This is a specific conversation about Cat hydration — getting cats to drink more — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Adding low-sodium chicken broth to dry kibble is genuinely a good instinct — you're already thinking about hydration, which puts you ahead of most cat owners. That said, I want to give you a bit of context first: cats evolved in arid environments and have a naturally low thirst drive, so most cats on dry food are chronically underhydrated even when owners try to compensate. Chronically low water intake is directly linked to kidney disease, which is the leading cause of death in older cats. Water fountains and wet food are the two most effective long-term fixes. A few quick questions: is your Cornish Rex on dry food exclusively, or do you mix in any wet food? Does she have any kidney or urinary tract history? And have you ever tried a pet water fountain?
She's on dry kibble full time — that's why I started doing the broth thing. No kidney issues yet, thankfully. And no, we've never tried a fountain. I wasn't sure if cats actually use them.
inparticular.ai
Most cats do use them, and quite eagerly — the moving water triggers their instinct to drink from a running source, which is much closer to how they'd drink in the wild. The broth trick adds some moisture but it's a patch rather than a solution, because you're still starting from a very dry base. The two things I'd suggest thinking about are transitioning toward at least some wet food, and adding a fountain. Can I ask — is the reason she's on dry food mainly convenience, cost, or something else? That'll help me point you toward the right approach.
Mostly convenience honestly. I travel a fair bit for work so I rely on an automatic feeder. I did wonder if wet food would work with that setup.
inparticular.ai
Wet food and automatic feeders are tricky together — most standard feeders aren't designed for wet food and it spoils quickly at room temperature, so that's a real constraint worth respecting. Given that, the most practical upgrade for you right now is a good water fountain. It runs continuously, requires minimal maintenance, and will do significantly more for her hydration than broth alone. The one I'd recommend is the Drinkwell Pagoda Pet Fountain by PetSafe. It holds 2 litres, has a dual-stream design that most cats find very appealing, and uses a replaceable carbon filter to keep the water fresh — which matters a lot when you're away. It's quiet, easy to clean in sections, and widely available on Amazon UK. For a 5-year-old Cornish Rex on dry food, this is genuinely one of the best single changes you can make right now.
That sounds really practical. How often does the filter need changing, and is it expensive to run?
inparticular.ai
The carbon filter typically needs replacing every 2 to 4 weeks depending on how hard your water is and how much your cat uses it. Replacement filters come in multipacks on Amazon UK and work out to roughly £1–2 per filter, so it's not a significant ongoing cost. The pump is low-wattage and costs pennies to run. One tip: when you first set it up, place it away from her food bowl — cats instinctively prefer to drink away from where they eat, so positioning matters more than most people realise. If she takes to the fountain well and you want to revisit the wet food question down the line, there are auto-feeders designed for wet food pouches that use ice packs — worth knowing about for the future.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll order the Drinkwell Pagoda this week.
inparticular.ai
Great choice — it should make a noticeable difference fairly quickly. Most cats start drinking more within the first few days once they get curious about the moving water. Keep the broth going during the transition if you like; there's no harm in it. And since she's five with no kidney history, now is exactly the right time to get her hydration in better shape before any issues have a chance to develop. Good luck with it.
