In this article on our site we are going to talk about how long a cat can go without eating Physically, these animals may resist weeks without eating food in extreme cases, but at home, if we detect that our cat has stopped eating, we should contact the vet, as it indicates a he alth problem. This can be both psychological and physical. In the last section we will see guidelines to help a cat with no appetite to eat in order to avoid possible complications.
If your cat hasn't eaten for a week, more or less, he continues reading to discover the consequences of this fast and how to help him.
How long can a cat go without eating or drinking?
Cats, like many other species, including humans, are physically capable of resisting without ingesting food forabout three weeks But this data is applicable to adult and he althy cats, since how long a cat can go without eating will also depend on the age of the cat and its condition starting he alth. For example, if we ask ourselves how long a newborn kitten can go without eating we should know that in no case will it be weeks. These little ones die within hours if their milk intake is interrupted. Therefore, if we find an abandoned litter, we must immediately go to the vet and start artificial feeding. To do this, we recommend consulting this article: "How to feed a newborn kitten?".
If some survival is possible without food, it is absolutely diminished in the absence of water. A cat cannot resist more than about three days without drinking Of course, these data are produced in extreme situations, for example, when the cat is abandoned or gets trapped in some place. If our cat stops eating completely or does not drink anything in 24 hours, it is essential to contact the veterinarian. It is a sure sign of physical or psychological illness.
My cat hasn't eaten for a week, what do I do?
We have encrypted how long a cat can go without eating in weeks, but, although the cat can survive, we cannot allow this circumstance to occur in our feline. A kitten, a diseased adult cat, or an elderly cat are especially vulnerable. If we notice that, throughout the day, they are not eating what they are used to, we must contact the veterinarian We must also go to the specialist if it is a he althy cat that stops eating and also has other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, changes in the frequency of urination, pain, etc.
Anorexia is a symptom of multiple diseases, so it is essential that the veterinarian arrives at a diagnosis after examining the cat and do the relevant tests. But when a cat stops eating it does not always have a physical origin. Cats are very sensitive to changes and, if we have just adopted them, we have moved or a new member of the family has arrived, they can become stressed to the point of stopping eating. To diagnose a psychological cause, the physical ones are ruled out first. Thus, if your cat has stopped eating, we recommend that you review the main causes in this article to try to investigate the reason and go to the vet with all the information possible: "Why does my cat not want to eat?"
How long can a sick cat live without eating anything?
It is common for a sick cat to stop eating and this is understandable, especially in diseases in which the digestive system is affected and the sick animal suffers from intense vomiting. In these cases, we cannot feed him, because he would vomit, worsening the situation. It is also normal when the problem is in the mouth and eating is physically prevented. It is a condition that will require hospitalization, so the veterinarian will administer intravenous fluid support and, as soon as possible, restore feeding, even resorting to a tube, as re-feeding is essential to recovery.
Cats need a high intake of protein, so they can quickly develop malnutrition, worsening the condition and prognosis. With intensive veterinary care, how long a cat can go without eating is estimated at no more than three days or less if significant weight or mass loss is observed muscular. If anorexia is prolonged, the cat's prognosis will be poor and may be complicated by hepatic lipidosis, especially if the cat was overweight. In this disorder, fat accumulates in the liver, preventing it from working properly.
How to feed a cat that doesn't want to eat?
Just because we've encrypted how long a cat can go without eating in weeks doesn't mean we can leave a cat that doesn't eat unattended. If your lack of appetite is due to a psychological problem, stress being the most common, we must examine your routine and implement the necessary changes to improve your living conditions. In this aspect, a veterinarian who is an expert in feline behavior or an ethologist can help us. It is also possible for a cat to refuse to eat if we change its food abruptly. Therefore, if this is the case with our cat, we should move on to the new food very slowly, adding small amounts to the old one for as long as necessary until the cat gets used to it. Check out the article on How to Change a Cat's Food Correctly to Prevent It From Stopping Eating.
On the other hand, it is normal for a cat, after hospitalization or convalescence, to lose its appetite. We can encourage you to eat with the following recommendations:
- Choose highly palatable foods, that is, that are tasty for the cat. There are cans formulated for cats in the recovery phase. We can also opt for moist or homemade food.
- We can start by make a porridge and put a drop on his nose or paw to encourage him to clean himself. In addition, if we achieve a liquid consistency, it is possible to offer it with a syringe, administering little by little small amounts through the side of the mouth.
- That the cat is well hydrated is essential for it to want to eat, so we can take advantage of the porridge to add water or offer homemade brothsto drink.
- As the cat eats, it is possible to make the porridge each time with larger chunks.
- If we resort to homemade food we must reject s alt, sugar, excess fat, etc., that is, we will look for a he althy menu.
- Offering the food warm increases its odor and may encourage the cat to eat.
- We should always give him several shots of small amounts a day, which will increase depending on his appetite. It should never be forced, as it could develop aversion to food or we could cause aspiration pneumonia if the food ends up in the lungs.
- Little by little we can mix this food with the usual one, until the transition to its normal menu is complete.
- If we can't get the cat to eat we should go to the vet. In the most serious cases, tube feeding will be assessed.
In the following video we share a simple recipe for homemade, he althy and tasty wet food to encourage the cat to eat.
