Sometimes the owners are faced with a situation when the cat refuses food. The reasons may be different. Some of them are natural and do not threaten the health of the pet, others can lead to serious consequences. Let’s see why the cat refuses to eat. When you need to worry and how to help your pet?
When refusing food is normal
The reasons why a cat refuses to eat can be a great many. Sometimes an animal is just naughty if it does not receive its favorite treats. Often there is a refusal of food during a change of feed. Sometimes a voluntary hunger strike may indicate an animal disease. In this case, you can also observe a number of other symptoms.
Let's analyze how long a hunger strike can be harmless for a cat:
- for a small kitten, which is in a time of active growth, a harmless hunger strike is a duration of no more than a day;
- a young cat, subject to constant drinking of water, can endure a hunger strike of five days without consequences;
- An elderly or sick animal should not be left without food for more than two days.
Below we consider the main reasons why a cat does not eat anything. We find out in which case you should not worry, and in which you should immediately contact your veterinarian.
Gon and estrus
Due to hormonal changes before estrus, cats sometimes refuse to eat. They become very restless, walk around the house and yell heartbrokenly. At such a moment, the cat experiences quite a lot of excitement, which affects her appetite. Some owners give hormones or special injections to calm the animal. This is not worth doing, because such procedures greatly affect the health of the cat. If your cat is not purebred, she has no documents, she has no value as a producer, she must be sterilized. Sterilized cats live much longer than non-sterilized cats, they do not experience painful leaks and do not suffer from sexual diseases.
A cat can lose its appetite when it teaches a nearby cat in heat. Cats during the rutting season become aggressive, mark everything around and rush as far as possible from home in search of a female. Unpromising for breeding a cat must be castrated to avoid many problems with the health of the animal.
Pregnancy and the postpartum period
For the normal course of pregnancy, the cat must constantly and fully eat. Short-term refusals of food are possible only at the beginning of pregnancy, when toxicosis can torment a cat. In this case, the animal may experience vomiting. A cat can refuse food a day before the birth, which is also considered normal.
Immediately after the birth of kittens, the cat may refuse to eat. During the day, a hunger strike is quite normal. The cat is tortured with childbirth, she is resting and does not want to leave the kittens. If a hunger strike lasts more than a day, and the cat has difficulty breathing, fever, vomiting and diarrhea, the animal should be urgently shown to a doctor.
Stress
If the cat is sluggish and does not eat, the cause may be stress. These are quite sensitive animals, the state of the nervous system of which is influenced by many factors. We highlight the main factors that can cause stress:
- moving to a new house;
- change of owner;
- the appearance in the apartment of a new animal;
- new people in the cat territory;
- severe fright;
- Incorrect conditions.
If stress has become the cause of loss of appetite, it is worth isolating the animal from traumatic factors. If this is not possible, the cat should be given as much attention as possible. It is necessary to talk with the animal calmly, more often to stroke him and give goodies, play with him. In extreme cases, the doctor may prescribe sedatives.
High ambient temperature
Often cats refuse food in the summer, when the heat is on the street. Thus, they control the temperature of the body and are saved from overheating. With abundant nutrition, the animal absorbs more calories, which means that more heat is released during digestion. In hot weather, the cat lies almost the whole day in the coolest place at home. She eats rarely and in small portions, but she drinks a lot. This behavior is absolutely normal. However, a complete refusal of food during such a period may indicate an animal's disease.
For the same reason, refusal of food is possible in the winter. Domestic cats are in the apartment all day, where heating works in winter. Because of home maintenance, cats have such a biological cycle that they fade and discard their fur coat just before winter, because they will have to be in hot and stuffy heated rooms. So a reduced appetite in the winter, subject to a high temperature in the apartment, is quite normal.
Parasite infection
Infection with helminths can cause serious problems with the gastrointestinal tract of the animal. One of its symptoms may be a cat’s refusal to eat. In addition, the animal's activity decreases, he may have vomiting, constipation, blood can be observed in the feces. Infection with worms can occur from a sick animal or through food. To avoid it, it is necessary to do preventive deworming. Every three months a street cat needs to be given worm tablets in the proportions corresponding to its weight. You need to do this in the morning on an empty stomach. You can feed the animal only an hour and a half after this.
Fleas can deliver cat no less torment. Their bites lead to anemia, due to which the animal's activity decreases and appetite worsens. Special collars, drops, sprays and shampoos will help get rid of fleas.
Ticks that carry a large number of infections can be dangerous. A tick bite can be fatal. Lice-ticks torment the animal, causing itching to bloody wounds. Due to itching and stress, the animal may refuse to eat. When infected with ticks, the cat should be immediately shown to the doctor.
Problems with the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract
One of the reasons why a cat refuses to eat may be mechanical damage to the oral cavity and pharynx. Often large fish and tubular chicken bones lead to wounds and cuts. A cat may lose appetite due to bad teeth or stomatitis. If the cat does not eat anything, you should first examine its mouth. If you find inflammation, cuts or swelling, the animal should be urgently shown to a doctor.
Diseases of the organs involved in digestion can lead to loss of appetite. They may be indicated by: nausea and vomiting, refusal to eat, constipation or diarrhea. Cholecystitis is indicated by: yellowing of the mucous membranes and vomiting with bile. Symptoms of poisoning include profuse vomiting and diarrhea. For bowel problems, constipation is possible. Loss of appetite is also possible with the occurrence of neoplasms in the organs of the digestive system. In any case, only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis. The main task of the owner is to examine all the symptoms in time and take the animal to the veterinary clinic. It is important for the cat to get timely help, otherwise the consequences may be irreversible.
Infectious diseases
Often the cause of loss of appetite can be viral and bacterial infections. If the cat is sick, in addition to refusing to eat, there may be other symptoms:
- Lethargy.
- Transparent and brown discharge from the eyes of cats.
- Increased or decreased body temperature.
- Difficult and hoarse breathing.
- Vomiting and diarrhea.
With an infectious disease, changes occur in the body that can lead to serious complications. Many diseases can be avoided by timely vaccinations. Do not ignore vaccination in the case of animals that do not walk on the street. They are quite capable of becoming infected even through the street clothes and shoes of the owner.
If the cat is sick, it must be urgently shown to the doctor. The veterinarian diagnoses the disease and prescribes treatment. In infectious diseases, animals are often prescribed antibiotics. Injections and even a dropper may be needed. Best prognoses are possible if treatment is started at an early stage of the disease.
What measures to take?
If the cat refuses food, first you need to carefully examine it. There should be no wounds and tumors on the animal’s body; its mouth should be clean. The mucous membrane should be pink. Brown discharge from the eyes of cats may indicate inflammatory processes in the body. If no external changes are detected, the behavior of the animal should be observed. The cat must be active, respond to your voice, respond to external stimuli. Passivity or aggression may indicate cat health problems. It should be noted other symptoms that accompany a hunger strike.
If a cat drinks, feels well, its activity is normal, then do not panic. It is important to calculate how many days the refusal of food lasts. If the refusal of food exceeds several days, it is necessary to take the animal for examination to a doctor.
Thus, if a cat has no appetite, do not immediately sound the alarm. In the absence of other symptoms, a temporary refusal of food is quite normal. It is worthwhile to closely monitor the animal to note other changes in its condition or behavior. If there are symptoms of the disease, the cat needs to be urgently shown to the doctor.