Senior Cat Refuses to Eat or Drink or Defecate with No Obvious Reason

When a cat exhibits symptoms of refusing to eat or drink, its body will become abnormal, including gastrointestinal diseases, liver diseases, etc., which can lead to a decline in appetite. It is recommended to take the cat to a pet hospital for checks such as biochemistry, ultrasound, and complete blood count to determine whether there are obvious inflammations, failure of secretion function of internal organs, and changes in the morphological structure of internal organs.

Causes of Refusing to Eat, Drink, or Defecate

A cat's loss of appetite and refusal to eat and drink usually可能由以下几种原因引起：renal failure, which can lead to severe nitrogenous poisoning, gastrointestinal ulcers, and thereby affect the cat's appetite. It could also be liver disease, such as liver failure, tumors, etc. Another possibility is that it is caused by fatty liver secondary to triaditis, which results in the cat's loss of appetite.

How Long Can a Cat Live without Eating or Drinking?

Usually, a cat can live for three to four days. However, a cat will not suddenly stop eating and drinking without reason. If the owner notices this behavior, they should take it to a regular pet hospital for inspection and treatment based on its recent performance. Of course, the owner should not deliberately starve the cat to find out the answer to this question, as this can cause malnutrition, weight loss, rough hair, and a decline in resistance.

What to Do if an Old Cat Refuses to Eat

Since old cats often have poor teeth, they can be given specially formulated senior cat food or softened cat food after soaking it. Since the gastrointestinal motility of old cats is often slow, they can be given probiotics and other health products that promote gastrointestinal motility when they refuse to eat. This can help encourage the old cat to eat. If the old cat refuses to eat due to an infection, it is necessary to take the cat to the animal hospital for examination and treatment.