3yo cat not eating. When should I start to worry?

[DoUntoOtters]

Well, obviously I'm already worrying hence this post.

Female cat, 3 years old, hasn't eaten anything for 48 hours. Not in this house anyway. She comes in, cries for food - food is offered, and rejected. She persists in crying, winding round legs, looking pitiful for about 15 minutes then gives up and either finds a bed or goes back out.

She is a little bit over-weight, so I'm not worried about her wasting away just yet. The food we are offering is the same stuff she's eaten happily for the last three years, and she is looking fine and acting normally (?) otherwise.

Should I be trying to tempt her with other food? Get her checked out by a vet? De-worm her? (She is done regularly and not due to be treated for another month or so) Could it be hair-balls? She is losing her winter coat but that's never been a problem before.

I would get her checked. One of our previous cats did something similar and had a long blade of grass stuck in her throat.

I'd get her checked, apparently even short periods of not eating can cause liver damage in cats.

www.catcare.com/blog/2010/01/05/fatty-liver-disease-in-cats/

Hepatic lipidosis usually occurs in overweight cats that do not eat for a couple of days. Loss of appetite can be due to simple things likes a viral infection, but the result is impaired liver function and an increasingly sick cat. When a cat does not eat, he begins to break down body fat for energy. In overweight cats, the amount of fat that is broken down and metabolized by the liver overwhelms the normal liver cells and fills them up, rendering them unable to work.'

Not trying to freak you out but I would get the kitty checked ASAP

Thank you. I'll take her in this evening, after I've kicked DH who said it would do her good to lose a pound or two.

Good luck, hope everything is ok and it puts your mind at rest.

It's understandable though as its a little known fact about cats, I just read it somewhere once that they can't tolerate starvation for long at all. hope she is OK, she sounds fine just now anyway and vet should sort her out :)

Every day is a school day. Not that my two greedy boys have anything to worry about.

How did you get on?

Thanks for asking, Fanjo. Unfortunately she disappeared when we got back from the school run. DS2 had a friend with him and she often sidles off if strange children are about. Tried calling, etc., but no sign. She's still not back.

DH thinks she's at her 'other home' where the food is obviously much nicer. Vet says to ring when she comes back and they'll fit her in tomorrow if it's before 1pm, otherwise we'll have to try the OOH vets.

She's actually DD's cat. I didn't realise how attached to her I'd got after complaining for years about her. She did spend quite some time stalking and killing a pen lid this afternoon, which I'm choosing to believe means that she isn't actually feeling unwell.

Hopefully she'll turn up soon and you won't need to go to OOH vets.

She does sound full of beans at the moment.

I've been googling and it could be toothache. When she comes back tonight should I offer her some soft food? (She normally has dry food only.) Or could that cause more problems if it is her liver or some intestinal problem?

I'd say any food would be good

Ok. I'll try to tempt her. Thank you for your help.

Did she come back? And eat soft food?

My cat once didnt eat for two days, we just on the point of ring the vets when DH said to try her with a different brand of food.
We gave her a different brand of pouch which she happily scoffed down and went on her way.
Cats can be irritatingly stobborn.

Sorry for the delay in coming back.

She finally rolled home at 4pm today. I'd convinced myself that she'd gone to find somewhere quiet to die.

DD had got DH to take her to the local pet food store and has stocked up on tasty comestibles for kitty. For anyone who feeds their cat on Techni-Cal dry food in the yellow pack - they have changed the recipe, and our fussy moggy isn't the only one to have turned her nose up at it according to the pet-shop man.

Anyway, she has eaten a little of an alternative dry food, and wolfed through a pouch of some gourmet wet food. At 85pence a packet.

She is now sprawled on DD's bed, looking as though she has won some decisive 'Battle of the Food Bowl'. Will keep a close eye on her for the next few days, but, fingers crossed, she seems back to normal, and I can go back to complaining about her.

Am so glad she ate something

I wondered if it was tooth related. Mine used to start to eat, then run away from the bowl.
She was dribbling a lot as well. Took her to the vet & she had some bad wobbly teeth removed. She is quite old. I felt very guilty for not realising. She loves her food now :)