Cat does not eat: why, what to do?

Selectivity in food is characteristic of most representatives of the feline world. These creatures will not eat just anything. The owners have to offer more than one brand of dry or wet food before it will be approved by the furry pet. With natural feeding, too, everything is not always smooth. Delicious things are accepted favorably, while useful products are rejected unquestioningly. However, the cat does not eat not only because of disliked food, it is often the fault of something else. Why does a cat refuse to eat and what can be done about it?

Why doesn’t the cat eat?

A cat can go without food for a maximum of 4-5 days if water is consumed constantly, and there is no guarantee that this will not affect its health. It is believed that irreversible processes in starvation begin on the 3rd or 4th day. In older animals, the boundary period is reduced to 3 days, and in pregnant and lactating animals – to one day at all. In some sources, the period of opportunity to do without food is indicated above almost twice, but do not experiment with this.

Veterinarians advise to contact them if the cat does not eat for two days to find out the cause and eliminate the problem without additional harm to its health.

Reasons for not eating

Natural causes

• During the period of heat and sexual hunting, cats and cats do not have time to eat. Often a week before the beginning of this period, they reduce their diet. All their energies are directed at this time – sleep and loud meowing.
• In the summer time, animals refuse food due to a violation of thermoregulation. This also applies to winter time, when heating in the apartment is too strong. A distinctive feature of this condition is an increase in thirst and the appearance of appetite in the evening in summer or when the temperature in the apartment decreases in winter.
• After giving birth, the cat does not eat, as a rule, for 5-6 hours. This happens because it is experiencing severe fatigue, stress, feels bad, does not want to leave the cubs or simply has had enough afterbirth.

Dietary changes

Any change in diet – changing from natural food to prepared food, changing from one type of food or brand to another, even changing from a meat-based dry diet to a fish-based diet of the same brand – can lead to refusal to eat. Animals do not tolerate frequent changes in diet and therefore immediately go on hunger strike.

Stress

Anxiety, fright, constant stress – do not cause the pet to want to eat thoroughly. Animals may eat selectively, for example, exclusively delicious food or lose their appetite altogether. The reason may be moving to another place, strict punishment, competition with other pets, untimely cleaning of the litter box. However, the most common problem of a cat’s refusal to eat is nothing but a bowl. If it is moved to another place, replaced with a new one or simply poorly washed, you should not be surprised by the hunger strike.

Kittens may not eat anything for a while while they are adapting to their new home. This is also stressful for them.

Signs of stress, in addition to refusal to eat, are apathetic state, refusal to play, restriction in fluid intake.

External and internal parasites

If the cat refuses to eat, then it may have worms. This truth is confirmed by many pet owners who have faced this problem. And since fleas are carriers of helminths, then in the case of infection with them, such behavior is possible. In addition to loss of appetite, cats show signs such as vomiting spasms, diarrhea, increased body temperature and lethargy.

Painful sensations

Any pain resulting from injury, after delivery, surgery, neutering or spaying procedure becomes the reason for refusal to eat in cats and cats. Appetite appears after the pain sensation is reduced.

Tooth and gum problems

Discomfort while eating food caused in the mouth by inflamed gums, tartar or chipped teeth leads to natural food refusal. But pain is not the only reason for this. Poor dental health leads to malfunctioning of the digestive tract and infections inside the body.

Kittens refuse to eat during the period of teeth change, because they experience painful gums. The solution to this problem is very simple – a temporary switch to wet soft food.

Inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract

There are many causes of inflammation in the digestive system. This and swallowed foreign objects, and worm infestation, and acute or chronic diseases of the digestive organs. In any of these cases, the cat refuses to eat. Each of them requires careful consideration and immediate response. The most important thing is to contact a veterinarian in time.

Foreign objects in the gastrointestinal tract

Intestinal obstruction is a dangerous condition that can be fatal. It is caused by eating bones, inedible objects, for example from toys or Christmas tree ornaments, sausage skins, etc. The cat does not eat, but also vomits, has an enlarged and painful abdomen.

Poisoning

Regurgitation of hairballs occurs frequently in cats, sometimes it is confused with vomiting. In the first case, the phenomenon is one-time, but if the animal feels bad repeatedly, in addition, there is weakness, lethargy, trembling in the limbs and increased saliva secretion, the cause may be poisoning. Severe poisoning without timely assistance is fatal.

Diseases of internal organs

One of the signs of diseases of the liver, kidneys and other organs, is the refusal of food in cats. Most often animals suffer from urolithiasis, to which this symptom is also characteristic. In parallel, others develop – lethargy, difficulty in urination and blood in the urine.

Viral infection

The cat does not eat in a viral infection. This is one of the many symptoms that confirm an infection. The others are fever, nasal and eye discharge, eating disorders, weakness, etc.

What to do in case of food refusal in cats?

Each individual case when the cat refuses to eat requires special attention. It is necessary to act according to the established reason that prompted the animal to this behavior.

• During sexual hunting, the animal can be given means to reduce sexual activity in males or Anti-sex suspension, but only after consultation with a veterinarian. But the best solution to the problem will be mating or carrying out the procedure of castration, sterilization. Otherwise, you will have to be patient until the hormonal background comes back to normal and the animal itself will ask for food.
• You should not experiment with changing the diet. Cats do not need a variety of dishes. It is better to choose the best option and stick to it. If you need to switch to a different food (for example, due to the disappearance of the diet from the shelves of the pet store), transfer the pet to a new food gradually, replacing first 10%, and then gradually increasing the volume of the new food.
• Do not force-feed your pet when he is stressed. Surround it with care and attention. Turn on a diffuser with a special pheromone product in the room where the cat sleeps. Use sedatives suitable for the cat: a calming collar, anti-stress capsules, drops or pills.
• Parasitic infestations are treated with special medications, depending on the type of parasite. To prevent such problems in the future, treat animals quarterly for worms and monthly for ticks and fleas with drops, or for a longer lasting effect, use anti-parasitic collars if the pets are outdoors.
• If there is any deterioration in your pet’s health due to anything – poisoning, viral, acute or chronic illness, abdominal bloating – contact your veterinarian immediately. Sometimes to save the pet’s life it is not a matter of days, but hours. Pathology, in addition to lack of appetite, is signaled by such signs as lethargy and apathy, vomiting, loud and frequent meowing, change in color and odor of urine or feces, restless behavior. Timely vaccination will minimize the risks of contracting terrible viral diseases.

After not eating for a while, the cat may make up for the loss of nutrients by begging for larger portions. This should not be allowed, pitying a hungry animal. The diet should correspond to the usual volume, and overeating is fraught with GI problems and an increased risk of gaining excess weight.

Starvation is contraindicated in animals, so if the cat does not eat for two days, do not delay a visit to the veterinarian. Try to analyze what could provoke such a condition to facilitate the process of diagnosing the problem and prescribing treatment to eliminate it. Otherwise, just carefully monitor the behavior of the pet and follow the conditions of maintenance and care.

Take care of your purrs, let their appetite and mood will always be on top.

Турбота, любов і хвостики — наші тренди 2025.