Wet food & water fountain for cats

Switching an 8-year-old Norwegian Forest Cat from dry to wet food is genuinely one of the best things you can do for them right now. Cats evolved in arid environments and have a very low thirst drive — so most cats on dry food spend years in a state of mild, chronic dehydration. That matters a lot because kidney disease is the leading cause of death in older cats, and keeping them well-hydrated from middle age onwards makes a real difference. Wet food tackles the bulk of that problem, but pairing it with a water fountain can push hydration even further, since cats are naturally drawn to moving water. To point you in the right direction: is your cat showing any kidney or urinary symptoms, and have you tried a fountain before?

Good instinct getting ahead of it — 8 is the age where it really starts to matter. For a fussy cat, the transition to wet food goes smoothest if you introduce it gradually: start by mixing a small spoonful into her dry food and increase the ratio over two to three weeks. Don't rush it; Norwegian Forest Cats can be stubborn about change. What wet food are you planning to use, and are you looking at pâté-style or chunks in gravy?

Chunks in gravy is a solid choice — the extra liquid in the gravy adds hydration on top of the moisture already in the wet food itself, so you're getting a double benefit. Applaws is genuinely good; high meat content, no fillers, and most cats take to it well. For the fountain, I'd go with the Catit Flower Fountain. It's the one I recommend most consistently for fussy cats — the flower-top design produces a gentle, low-noise trickle rather than a loud gurgle, which matters for cats that spook easily. It holds 3 litres, so you're not refilling constantly, and the replaceable carbon filters keep the water tasting fresh. At around £25–30 on Amazon UK it's also genuinely good value. Place it away from her food bowl — cats instinctively prefer their water source separate from their food — and she'll likely start using it within a few days once the novelty stops being alarming.

Clean the bowl and pump weekly — a quick rinse and wipe-down takes about five minutes. The carbon filter should be replaced every four weeks; if you skip that it stops filtering effectively and some cats will refuse the fountain because the water tastes off. You can buy replacement filters in multipacks on Amazon, which works out cheaper. The pump itself needs descaling every month or two if you're in a hard water area — a short soak in diluted white vinegar sorts it. It sounds like more maintenance than it is; once it's in your routine it's pretty quick.

A few things to keep an eye on: her stools will likely become softer initially — that's normal and usually settles within a week. If she gets loose stools for more than a week, slow the transition down further. Watch that she's eating enough overall; some cats hold out hoping the old food comes back, so weigh her loosely every couple of weeks during the switch. If she's accepting the new food, you should also notice she's drinking less from the fountain than a dry-fed cat would — that's the wet food doing its job, providing moisture directly. For an 8-year-old NFC, I'd also suggest asking your vet for a kidney function blood panel at her next check-up, just to have a baseline. Overall though, you're doing exactly the right thing at exactly the right time.