Thursday, March 28, 2024

How Long Can A Cat Go Without Eating

Don't Miss

How Long Can Cats Go Without Food The Reality

Cats go without food, water for about 2 weeks

No creature can go without food or water for a long time, and cats are no exception. If your feline is skipping meals or rejecting water, theres an underlying reason. Its vital that seeking veterinary attention be your first step to uncover whats really going on.

First, is your cat not acting hungry but drinking, or stopping both altogether? Cats cant live long at all without water. So, if your cat isnt drinking, they would have a maximum of three days to live, and irrevocable damage can happen in the meantime.

If they are drinking but not eating, they can survive up to two weeks. This is a hazardous territory since malnutrition can cause a series of other problems that could get to your cat before actual starvation takes its toll.

If your cat stops eating suddenly, especially accompanied with weight loss, you must act fast. If your cat skips a meal here or there, it may just be that your kitty is a bit more particular. In either case, keeping them healthy is the primary responsibility of a cat owner.

What If Your Cat Is Not Eating Much But Otherwise Acting Normal

This is quite common for cats. Cats are very good at maskingillness, it is a survival tactic to make them not appear to be weak prey forother predators.

But internally you cat can be in a great deal of distress.

Once your cat is going into enough of a calorie deficit tostart losing weight it is only a matter of time before they will start usingfat stores to make up for this energy. And as mentioned earlier this will leadto hepatic lipidosis, or liver failure.

If you notice your cat is still eating something, then youare in a better state than a cat that has given up eating entirely.

You should be able to entice a cat that is still eating toeat more using the steps above, since he does have an appetite still.

And at a worst-case scenario you should be able to get tothe vet and get your cat on steroids that will increase his appetite before anyserious damage is done.

If any of my cats go into a state of eating less than theynormally do I instantly go into a state of high alert. Never down play a lowappetite in cats. The unfortunately are just not build to handle malnourishmentwell.

Cats Can Skip One To Two Days Of Eating

When it comes to cat health, your cat shouldnt go more than two days, or it will suffer from malnourishment and could become unwell. Immediate veterinary care should be given so that your cat can recover their health. However, if a cat has water, it might be okay without food for up to a week.

Cats livers are not designed to support health if they do not get the proper amount of protein daily. If they are not eating and go one to two days without eating, it might be because they are depressed, anxious, or ill.

If, after two days of not eating, your cat is still lethargic and refuses to eat, try coaxing your buddy to eat by placing a little tuna and juice in a bowl and offer it to your cat. There is some salt in the tuna juice, but it also has trace amounts of protein. If your cat drinks up the tuna juice, it will get some of the tuna with it, which might be enough to stimulate their appetite. If it doesnt at least help your cats appetite, it will give your cat a little protein.

Don’t Miss: Why Do Cats Lose Their Whiskers

Cats Cannot Convert Fat To Energy As Humans Do

Humans can go a very long time without eating, providing they get plenty of water and other liquids because their livers can convert body fat into glucose for energy. When a human being fasts for more than 24 hours, the growth hormone responsible for many things like cell regeneration becomes more prolific. All bodily processes become more efficient, leading to greater health for humans.

Cats need to eat daily because their livers cannot convert fat to energy as humans livers can. So if they dont eat every day, their bodies could start breaking down, and they could become deathly ill, or at least malnourished.

A cat that doesnt eat daily might be ill, have mouth pain, or is depressed about something. At the end of the second day of not eating, you should take your cat to the vet to rule out any disease or dental issues. If, however, you feel that your cat is sick sooner than that, then contact your vet immediately.

You might also try rubbing a little Karo syrup on your cats gums to help it work up an appetite. The simple carbohydrate might activate your cats appetite before it becomes dangerous.

How Long Should You Wait To See Your Vet

How Long Can a Cat Go Without Eating?

The decision as to how long to wait before taking your cat to a veterinarian depends on your individual cat. It is necessary to be familiar with your cats unique behaviors. Some cats are notoriously finicky and skipping one or two meals is not unusual. Other cats may be prone to eating less following sporadic vomiting episodes due to hairballs, plant ingestion, or other unexplained reasons.

Cats with chronic upper respiratory issues will often have periods of diminished appetite related to nasal congestion. Pet parents of cats with some of the above tendencies are more likely to wait longer before scheduling a veterinary visit, since it is not abnormal behavior for their cats to occasionally skip meals.

You May Like: Blue Buffalo Cat Food Dry

How Is This Possible

Being able to live for days and weeks with no food and water seems inconceivable to many of us. After all, a daylong fast or even an hours-long stretch without food and water can make many of us irritable and low on energy.

Your body actually adjusts itself if you engage in a short-term fast or are unable to access food and water for very long stretches of time. This allows people to engage in religious fasts and even try fasting diets like the eat-stop-eat approach without doing irreparable damage to their bodies.

It takes about eight hours without eating for your body to change how it operates. Before that, it functions as if you were eating regularly.

Under normal circumstances, your body breaks down food into glucose. The glucose provides energy to the body.

Once the body hasnt had access to food for 8 to 12 hours, your glucose storage is depleted. Your body will begin to convert glycogen from your liver and muscles into glucose.

After your glucose and glycogen are depleted, your body will begin to use amino acids to provide energy. This process will affect your muscles and can carry your body along for about three days of starvation before metabolism makes a major shift to preserve lean body tissue.

The more fat stores available, the longer a person can typically survive during starvation. Once the fat stores have been completely metabolized, the body then reverts back to muscle breakdown for energy, since its the only remaining fuel source in the body.

How Long Can A Cat Go Without Food Or Water Feline Eating And Drinking Needs

Food and water are essential to the life of all mammals, including felines.

Feral and indoor cats require daily fluids and nutrition to stay healthy and live longer. Regardless of their age or breed, all cats need to drink water and eat cat food every single day.

Any forms of cleansing regimes such as skipping-food-day or fasts are detrimental to your pets longevity.

Unfortunately, you cant force food or water down your kittys throat when its refusing to eat or drink on its own. Well, you can try, but that wont go smoothly.

Its not unusual for an adult cat, kitten or senior to stop eating food or to refuse drinking from its water bowl. But you shouldnt neglect this type of behavior.

Indoor cats cant go without food or water as long as their feral cousins in the wilderness. They arent used to surviving on a wildlife diet and you have to monitor their eating habits regularly.

So, the answer to the question of how long can a cat go without food or water doesnt have one ultimate answer that can be applied to all kitties around the globe.

However, some factors could help you pinpoint your kittys endurance period. Of course, that doesnt mean you should test your pets limits by neglecting its refusal to eat or drink.

You May Like: How Old Is A 4 Year Old Cat In Human Years

Do Indoor & Outdoor Cats Nutritional Needs Differ

Indoor and outdoor cats need to be fed differently. When a cat lives indoors, it is reliant on you as the pet owner to provide for all its nutritional needs. An outdoor cat may prefer for you to leave out a bowl of food, but they are likely to hunt for food on their own and go slinking around the neighbors house to see if they will feed it, too. Outdoor cats and their diets are much harder to keep track of than indoor cats. And while they may find a few extra snacks outside of the house, those al fresco dining situations can cause issues.

When bring hunting into the equation, that increases the risk for parasites, said Heinze. And because they spend time outdoors, they may have higher energy needs because they’re more active or dealing with the elements.

Cats who spend time both indoors and outdoors can be especially challenging, Heinze adds, as pet parents can work to control what they eat while inside, but once they get outside they are able to eat whatever they find.

How Do I Know If My Cat Is Eating Enough

How Long Can A Whale Go Without Eating?

If you dont know how much food your cat is eating to begin with, you may have trouble figuring out if they have stopped eating. Depending on how you feed your cat, you may be oblivious to how much theyre eating, especially in a multi-cat household or if you feed your cats free choice, said Heinze. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for cats the vet that have probably not been eating normally for multiple days or even sometimes weeks.

Your cats personality can also come into play. If you have a cat who is usually a chowhound and typically begs you for food, and then you notice that they’re not doing that for a day or sothat’s probably worth a trip to the vet, Heinze says. If you have a cat that is not very food motivated, and it isn’t unusual for to miss a meal, then you might be less worried in the short term. But Heinze says that a dramatic decrease in intake over three or more days for most cats is worth a visit to the vet. If they have not eaten anything for more than a day or two, she says its time to bring them to the vet for an exam.

There are many reasons that a cat may not be eating, whether its a health issue, they are uncomfortable with their surroundings, or they simply dont like the food youve offered them. Reasons include:

  • Illness or they feel sick
  • Food lacks flavor or has gone bad
  • Experiencing pain when they eat
  • Recent vaccination
  • Stress

Don’t Miss: Blue Buffalo Duck And Potato Cat Food

Will A Cat Starve Itself To Death

If a cat goes longer than 2 to 3 days without food, she can go into liver failure also known as feline hepatic lipidosis a potentially deadly disease. Cats can literally starve themselves to death. The first step in treatment is being able to recognize some of the common reasons why cat just stops eating.

Reasons Why Cats Stop Eating

There are many reasons why your cat might go without eating for a few days, and it could simply be that theyre sourcing their meals from elsewhere or something equally reasonable. However, if youve noticed other changes in your cat and have kept them in for a few days to be sure that theyre not being fed by a friendly neighbor or similar but notice that they still arent eating, it could be due to one of the following reasons.

Don’t Miss: Are String Of Hearts Toxic To Cats

How Long Can Cats Go Without Food Conclusion

In closing, you are responsible for the health and wellbeing of your cats. Always strive to be the best cat owner you can be. Take anactive role in your cats diet by making sure they are getting their meals indaily.

If for any reason you ever feel that your cats are noteating, then play the role of an over concerned parent/pet owner. It is okay totake your pet in to the vet prematurely and get a perfect bill of health.

But you will feel terrible if you dont and somethinghappens to your kitty.

If you ever feel stuck in this situation and need help youcan always reach out to us on Cattify and I will try and provide assistance inthis hard situation!

What You Can Do

How Long Can a Cat Go Without Eating?

Whether your cat is sick, anxious, or just plain picky, remember that a complete refusal of food can have devastating consequences. So, even if youre trying to make your cat eat a doctor-prescribed diet, never starve your cat into eating a certain type of food.

If illness is the reason your cat wont eat, work with your veterinarian to design the best regimen for you and your pet. This may include a change in food type or consistency some cats may be enticed to eat by offering canned foods when they are unwell. In more extreme cases, veterinarians may prescribe medicines that act as appetite stimulants or recommend syringe-feeding your cat a liquid diet. Or the vet may recommend placement of a feeding tube to ensure adequate nutrition.

When illness is not the culprit, there are things you can try to encourage your cat to eat.

You may have discovered that certain foods, such as liver or canned tuna, can act as appetite stimulants for certain cats. Remember to only offer these foods in small amounts. Large quantities may harm your pet by causing deficiencies or an overabundance of certain vitamins.

If your cat has been eating human food exclusively, be sure to transition your pet over several weeks by mixing together your pets favorite people food with cat food. Over time, you should be able to change the ratio until your pet is eating only cat food.

Read Also: Is Blue Buffalo Good Cat Food

How Long Can An Older Kitten Go Without Food

If you do find an orphaned kitten or juvenile cat, it is important to identify the approximate age to know how best to feed them.

But it isnt always easy to figure out how old a young cat is, as Alley Cat Allies rescue charity highlights.

Weight can be a helpful indicator, but a juvenile cat that has not eaten for a while may be very underweight.

The Humane Society of Broward County offers the following general guidelines for feeding juvenile cats :

How Long Can A Cat Go Without Eating Feline Feeding Tips

Is your cats food bowl not empty at the end of the day? Does it seem like your cat is refusing to touch their food? Cats are known to be very picky about food, but not eating can be a very alarming health concern. So how long can a cat go without eating before you need to address the issue?

Cats can go without food for a week, but you must immediately call a vet if your cat goes over a day without eating. This can be a sign of serious health problems or lead to fatal health complications if not addressed.

Whether its simply your cat being picky or a possible health issue, a cat not eating is something that requires an immediate vet visit. But meanwhile, you can try to figure out whats going on and provide some comfort for your kitty. Lets take a closer look at what may be going on with your cat when they decide to stop eating.

You May Like: How To Train A Kitten Not To Bite

When Should You See Your Vet After Your Cat Refuses To Eat

The reasons for your cats sudden loss of appetite can vary. And the decision to finally take your cat to the vet also depends on your cats individuality.

As a cat parent, you must know your cats unique behaviors. For some cats, not eating a meal or two may not be unusual. Other cats also have an occasional loss of appetite due to vomiting caused by hairballs, or plant ingestion.

However, whatever the reason, you have to bring your cat to the vet if he fails to eat for more than 24 hours. Like what was mentioned earlier, many of the reasons why cats wont eat are connected with their health.

As such, the best person that could help determine the exact cause and develop a treatment plan is your nearest veterinarian.

When it comes to your cats, we are sure you dont want to leave anything to chance. If you are in doubt, dont delay, and head on to your vet right away.

How Long Is It Safe For A Cat Not To Eat

The Scoop on Cats and Grass: Is it safe? Is it healthy?

A cat can survive for over a week without having food, only if they have access to water. But, it is not safe to not feed the cat for more than 48 hours. Malnourishment and weakness will grip your cat, and it may require a hospital visit in severe cases.

Many believe that cats can hunt for themselves, and it is safe to let them be. However, many cats do not have the proper skill to hunt for themselves.

Also Check: How Old Do Cats Have To Be To Have Catnip

More articles

Popular Articles

Brands Of Wet Cat Food

40 Lb Bag Of Cat Food