How long can a cat live without water and food?

These affectionate households have long enjoyed the love of many people. They turned into irreplaceable members of the family, so when the cat stops eating, many owners worry about how much their pet can survive without food. In addition, owners often wonder what the reason for the hunger strike is, how much the cat can not drink water, how to deal with it, and what it can turn out to be.

Why does the animal refuse to eat food or water

The most unusual factor due to which a cat can refuse food is its voluntary decision, which allows self-cleaning. Doctors of veterinary medicine have repeatedly reported that a pet may feel the importance of temporary refusal of food. In such situations, cats rarely refuse to eat for a long time, and after a couple of days they return to their usual mode of life.

However, it is important to understand that you should not always rely only on this factor. When a pet stops eating for self-cleaning, its behavior and character do not change, there are no other symptoms of the disease.

Other reasons can be identified after which the animal goes on a hunger strike:

1. Experienced serious stress. This may include long and difficult trips, visiting a veterinarian, noisy gatherings in a large company, a sharp fright, and so on.
2. A sudden change in your usual diet. New food, feed - should not be introduced into the animal’s diet abruptly, instantly. Experts advise extending this process by at least seven days. Otherwise, the cat may stop eating.
3. Climate and weather change. As usual, this affects hot weather: when suddenly it becomes very warm, cats can lose their appetite and do not eat for some time. A pet can do this only with water during this period.
4. Cruel or abusive treatment of a pet. Often, cats can refuse to eat food if the owner is too rude with him, shouted at him or hit for fault. The nature of the pet in this case determines the duration of the "hunger strike".
5. The sexual instinct of the animal has intensified. Before estrus begins or already in its period, animals may not eat if the instinct of procreation remains unsatisfied. This is a natural process, and during the whole heat of the season the cat can be content only with water.
6. Too hot or spoiled food. Even a small burn of an animal during a meal can turn into a serious fear of eating from a certain bowl. The pet is afraid that the food in it will again cause him an unpleasant sensation of pain.
7. Beginning of the development of the disease, poor health of the pet. Almost every pet disease is accompanied by loss of appetite, which is a completely natural symptom. However, the trip to the veterinary medicine doctor in one way or another should not be ignored.

Of the above factors, only the seventh paragraph requires immediate action from the owner. Some attention will need to be paid to the first and fourth points. In other situations, the behavior of the pet should not bother the owner, as it is normal, natural. It will only be necessary to eliminate the influence of negative factors or to wait until the period of exacerbation of the cat's instincts ends. You will also need to pay attention to quite rare factors, because of which the cat may refuse to eat.

Rare Factors of Food Refusal

It is possible to suggest the influence of just such factors on the pet if the cat stops eating, but no symptoms of illness or malaise were found, the cat’s behavior otherwise does not change, her health remains good. There are only three such reasons:

• Refusal of food due to the nature of the pet.
• The pet has a different power source.
• The animal has intensified the hunter's natural instincts.

The last two factors are easily combined into one - the pet was already able to eat somewhere. Either the cat gets food by hunting small rodents and birds, or he has the opportunity to eat outside the apartment. When a pet simply demonstrates character, it can stop eating only because he was not allowed to sleep on the kitchen table or sharpen claws on furniture. This kind of ostentatious and demonstrative hunger strike will not last long, and should not give in to the machinations of the pet. It just takes a while. The situation becomes more dangerous if the cat stops drinking water.

Refusal to drink is dangerous for the pet

The cat's body, like all mammals, contains a considerable amount of fluid. When a pet refuses to drink water, this may indicate a severe stressful situation, illness, or poor water quality. Veterinarians say that without drinking a cat can live about two days. In reality, this value is determined by the physical health of the cat, its breed and mass, climate.

Water is of great importance for a pet’s life, because refusing to drink liquid during the day can result in enormous damage to the cat’s health. If a trip to hot regions is planned ahead, then the owner should carefully monitor how much water the pet drinks.

How long can a cat live without food?

Owners rarely ask this question even before the animal has ceased to eat. Do not be too scared, as these pets will be able to survive without food for 6-7 days. Therefore, when a cat stops eating within 1-2 days, one should not panic if the animal is otherwise well. There were situations when cats could survive without taking food for a month. Again, the rule that in the first couple of days you can not worry, does not apply to several categories of pets:

• kittens;
• age cats (over eight years old);
• weak and exhausted animals.

The criticality of refusal to eat these categories
Compared to an adult, a kitten will certainly not be able to live as long without food and water. The smallest kittens can experience irreparable harm to health after half a day. It should be understood that liquid is also food for them. For newborn animals, the survival limit is limited to 20 hours without a meal. Animals whose age is 1-2 months can last a maximum of two days.

Pets who have suffered a severe illness also need close attention, especially if the disease has turned into a major depletion. They should not refuse food for more than a day. A longer loss of appetite will require a visit to the veterinarian from the owner.

Mature animals also have their own boundaries of rejection of food. Such a cat can do without water for 3-5 days, but again it depends on many factors, including the general health of the animal. One way or another, along with kittens, age-related individuals need special control if they stop taking food or water.

What to do to save the animal

Do not panic when an animal is older than 6 months and up to eight years for a certain period (no more than a day and a half) stops eating. If the pet does not experience other health problems, then you can carefully analyze the situation to find the likely factors of refusal to eat, and eliminate them. After all, you will need to contact your veterinarian if the pet is clearly feeling unwell. Especially if the animal is not thirsty.

You can quickly check the pet's appetite and well-being using a tricky way. It will only be necessary to offer him to taste his favorite delicacy. Cats very rarely refuse those foods to which they feel weak. And if in general the animal’s state of health is good, then a little goodies, but the cat will try.