The cat doesn't eat anything, what to do

Is there any cause for concern?

In fact, the fact that a cat does not eat anything or eats little does not always indicate an animal illness or other problems. All animals have fasting days, and cats are no exception. Because if:

Refusal to eat lasts no more than 2 days.
The cat drinks during this time.
Activity remains at the same level or changes slightly.
The animal reacts positively to the “sweets.”

- then there is most likely no reason to worry. As veterinarians sometimes say, “if a cat doesn’t eat and doesn’t look like it’s dying, you’re saving food.”

But the cat does not eat for several days, does not drink or drinks very little, all this is accompanied by lethargy and apathy - there is a high probability of problems, and serious ones.

Signal of a foreign body entering the digestive tract

Most owners often encounter this problem, which is especially typical for playful cats of long-haired breeds. These could be small fragments of toys, small bones, or simply large accumulations of fur from the animal itself. The main signs for identifying this factor are attacks of vomiting that occur when drinking water and food, abdominal pain and difficulty defecating. With prompt diagnosis and timely removal of the foreign material, the pet will recover completely.

Reasons for refusing food

There may be several reasons for refusing food. Some of them are not too serious, so the intervention of the owner, and especially the veterinarian, will be unnecessary. But still, you shouldn’t ignore them either.

A cat may refuse food if:

Changes in diet. Felines are finicky animals, so introducing new foods to the menu or switching to a new type of food is often accompanied by a “fast” for several days. In order not to exhaust the animal, the change in eating habits should be carried out gradually.
Stress. Stress is another common cause. After moving to a new home, visiting the veterinarian, or (a nightmare!) the appearance of another pet in the house, the cat may ignore the offered food for quite a long time. Usually hunger takes its toll, but not right away!
Oral diseases. If eating causes your pet pain or discomfort, he may simply refuse to go to the bowl. If the disease is mild, the problem usually resolves itself, but if the disease is severe, forced fasting will only worsen the problem.
Various pathologies. Perhaps the most serious reason why a cat does not eat. It is in this case that lethargy and refusal of water are observed. Lack of appetite is observed in food poisoning, kidney and gastrointestinal diseases, cancer, endocrine problems... In any case, you cannot wait until the animal copes with the disease on its own - the lack of nutrients here acts as a factor that depresses the immune system.

Reasons why a cat doesn't eat well

In fact, you shouldn't always panic when your cat doesn't eat anything for a couple of days. Especially in cases where the animal does not look exhausted, does not have a fever, and there are no signs of an upset stomach or other malfunction of the body. The most common reasons why a cat doesn’t eat anything:

Abrupt transition to new or unusual food.
Cats have their own taste preferences, just like people, so even high-quality food suddenly introduced into the diet can cause food refusal. The owner should always carefully study the composition of the food, the manufacturer’s recommendations for feeding and remember that the new product is introduced gradually, only mixed in small quantities with the old one that is familiar to the animal. This situation can also happen when a cat accustomed to industrial food is transferred for natural food. It is unlikely that a cat that has eaten dry food will happily eat, for example, vegetables with meat or cottage cheese. But if it’s just a matter of changing the usual diet, then there is no need to worry, the cat is simply not yet accustomed to the innovations in its menu. The animal itself does not look sick; it does not have diarrhea, vomiting, or excessive discharge from the eyes or nose.
Stressful situations.
Cats are sensitive animals; just like people, they can be sad, worried, or afraid of something. In a stressful situation, it may be quite normal to refuse food for a couple of days, feel depressed, and apathy. In this case, it would be a good idea for the owner to first try to find out what is the cause of the animal’s suffering, eliminating it if possible. If the situation cannot be corrected (the death of someone dear to the animal, the appearance of a new pet in the house, etc.), then it will take time and participation in the cat’s life on the part of the owner. You may need to consult a veterinarian, as well as purchase sedatives for purring.
Weather.
When the temperature outside the window exceeds 30 (or even 40) degrees, even the most voracious animal can look for a patch of shade on the street or lie exhausted on the floor, forgetting about food. In such cases, you should not force feed the cat and lament why it refuses to eat. On the hottest days, it is better not to overload the animal’s body, however, clean drinking water at such times is more important than ever.
The owner does not monitor the cleanliness of the animal’s bowls.
Cats are one of the cleanest animals, so the owner should wash all cat dishes after each feeding or at least once a day. Dirty plates, bowls with dried food debris, ants crowding around, and the smell of sour food can make a cat refuse to eat. In addition, neglect of cleanliness can lead to various diseases.
Hormonal surge.
When the animal's body undergoes restructuring during puberty, during estrus and pregnancy in cats, the owner may observe a refusal of food in the pet. During the period of cat spree, animals may not eat for up to a week, especially females. The owner should not worry, since the cat’s appetite will return to normal as soon as the animal calms down, and the problem of hormonal changes will be solved by itself. It may not be superfluous to purchase vitamins depending on your doctor’s recommendations.
Helminthiasis or the presence of external parasites in a cat.
The owner should remember that the presence of worms, as well as external bloodsuckers (most often fleas) can cause many problems for the animal. All parasites multiply at enormous speed, and then with their offspring they feed on the blood of the animal and poison its body with the products of their vital activity. The cat's owner should take preventive measures to ensure that the four-legged friend's body is free of worms and fleas, and also monitor the cleanliness of the room. If the owner suspects that the cat has worms, then the following symptoms will become alarming: diarrhea, cough, vomiting. Fleas can cause the following unpleasant conditions for a cat: poor sleep, thinning fur, itching from bites.
There are many pieces of fur accumulated in the cat's stomach.
In cases where an animal actively licks itself, a large amount of hair accumulates in its stomach. This problem is especially acute when the owner does not comb out the pet’s fur. Vet pharmacies sell special products that prevent the formation of hairballs, which can be purchased by the cat owner. In addition to refusal to eat, this problem is also characterized by stool disorders and vomiting.
Infection of a cat with a viral or bacterial infection.
Even a cat that lives permanently in an apartment without leaving the house has a risk of contracting an infection. The owner should be alert to the pet's lethargy, vomiting and diarrhea (sometimes with mucus and blood streaks), and elevated temperature. During an infectious infection, the animal has no appetite. By taking tests, you can identify the pathogen and decide on treatment.
Anorexia.
Anorexia in cats is considered to be a refusal to eat due to the loss of olfactory or tactile functions of the body. The cat loses weight, is not interested in absolutely any food, becomes lethargic, and sometimes salivates profusely. In the most difficult cases, the veterinarian may decide to feed the animal through a tube. The causes of anorexia can be nasal congestion, chemotherapy or antibiotic treatment, poisoning and much more. Self-treatment without medical intervention can lead to the death of the animal.
Diseases of internal organs.
You can endlessly list all sorts of diseases in which a cat may lack appetite: diabetes, malignant tumors, liver diseases, kidney diseases, problems of the gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary system, diseases of the musculoskeletal system and many, many others. If a cat, in addition to 1-2 days of fasting, has various alarming symptoms, the owner should immediately rush to consult a specialist. As a rule, with any terrible diseases, the very appearance of the cat “screams” about the disease and the following symptoms appear: intestinal dysfunction (constipation , diarrhea), vomiting, sudden weight loss, discharge from the eyes (sometimes purulent), nose, dehydration, sometimes pain upon contact with the diseased area, plaintive meowing or complete apathy to what is happening around. All these signs always indicate a serious health condition of the cat and diseases that must be diagnosed through tests, scrapings, biopsies, and examination by a veterinarian. Painful sensations will always force the cat to refuse food or eat very little.

What to do if the cat doesn't want to eat?

The optimal course of action for an owner when a cat refuses food depends on the reasons. Causing this failure:

If changes have been made to the diet, return to the old food and gradually introduce the new one.
When stressed, try to minimize anxiety (check with your veterinarian about the advisability of using anti-anxiety medications).
If changes in behavior or loss of strength are observed, then the best solution would be a visit to the veterinary clinic. Only a professional examination will allow you to identify pathologies that affect appetite and draw up a treatment plan. The same should be done if the cat develops diarrhea or vomiting due to aversion to food.

Don’t forget that cats’ appetite decreases over time (although not all). Therefore, if an older cat begins to eat less, you can simply review its diet - so that even with a reduction in the volume of portions, the animal receives a sufficient amount of nutrients.

Causes of decreased appetite

There are quite a few factors that provoke a decrease in appetite in kittens. Some can be easily eliminated, while others are difficult to treat even in a clinical setting. Here are the main reasons:

the animal eats poorly because the food does not suit it;
decreased appetite is caused by changes in weather or living conditions (a kitten may not eat due to stress, just like a person);
the owners overfeed the pet, and it protests, showing poor appetite;
the baby doesn’t get enough attention or play and is sad, feeling bad “morally”;
an infection has entered the body;
there is any disease of the gastrointestinal tract, so the kitten refuses to eat;
the animal eats little due to food poisoning.

If the kitten begins to eat poorly, you definitely need to figure out why. Often you cannot do this on your own. In this case, a veterinarian will help.

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.

Anorexia in a cat (the cat refuses to eat)

Anorexia in a cat.

A cat's loss of appetite is called anorexia.

The desire to eat arises in an animal if it receives positive emotions, the absence of illnesses, or as a result of building an associative series, for example, packaging food will make the cat remember about food. Loss of appetite in animals is associated, first of all, with the appearance of a negative factor - a disease that requires immediate intervention from specialists .

Important! You cannot self-medicate or test various techniques on an animal, since the lack of desire to eat can be caused by various diseases.