Why is your cat not eating?
If your cat won’t eat, be aware that stress can be a major cause of a cat’s loss of appetite. Just as stress in humans can lead to loss of appetite, the same can happen in cats. Felines can be very sensitive animals and your cat may be under more stress than you think. Your cat can become stressed for a wide variety of reasons, most of which involve some type of change.
For example, if you have to move, the stress of the move may have caused the cat to stop eating. A sudden change in food will sometimes cause your cat to lose her appetite. Stress can also be caused by a conflict with another cat, especially when a new cat is introduced to your home. Cats are very territorial creatures, and if your cat spends any time outdoors, territorial disputes can occur. Territorial disputes can also occur for indoor cats. You must eliminate the problem, if it is not health related, for the cat to eat.
Pets with poor appetites can also be sick, and if you wait until the appetite is completely gone, it may be too late to recover. This is particularly true for cats. Veterinarians are concerned that a cat will not eat for a long period of time and this could lead to liver failure. Another situation to be aware of is that when a cat is overweight and eating diet food, the overweight cat that stops eating is highly prone to developing something called hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver).
If the cat won’t eat, talk to him and let him come to you so you can pay attention to him. If the problem is related to stress, this one on one with him can help. If he’s still not eating after a couple of days, talk to your vet and ask what options there are. If a visit to the vet is recommended and your cat can’t leave the house because he’s stressed about it, find a vet who makes house calls. Many do, and even your regular vet may come to your home.
Veterinary care and advice costs money, sometimes a lot of money, but this should not stop you from using the services of a veterinarian when necessary. At some point your cat will need the attention of a veterinarian; it’s a fact of life, even if it’s just for vaccinations or spaying.
Remember that veterinarians often disagree on the best treatments for pets. There are often several perfectly acceptable ways to treat the same condition.
When your cat doesn’t want to eat, it can be something as simple as the fact that he preferred what you gave him for dinner last night to what you gave him for dinner tonight. Or he might be stressed because there’s a new cat in the house or some other change that he really doesn’t like. Or he could really be really sick. Sometimes you can figure out what the problem is just by being observant and other times you will need the help of a vet.
