What to Do When Your Cat Won’t Eat (Vet Answer)
By Dr. Paola Cuevas, MVZ (Vet)
Updated on
Food is a basic need for all animals and under normal circumstances, pets are really looking forward to food and treats. As a rule, if a cat refuses to eat, this is a very clear indicator that something is going on.
The medical term for this condition is “anorexia”. Anorexia is a sign of a very large list of possible causes and underlying diseases. A cat refusing to eat for 2 to 3 days is at extreme risk of dehydration and organ damage. If you’ve noticed that your cat has not eaten, please do not wait until tomorrow when it might be too late. If your cat is refusing to eat, take them in for medical consultation immediately.
What Are Some of the Possible Causes of Anorexia in Cats?
- Upper respiratory infections or nasal polyps: causes loss of smell and appetite for food.
- Injury, trauma, infection of inflammation in the oral cavity.
- Obstructions in the gastrointestinal tract caused by foreign objects or masses.
- Pain of diverse origins like foreign objects and spines, abscesses, fractures, or tumors, etc.
- Serious systemic diseases, such as pancreatitis, hepatitis, gastroenteritis, kidney disease, congestive heart failure, and others.
- Neoplasia and cancers.
- Behavioral reasons, usually caused by changes in the environment, habits, fear, and anxiety.
What Are Some of the Risks of Anorexia in Cats?
Dehydration and organ damage are a risk. In overweight cats, hepatic lipidosis is a great concern because after a period of anorexia, the cat’s liver begins breaking down fat from the body to supply energy and nutrients to maintain its functions.
Because in overweight cats the fat percentage of their body is high, it can overwhelm the liver’s ability to process it, so the fat is stored in the liver. A fatty liver is not able to carry on with the diversity of metabolic functions and chemical processes that this organ is responsible for.
How Will the Veterinarian Diagnose the Cause of the Anorexia?
Once at the clinical consultation, all the specific information you can share with your veterinarian can be very useful for the case history. The veterinarian will proceed to perform a complete physical examination, checking the mouth, eyes, and nose of your cat, and they will palpate their abdominal area while looking for inflammations, masses, or any other abnormalities. The veterinarian might request a blood sample and possibly some diagnostic imaging, such as X-rays or abdominal ultrasounds. In addition, the veterinarian might test your cat for retrovirus.
What Will the Treatment for the Cat’s Anorexia Be?
What Will the Treatment for the Cat’s Anorexia Be?The treatment will largely depend on identifying the underlying cause. Bacterial Infections such as gastroenteritis or respiratory infections can be treated with oral antibiotics. Abscesses will need incision, drainage, and debridement, followed by oral therapy. Masses, polyps, fractures, tumors, and some obstructions often require surgical treatment. In some extreme cases, your cat might need to stay in the hospital with intravenous therapy to restore hydration and electrolyte balance.
Complex cases of gastrointestinal disease might need the cat to be fed using a tube. The details of tube placement and feeding technique depend largely on the specific case some of these cases require days of hospitalization. In addition, the veterinarian might prescribe some pain management medication to your cat.
The veterinarian will find an appropriate treatment for your cat’s specific case after identification of the underlying cause of the anorexia. It is important to get professional advice and follow the veterinarian’s recommendations and prescriptions. Please never try to medicate your cat with medicine that works for you, as many human medications are toxic for cats.
What if the Veterinarian Thinks the Cat is Healthy?
If the veterinarian finds out that the cat is not suffering from any underlying disease and all test results are within normal parameters, this is very good news—your cat is healthy! However, the case is not over until the cat resumes normal eating habits.
- Check the cat’s food and ensure that the smell, texture, and color are normal.
- Improve the overall balance and quality of the diet. Choose protein-based foods that are low in carbohydrates, nutritious, complete, and have a good balance.
- Try to make a change in the cat’s food to make it more attractive to your cat. You can experiment with adding moisture with flavorful cat-safe broths, adding palatable food toppings such as cat’s wet food, warming the food, and even changing its shape, for example, breaking it into smaller pieces.
- Try to recognize any environmental change that could be stopping your cat from eating. Sometimes little details such as a fridge’s noise becoming louder in the same room as the cat’s plate can be the triggering factor.
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In a multiple-cat household, it is important to always observe the social interaction between the cats. Territorial displacement, dominance, and aggression might be the reason for one of the cats not eating. If you identify any of these cases as the possible cause you can try some of the following strategies:
- The addition of pheromone diffusers to the environment. Pheromone diffusers look like electronic air fresheners, they plug into electrical outlets and require periodic cartridge changes. The cartridge contains synthetic chemicals that mimic naturally occurring pheromones and have a calming effect on the cats. Feliway MultiCat is a good quality product.
- Increase the number of bowls and the distance between them.
Do not leave the cats without food under any circumstances. As an owner, it is your responsibility to provide a safe space for each cat to feel comfortable and free of stress. You might have to consider keeping the cats apart and work towards gradual socialization. Consult a specialized cat behaviorist if the problem persists.
Additional Important Information & Recommendations
- Anorexia should be treated as a serious condition. Immediately inform your veterinarian if your cat is refusing to eat for a day or two.
- Monitor your cat after the consultation. If their appetite is not restored, a change of treatment plan might be in place.
- It is a good habit to keep your cat under close observation every time they are under medical treatment or recovering from a disease.
- In many cases, anorexia becomes recurrent or partial. Partial anorexia is when the cat eats less and loses weight gradually over time. Keeping regular records of your cat’s normal weight and diet can help you identify this problem at earlier stages, increasing the chances for a successful treatment.
- Always make sure that your cat’s diet is nutritious, well-balanced, and adequate for the specific stage and condition of your cat.
- Dry food should be consumed within a month of opening to avoid changes in texture or it becoming rancid.
- Feeding your cat a moisture-rich diet is best, as many cats are not great at drinking, as these creatures evolved in arid climates and relied on the ingestion of moisture from their prey animals.
Summary
Any time that your cat won’t eat, you need to take it seriously. Cats can become dangerously dehydrated rather quickly, and this can result in organ damage. While there are many potential causes, the risks are high, so if your pet isn’t eating for more than 2 or 3 days, you need to get them checked out immediately. Your vet will eventually be able to give a diagnosis and will hopefully have your cat feeling good as new in no time.
See also:
- Cat Hairballs: Vet-Approved Causes, Prevention & Remedies
- Cat Not Eating After Move, Are They All Right?
Featured Image Credit: Elena Kutepova, Shutterstock
