hot in your place, it should be O.K. for a few hours.
As far as him wanting you to watch him eat, that's pretty common. It's a new environment for him and he may need the extra reasurance. He'll grow out of that. (Although, even my adult cats have been very happy if I pet them while they eat. Heaven!)
Because he's eating wet food he won't drink as much water since he's getting a lot in his diet. That's normal. Cats don't generally drink much which is one (of many) why some of us think wet is a better choice. But a fountain is also a good idea.
If he hasn't peed at all in 5 days, however, I'd be concerned. Are you sure? That's a very long time to not go, I think. If that's really the case, I'd take a trip to the vet and get him checked out.

Thanks nanook. Personally, I'm not sure that he hasn't peed in 5 days, but my wife doesn't think he has based on his litter. She's had cats before, I have no idea! We making a vet appointment tomorrow anyway. The shelter wasn't even sure how old he was, so we're going to get him checked out.

As for leaving the wet food out when we're gone for long hours, it isn't an option. I own a restaurant and I'm usually working from home most of the time. But sometimes there's nobody here for 10 hours or so. From owning a restaurant, I know that's a little bit too long to leave out meat, fisph or poultry I'm going to see what the vet says though. Hopefully he'll grow out of it

I'm glad to see that it's normal that he likes us to watch him eat. I don't mind having to sit with him while he eats though.


It's funny, my wife and I got into HUGE fights before we got married about getting a kitten. I absolutely did not want a pet, probably because I never had one growing up. I didn't want the hair, the smell, the feeling of being tied down. And of course, now I'm the one up at 1:30 am reading every cat website I can find to ease my worry while he sleeps in my lap. I got so attached to this little guy in the past five days!

 

Funny how they can do that! They just creep into your heart and there's just nothing you can do about it but love 'em! Good luck at the vets.

 

I feed my kittens wet 3 times a day and they would not touch dry until they were about 3 month maybe he's finding it difficult if he is younger than 3 month

 

The OP says he is 10 months old :wink:

I don't think you have to worry, and can continue to feed him wet meals as you are. As long as there is dry food down for him, he won't starve. If he gets hungry, he'll eat it. If he prefers wet food (who wouldn't?!) he is probably just holding out for that.

He must be urinating somewhere else if not in his litter tray. A cat who hadn't passed urine for 5 days would be dead.

Good luck! Ems

 

If he is eating wet food only, he is getting most if not all of his water from the food. 70-80% of wet food is moinsture by weight. A cats natural animal food is also high in water, so it is not suprising that he now prefers canned food.