How much can a cat live without water and food?

These affectionate home have long enjoyed the love of many people. They have become indispensable members of the family, so when the cat stops eating, many owners worry about how much their pet will be able to survive without food. In addition, the owners are often interested in what the reason for the hunger strike is, how much a cat can not drink water, how to deal with it, and what this may later turn into.

Why an animal refuses to eat or water

The most unusual factor, due to which the 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 refusal to eat.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":

1. Experienced serious stress. This may include long and heavy crossings, visits to the vet, noisy gatherings in a large company, a sharp startle and so on.
2. A sudden change in the usual diet. New food, feed - should not be introduced into the diet of the animal sharply, instantly. Experts advise to extend this process at least seven days. Otherwise, the cat may stop eating.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. The sexual instinct of the animal is activated. Before the start of estrus, or even during its period, the animals may not eat if the procreation instinct remains unsatisfied. This is a natural process, and during the whole period of estrus the cat can only be satisfied with water.
6. Too hot or spoiled food. Even a small burn of the animal in the process of taking food can turn into a serious fear of eating from a certain bowl. A favorite is afraid that the food in it will again cause him an unpleasant sensation of pain.
7. The beginning of the development of the disease, the poor health of the pet. Virtually every pet disease is accompanied by loss of appetite, which is a completely natural symptom. However, the campaign to the doctor of veterinary medicine one way or another should not be ignored.

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 disturb the owner, as it is normal, natural. It will only be necessary to eliminate the influence 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 refusal 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, it 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 the pet, because the refusal to drink liquid during the day can turn into a tremendous damage to the health of the cat. If a trip to hot regions is planned ahead, then the owner should closely 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 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 otherwise the well-being of the animal 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 individual, 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 should be understood that the food for them is liquid. For newborn animals, the survival limit 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 emaciation. 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. One way or another, along 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 an animal is older than 6 months and up to eight years for some time (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 goodies, but the cat will try.