Some owners are faced with a situation where the cat does not eat or drink for several days, is lethargic, and sleeps constantly. What to do in such cases? You need to understand that your pet is one of the animals that differ from others in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. They eat more often and in smaller quantities because they have less capacity. Due to the characteristics of these animals, lack of appetite occurs with almost any cat illness.
This is not a specific symptom, but a symptom that can be easily noticed and, thanks to this, understand that something is wrong.
What does it mean for a pet to refuse food and drink?
There are times when a cat does not eat for several days, and at first glance it is difficult to say what is causing this. When a kitten has no appetite , it is often said that he has anorexia. Moreover, unlike hunger, which manifests itself due to the physiological characteristics of the body, anorexia is associated with psychological factors.
This condition can be provoked by many reasons, due to which the cat may lose its appetite for a long time. In a kitten, it can be observed when certain disorders occur in its body that contribute to the development of the disease. If the kitten does not show its former activity , does not eat or drink for several days and does not leave its place, then it can be assumed that it has problems with the stomach or other important organs. It's hard to imagine that a cat that experiences unpleasant pain every minute will think about food.
Another reason that may be associated with a cat's lethargic behavior is the first heat. The owner may mistake this condition for a disease . For the animal, this is the first experience when it feels natural urges, so it may behave confused. Usually the kitten behaves this way only for a few days, but then it becomes cheerful and active again.
If for two or three days you observe how the kitten does not want to eat, but only sleeps, then some kind of illness has probably come down on it. Lack of appetite is often associated with the development of infectious diseases, for example, the appearance of worms. To prevent such situations, it is advisable to periodically give him special drugs against helminths for preventive purposes.
Among the entire list of diseases, we can highlight the most common ones in domestic cats. Keep in mind that if your pet does not eat for several days , remains lethargic, and is losing weight , then you can be sure that it is some kind of illness. And first of all, you need to find out what infection caused this condition and what needs to be done.
A kitten may begin to lose weight during diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Characteristic symptoms of this disease are diarrhea and other unconventional discharge. But to be sure that this is the disease, you should show it to a veterinarian, who can make a more accurate diagnosis.
Liver disease is also common in cats. Any change in the cat's behavior is a signal for the owner to take him to the veterinarian to be sure that nothing threatens him. To prevent this from happening again , you must be more attentive to what you feed the kitten. His diet must contain foods that can cleanse this organ.
- Diseases of the pancreas. Some animals may lack appetite precisely because of the development of this disease.
- Diseases of the reproductive system.
- Blood diseases.
- Along with the above reasons, a kitten may refuse water and food due to diseases of the mucous system - throat, nose, mouth, etc.
Other reasons
If a cat does not eat for a long time, this should not be immediately perceived as a sign of an incipient disease. It is possible that weight loss may be due to the following reasons:
- The kitten did not like the new food;
- When changing your place of residence. It often happens that cats do not immediately get used to a new place. To speed up the adaptation period, you can use special medications that help animals when moving.
- Stress arising from various reasons.
Be that as it may, if your cat has no appetite during the day, you should not panic and wonder what to do. If your pet's condition does not change over a longer period of time, then you should take him to the veterinarian . But here too there are some peculiarities. In order not to worry ahead of time about the health of the kitten, it will be useful for you to familiarize yourself with the following information:
- If you have a young and healthy cat, he can go without eating and still feel quite well for 5 days. If after this time his appetite returns, he will be able to quickly replenish the need for all the necessary vitamins and carbohydrates and will again become cheerful and active.
- If you have an older cat living in your apartment who has lost his appetite, keep in mind that he can go without food for no more than 3 days. If the matter is limited to this, and after this period his appetite awakens, then he will be able to quickly recover. But he will be able to return to his usual lifestyle only if this was not caused by a diet.
- If a similar situation happens to a small kitten who refuses to eat all day long, know that this is dangerous for his health and can result in death. The kitten does not have a sufficient supply of substances to survive without food for more than a day. Therefore, if you notice that your pet refuses breakfast, then you should immediately take action.
- Owners who keep cats with chronic diseases need to be especially attentive to their pets. Prolonged fasting is extremely contraindicated for them. And no matter what time the disease appears, you must do everything possible to ensure that the kitten does not go hungry for more than 2 days.
Other pathologies
In addition to the listed pathological conditions of cats, accompanied by lethargy, drowsiness and loss of appetite, the following painful conditions also occur:
disturbances in the functioning of the endocrine system.
For example, after sterilization or childbirth due to hormonal imbalance, cats become lethargic and inactive.
Pets suffering from diabetes also do not want to move too much. In addition, such cats are constantly thirsty, eat a lot or very little, and often go to the toilet. They experience weight fluctuations, their vision deteriorates, their stomach enlarges, their muscles weaken;
oncological diseases.
One of their symptoms in cats is a lethargic state. Changes in the pet’s well-being are clearly visible: the cat hardly eats, lies down all the time, vomits, and experiences internal bleeding. Such animals have very unpleasant breath, and upon visual examination, swelling and ulcers can be detected on the body;
diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Even an inexperienced owner can easily recognize them. With arthritis, dislocations, sprains, osteochondrosis, fractures and other problems, animals become lethargic, try to eat and move less. Cats' affected joints swell, they limp, rarely sharpen their claws and wash themselves. All movements cause them pain;
complications after surgery.
Usually, in the first three days after the intervention, cats are very lethargic. This condition, in the presence of appetite and thirst, is considered normal.
But, if the animal’s temperature rises, blood or pus begins to ooze from the wound, vomiting or constipation often occurs - you need to contact the clinic as soon as possible. After all, these can be dangerous symptoms of suture dehiscence or suppuration, or the formation of a hernia.
What to do?
Having realized that something is wrong with the cat, the owner needs to decide what to do first in this case.
If the cat is lethargic
If you observe a complete lack of appetite in your cat for several days, the first thing you should do is change its diet. If you gave your pet new food in the morning and he hasn’t touched it all day, then most likely the reason is food. To switch your cat to a new food, you can do the following: take some food and mix it with the old food, reducing the amount over time.
It is possible that the whole problem is in the dirty bowl from which the cat eats. To prevent this from happening, you should wash your pet’s dishes after every meal. Another reason for a cat refusing to eat may be the incorrect location of the bowls. To determine whether this is true or not, you can put your cat's bowl in a different place and see if he touches the food. You may not have to do anything else.
If you have tried all the methods, but nothing has helped you understand why your cat has not eaten for several days, then all you have to do is show it to the veterinarian . Considering the ineffectiveness of the recommendations given, it can be assumed that this is a serious illness. Therefore, it is important to start treatment as soon as possible.
Additional recommendations
Following these recommendations will help your cat recover faster:
- A calm environment will help your cat get out of stress. You should not force your pet into games and communication.
- If your pet refuses the new diet, go back to the old one. If this is not possible, look for other cat food options (some animals refuse certain brands, so trial and error is the only way to find the right food).
- Ecto- and endoparasites are destroyed using special preparations. There is no need to use them before visiting a doctor, but in the future it is always better to use them for prevention.
- Inflamed gums can be treated with a solution of chlorhexidine or manganese (faint pink). This procedure is carried out twice a day. A piece of gauze is soaked in a medicinal solution and gently pressed onto problem areas of the oral cavity without applying pressure. Depending on the affected area, you can also use cotton swabs, precisely treating the desired areas.
If he doesn't eat, doesn't drink and burps
If you notice these signs in your pet, they can be explained by the following factors:
- The cat ate the food too quickly.
- You put too much food in your lunch and your pet ate it all.
- You have given your cat food that is too dense and difficult to digest.
- You switched your pet to a new food without prior preparation.
- The food turned out to be of poor quality and had spoiled.
- It is possible that the cause of the lack of appetite is poisoning due to the cat rummaging through the trash or eating something poisonous.
Try changing the food and see if your pet still refuses to eat.
Health problems
This condition may also be associated with certain health problems. The most common are the following:
- digestive system cancer;
- renal failure of the body;
- diabetes;
- presence of infection in the stomach;
- the presence of parasites in the esophagus.
If your cat has one of the first four diseases, then you should never treat it yourself. Here you need to act differently and at the first sign, immediately show him to the veterinarian. Any other action may endanger the cat's life. increase the chances of saving and speedy recovery of the animal if a diagnosis is made in a timely manner and treatment is started. And attempts to help a cat at home can lead to the animal dying due to your experiments.
If you suspect that there are worms in your cat’s stomach, you can find out for yourself whether this is true or not without contacting a specialist. There's nothing complicated about it. To do this, you will need to purchase an anthelmintic for domestic cats at the veterinary store. It is added to water or food. But for it to work well, it is recommended to give it to the cat in its pure form.
Of course, the animal will not want to eat the medicine so easily and will break out. To do this, you will have to open your mouth with one hand and place the tablet under your tongue with the other. Make sure your cat swallows the medicine , otherwise you won't achieve anything. After your cat eats the drug, you should wait until she wants to go to the toilet.
When the cat relieves itself, you need to analyze the excrement visually. The presence of parasites in feces means that they are also contained in the animal’s body. If you were unable to detect them, then you should show the cat to a doctor.
How much water should a cat drink daily?
An adult, healthy individual needs to consume approximately 40-50 milliliters of fluid per kilogram of body weight daily. The amount of moisture in the feed is also an important point. For example, a pet weighing 4.5 kilograms requires approximately 200 ml of liquid. If a cat eats 170 grams of wet food daily (moisture content 80%), it covers more than half of the daily water requirement, receiving 135 ml of liquid with the food. If he eats only 70 grams of dry food (moisture content 9%), he needs to drink another 180 ml per day. The activity level of pets should be taken into account. The more active your pet is, the more fluid it needs. Also, if the air temperature outside or indoors is above 20 degrees, the need for fluid consumption increases. It is worth noting that sometimes a different drinking regime may be required. So, for certain diseases or after operations, you must strictly follow the veterinarian’s recommendations. Stress factors, for example, a change of place of residence, unknown people at home, a neighbor's cat, affect the behavior of four-legged friends. Often cats drink less in such situations. Let her get used to the new life situation, observe her behavior. The required amount of fluid for the body also depends on age. A kitten's young, growing body requires more fluid. And in old age, this need decreases. It is completely normal for an older cat to drink less than normal.
If the fluffy doesn't eat or drink, his nose is dry
There is an opinion among owners that a dry nose in a cat indicates the presence of a certain disease. However, this rule does not work in all cases. If you touch your cat's nose after sleep , you will find that it is dry. Therefore, the conclusion that the cat is sick will be incorrect. If your pet doesn't eat for several days and she still has this symptom, then you shouldn't wait any longer and it's time to take her to the vet.
You should not place high hopes on self-medication, since such methods may not always be effective. If the nose is dry, it won’t hurt to touch the cat , because it is possible that its temperature is elevated. If you find this symptom, then this is another reason why you should immediately show the animal to a veterinarian.
Blood disorders
A low level of hemoglobin, a small number of red blood cells or their rapid destruction are very dangerous. These disorders are fraught with retarded growth and development, decreased immunity and hypoxic coma caused by lack of oxygen.
Anemia
Anemia is accompanied by pallor of the mucous membranes and delayed physical development. This pathology is often inherited or occurs as a complication of helminthiasis.
The condition of sick babies can be normalized with the help of iron. To do this, you need to select a special medicinal food or add iron-containing supplements to the diet.
Hemolysis
Occurs when the blood type of a mother cat and her cubs do not match. Antibodies that enter the body along with colostrum attack and destroy the red blood cells of newborns.
The destruction of red blood cells is accompanied by:
- yellowing of mucous membranes;
- darkening of urine to a brown tint;
- lethargy and refusal to feed;
- necrosis of tissue at the tip of the tail.
The cubs should be transferred to artificial feeding. It is also recommended to take blood tests for the entire family in advance to rule out breastfeeding without waiting for complications.
