The cat, like all living creatures, needs good nutrition. A prolonged hunger strike adversely affects the pet's health. Its duration can be up to 10 days, but access to water must be unhindered.
Even in a cold room, a cat can survive if it finds a secluded, warm place. For example, basement or porch. But in the absence of water, the animal will live an average of 6 days, after which it will have serious health problems, including death.
Some possible causes of a cat hunger strike:
- 1. A sudden move from one climate zone to another affects the health of the cat. Usually the condition is normalized within 2 days.
- 2. The appetite of the animal varies depending on the change of seasons. In the summer, the cat consumes less food and drinks more water; in the winter, the amount of food at a time increases, and the drink decreases. Fast for about 2 days.
- 3. Within one week, the cat is transferred from one feed to another. During this period, the cat sometimes refuses to eat unfamiliar food, so the product is administered gradually.
- 4. Cats often refuse spoiled food. You need to keep an eye on the bowl and you can buy an automatic feeder if you have to leave the animal for several days.
- 5. In case of poisoning, the pet arranges fasting days. During this time, the stomach resumes its normal function.
- 6. Cats sometimes experience mood swings.
- 7. Stress at the loss of the owner, moving to a new place of residence, meeting with dogs causes a sudden hunger strike.
- 8. The hormonal restructuring of the body (pregnancy, estrus, childbirth, the postpartum period, puberty) affects the appetite of cats.
- 9. After surgery (discharge from anesthesia) for 2 days the cat does not eat food in the proper amount.
- 10. Appetite disappears when the disease (helminthic invasion, infection).
Rough handling of a cat can cause her stress, which will serve as a reason for refusing food, provided access to water
Nutritional and fluid standards for cats
Any organism is individual. Cat's body is no exception.
It all depends on the pet's diet. If it is dry or canned food, then everything is simple. On the packaging manufacturer makes recommendations on the rate of use of this product.
The amount of food consumed depends on the age and body weight of the animal. Older cats eat less. On average, a cat should eat 40 g of food per 1 kg of weight (250-350 kcal per day).
Water cat consumes 20-40 ml per 1 kg of weight.
There are breeds that drink little. These include British Fold and Straight.
Every living creature needs food and water to live.
How to help the cat during a hunger strike
Most importantly, if your pet refuses to eat, provide it with clean drinking water (better filtered or bottled). Try to identify the causes of the hunger strike and eliminate them.
In this period of time, give him especially favorite products.
If the hunger strike is associated with a disease, then during long-term treatment it is possible to feed the animal forcibly using a syringe. In this case, you can give kefir, milk (if the cat is well tolerated), fish and meat broths, baby food. But in any case, it is better to consult with a veterinarian.
A veterinarian should be contacted in the following cases:
- the cat does not eat more than two days,
- there was a rejection of the use of any liquid
- dry, warm nose,
- animal sluggish, inactive, does not respond to stimuli,
- the wool faded and began to stray.
If you picked up a weak and emaciated cat on the street, do not rush to fatten it up
Consequences of fasting
The effects of a hunger strike will vary from one animal to another.
- From the age of the cat or cat.
- Initial weight.
- Health conditions.
- The reasons for the hunger strike (forced when the pet has been without access to food for a long time or is refusal to eat as a result of the disease).
- The duration of the hunger strike.
Often on the street, people find and pick up an exhausted animal. Or your own pet could run away and hide in a place where there is no food and water.
The owner needs to know what depletion leads to:
- Weight loss.
- Baldness caused by hair loss.
- Lost visual acuity.
- The animal is lethargic and uncommunicative, seeking solitude.
- Slowness, lethargy.
- Problems with the digestive tract, constipation, ulcers of the stomach and intestines.
- Kidney problems.
- Immune weakening. A cough, nasal discharge and similar symptoms of colds may appear.
If anxious symptoms appear, contact your veterinarian immediately.First you need to give broth from fish or poultry (best of all - chicken). Then the grated yolk is added to the broth. And only then the rest of the food is gradually introduced. Dry food during this period is not recommended. Portions should be small. Not more than a tablespoon. Food frequent and fractional. Every 3-4 hours.
Exhaustion is caused by a tick bite. In fluffy animals it is difficult to notice. This is another reason not to postpone the trip to the vet.klinik or to call the doctor to the house, so as not to cause the animal too much stress.
Do not forget that a long (more than two days) refusal from food and water is a reason to be wary and to show more attention to the pet.
What can make a cat starve?
There are several reasons why an animal may refuse to feed:
- A sharp change in diet - the transition to unfamiliar feed can have a negative impact on the behavior of the pet. That is why it is recommended to replace food gradually. New cat food should be offered in small portions throughout the week.
- Abuse of animals - cats tend to be offended by the owner, if the latter behaves rudely and does not pay enough attention. How many days can a cat live without food in this situation? In this case, the appetite, as a rule, returns to the animal after a few days.
- Feeding old, spoiled food, food with a sharp, unpleasant smell. Cats have a well-developed sense of smell. Therefore, some products may not attract them.
- Changes in climatic conditions - when moving to an area with very different conditions in a pet, appetite may disappear. Restore the craving for food allows you to feed the animal with your favorite delicacies.
- Fasting days. According to veterinarians, cats sometimes deliberately arrange long breaks between meals, which helps cleanse the body.
- The main instinct - to start starving cats can during the period of active breeding.
- Ailment or the development of an illness - an animal may refuse to eat if it is poisoned or if there is a disease. How much a cat can live without food in such situations, is able to determine the vet. That is why if an animal refuses to eat, it is worth contacting a specialist.
How much can a domestic cat live without food?
As practice shows, the cat is able to stay hungry for a week without negative consequences for the body. Naturally, pets rarely behave in this way. But if an exciting event occurs in a pet's life, starvation can be one of the behavioral reactions.
So how much can a cat live without food? The complete failure of the animal to feed can lead to quite sad consequences. According to experts, if the cat does not eat and for two weeks, it can cause irreversible changes in the body.
How much can a cat live without water?
About 70% of the weight in cats is liquid. Even with a complete loss of body fat, the animal is able to fully recover during the month. But even with a lack of 10% of the norm of fluid in the body, cats are most often fatal.
Having figured out how much a cat can live without food, let's find out how long a pet can survive without water. Much here depends on the breed of the animal. Thus, Scottish and British lop-eared cats feel minimal need for fluid intake in the body and therefore they drink extremely rarely. However, the average rate of an ordinary adult cat is about 250 ml of water per day.
The average data from special studies show how much a cat can live without food and water. Without intake of fluid in the body, even in the presence of dry food, the animal is able to stretch no more than two days.
Finally
It is rather difficult to imagine what could cause a cat to refuse to eat and water in domestic conditions. However, such situations do occur. Cats are wayward animals. Therefore, severe stress or a dramatic change in living conditions may force them to show atypical behavior.
In some cases we are talking about the development of a serious disease. At first, you can try to feed the cat with liquid food and drink from a syringe. However, in the absence of changes for the better, it is recommended to show the animal to the veterinarian for several days. Only a specialist will be able to find out the real reason for the pet's refusal from food and water.
Why an animal refuses to eat or water
The most unusual factor, due to which a cat can refuse food, is its voluntary decision, allowing self-cleaning. Doctors of veterinary medicine have repeatedly reported that a pet can feel the importance of a temporary rejection of food. In such situations, cats rarely refuse food 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 the purpose of self-purification, its behavior and character do not change, there are no other symptoms of the disease.
There are other reasons, after which the animal declares a "hunger strike":
- Experienced serious stress. This may include long and hard journeys, visits to the vet, noisy gatherings in a large company, fright and other.
- A sudden change in the usual diet. New food, feed - should not be introduced into the diet of the animal abruptly, instantly. Experts advise to extend this process at least seven days. Otherwise, the cat may stop eating.
- Climate change and weather conditions. As usual, it affects hot weather: when it suddenly becomes very warm, cats can lose their appetite and not eat for some time. A pet can only use water during this period.
- Cruel or mistreatment of a pet. Often, cats can refuse to use food if the owner is too rude to him, screaming at him or hitting him for a crime. The nature of the pet at the same time determines the duration of the hunger strike.
Of the above factors, only the seventh item 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 impact of negative factors or wait until the period of exacerbation of the cat instincts is over. You will also need to pay attention to the rather rare factors, because of which the cat may refuse to eat.
Rare denial factors
It is possible to assume the effect on the pet of such factors, if the cat stops eating, but no symptoms of illness or discomfort have been found, the behavior of the cat does not change in the rest, and her state of 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 aggravated the hunter's natural instincts.
The last two factors are easily combined into one - the pet has already been able to eat somewhere. Either the cat feeds, hunting for small rodents and birds, or it has the opportunity to eat outside the apartment. When a pet simply demonstrates its character, it can stop eating only because it was not allowed to sleep on the kitchen table or sharpen its claws on furniture. This kind of ostentatious and demonstrative hunger strike will not last long, and you should not give in to the machinations of your pet. It will only take a while to wait. The situation becomes more dangerous if the cat stops drinking water.
Refusal to drink is dangerous for the pet.
The body of a cat, as well as 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 report that without drinking a cat will be able to live for about two days. In fact, this value is determined by the physical health of the cat, its breed and weight, climate.
Water is of great importance for the life of a pet, because refusing to drink liquid during the day can turn into a huge damage to the health of the cat. If a trip to hot regions is planned ahead, the owner should closely monitor how much water the pet drinks.
How long can a cat live without food?
The owners rarely ask this question even before the animal has stopped eating. You should not be too afraid, as these pets will be able to last without food for 6-7 days. Therefore, when the cat stops eating for 1-2 days, you should not panic, if the rest of the animal's well-being is good. There were situations when cats could survive without taking food for a month. Again, the rule that you should not worry in the first couple of days does not apply to several categories of pets:
- kittens
- age cats (over eight years old),
- weak and emaciated animals.
Severity of not eating in these categories
In comparison with an adult, a kitten will certainly not be able to live as much without food and water. The smallest kittens can experience irreparable harm to health already after half a day. It is necessary to understand that liquid is also food for them. For newborn animals, the limit of survival is limited to 20 hours without eating. Animals whose age is 1-2 months will be able to hold out for a maximum of two days.
Pets that have suffered a serious illness also need close attention, especially if the disease has turned into a major exhaustion. They can not refuse food for more than a day. A longer loss of appetite will require the owner to contact the veterinarian.
Mature animals also have their own food rejection boundaries. Such a cat will be able to do without water for 3-5 days, but everything again depends on many factors, including the general health of the animal. Anyway, on a par with kittens, age individuals need special monitoring if they stop taking food or water.
What to do to save the animal
You should not panic when the animal is older than 6 months and up to eight years for some period (not more than a day or one and a half) to stop eating. If your pet does not have other health problems, then you can carefully analyze the situation in order to find the likely failure factors for eating and eliminate them. After just a day, you will need to contact the veterinarian if the pet clearly feels bad. Especially if the animal does not want to drink.
You can quickly check your pet's appetite and well-being with a cunning method. It will only be necessary to offer him to taste his favorite delicacy. Cats seldom give up on products that are weak. And if the overall health of the animal is good, then a little bit of treats, but the cat will try.
