Why fasting a cat? What is it for, the risks or benefits of this practice and what is the resistance time of our cat.
Why should our cat go without eating? Sometimes it is not a choice imposed by the owner but the feline’s unwillingness to ingest food. Usually there is some health problem at the base, while in the first case it is a practice that does not always have its positive effects. We will see what are the risks and effects of a fasting cat and how much it resists without water and food.
The cat ‘starts’ fasting: what’s wrong
There are cats that would never stop eating and always seem to be hungry and they are the ones that most often face obesity problems in cats, and there are others who instead the food seem to avoid it. If a cat suddenly stops eating and slims visibly, there is almost certainly an underlying health problem that prevents it from ingesting food. Here is a brief overview of the reasons that lead the cat to refuse the food, even his favorite and maybe they are not all so serious.
Mouth problems: if your cat’s teeth ache from an inflammation of the gums, or because they are falling out or growing up, they are likely to be unable to eat. But it is a temporary difficulty, also linked to inflammation and infections of the mouth.
He doesn’t like the food: maybe we have recently changed his baby food (preferring a cheaper one) or the food has expired or has been in the bowl for too long and is now spoiled. or it is low in protein and therefore the elements of food are not tolerated by its gastrointestinal system.
Satiety: the cat has eaten too much and no longer wants to ingest other food. Unfortunately, the causes of satiety can also be linked to liver tumors that press on the stomach and give it the feeling of ‘being full’.
Worms: also worm infestations can obstruct intestinal sections, or absorb the nutrients of food and make the cat lose weight.
He is not well: if he has returned from a surgical operation, or has the flu or has ingested something that has poisoned him, the cat could suffer from loss of appetite. Obviously, these reasons are often also linked to other important signals, not to be underestimated.
Fasting cat: benefits or harms?
Why should an owner decide for himself to put the cat ‘on the spot’? He probably does it in good faith, but perhaps he is not aware of the risks that a cat runs when it is too long without eating or drinking. The speech is different from that of fasting for dogs, which instead can also have very positive effects especially on its immune system. But leaving a cat completely dry can lead to serious health problems. Here are some!
- Dehydration: when the cat does not eat, it does not even take in water, which is absolutely necessary for its daily water needs. As with other animals, survival is also possible for cats, perhaps without food but not without water, but also the first element contributes not only to providing nutrients but also water reserves.
- Liver problems: Liver libidosis is a liver disease resulting from the absence of food. It is obvious that without nutrients the vital functions of the cat will also be compromised. Then the fat stores stored in your body will ‘attack’ and the same fat is deposited on the liver cells itself. With this ongoing condition, a cat can survive without food for 2 to 10 days.
- Kidney problems: Kidney failure is one of the worst risks associated with cat fasting. In reality it involves the cat’s difficulty in eating and is also its direct consequence. It is a problem to be addressed immediately and not to be taken lightly. If left untreated the toxins in your body will increase to cause seizures and nerve damage and even death.
How long can a cat survive without eating
In reality the point is: how long does your body last without ingesting food? In fact, the consequences on his physical health can be serious, if not irreversible, already after the first 12 hours of fasting. During this time, which may seem short, the cat uses up its reserves of amino acids and liver fats. So if a cat can survive up to 14 days without eating, the first organ damage can actually be very serious after the first 48 hours.
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