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Urgent care is for pets who are unwell, in discomfort, are in urgent situation or are not acting like themselves and should be assessed within 24 hours.
Wellness, routine, or general care is for pets needing vaccines, preventive care, or ongoing monitoring who can safely wait at least 24 hours.
This page focuses on urgent assessment. Routine wellness exams, preventive care, and monitoring of stable conditions are provided through scheduled general wellness appointments.
Cat Not Eating – Is This an Emergency?
Cat not eating can range from mild and self-limiting to life-threatening, depending on the underlying cause and how long appetite loss persists.
Definition
Not eating (anorexia) is a clinical sign, not a diagnosis.
It occurs when a cat stops consuming adequate food due to pain, nausea, metabolic disease, infection, organ dysfunction, or systemic illness.
Cats are especially vulnerable to appetite loss. Even short periods without food can rapidly lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and liver complications.
In cats seen in the Stittsville–Kanata area, appetite loss is one of the most common reasons for urgent care visits and often signals more than a simple “food issue.”
Who This Page Is For
Cats refusing food for more than one meal
Cats eating less than normal or only licking food
Cats hiding, sleeping more, or acting “off”
Cats with appetite loss plus vomiting, diarrhea, or lethargy
Situations where the cause of appetite loss is unclear
Who This Page Is Not For
A cat that skipped one meal but immediately returned to normal eating and behavior
If you are unsure whether your cat’s appetite loss is significant, that uncertainty itself warrants veterinary assessment.
Related Urgent Symptoms
Cat Lethargic and Weak
Cat Not Eating
Cat Open Mouth Breathing
Bloody or Tarry Stool in Dogs & Cats
Vomiting and Diarrhea
Lethargy, Weakness, Collapse in Dogs & Cats
Toxin Exposure in Dogs and Cats
What This Can Look Like at Home
Cats that are not eating may:
Sniff food but walk away
Take a few bites and stop
Only lick gravy or treats
Hide, sleep excessively, or isolate
Appear quiet rather than obviously sick
Some cats stop eating suddenly; others gradually eat less over days.
Why This Can Be Hard to Judge
Cats instinctively hide illness.
A cat may still purr, groom, or respond to attention while experiencing significant internal disease.
This early misleading normalcy often causes owners to wait, assuming appetite will return — but appetite loss is frequently the first visible sign of serious illness in cats.
The Improvement Trap
Temporary improvement does not equal resolution.
A cat may eat a small amount one day and refuse food again the next.
Conditions such as infection, pancreatitis, liver disease, toxin exposure, or pain often fluctuate before worsening. Waiting for consistency can allow disease to progress.
What Is Easy to Miss at Home
Mild lethargy or weakness
Reduced water intake
Weight loss or muscle thinning
Subtle nausea (lip-smacking, drooling)
Pale gums or dull coat
Focusing only on food intake can miss systemic warning signs.
When This Can Be an Emergency
Urgent care assessment is recommended if appetite loss occurs with:
No food intake for 24 hours or more
Vomiting or diarrhea
Lethargy, weakness, or collapse
Open-mouth breathing or respiratory effort
Pale gums or dehydration
Known toxin exposure
Cats that are kittens, seniors, or have chronic disease
How Veterinarians Assess This
Clinical signs alone cannot reliably determine severity.
Symptoms that look similar at home may represent very different internal disease processes. Diagnostic testing is how veterinarians determine whether appetite loss is mild and self-limiting or serious and potentially life-threatening.
Diagnostic testing may include:
Full bloodwork and electrolytes to assess inflammation, infection, anemia, dehydration, and organ function
Urinalysis to evaluate hydration status, kidney involvement, and systemic disease
Blood glucose testing to assess for hypoglycemia or diabetic complications
Abdominal X-rays and/or abdominal ultrasound to evaluate gastrointestinal, liver, pancreatic, urinary, or obstructive disease
Thoracic X-rays when weakness, systemic illness, infection, or hidden disease is suspected
Infectious or vector-borne disease screening when lethargy, fever, anemia, or appetite loss is present
Disease-specific testing (such as pancreatic markers, liver function tests, or hormone testing) when indicated
Diagnostic testing is what determines severity and guides appropriate care.
Veterinary Differentials - Serious / Must-Rule-Out First
Pancreatitis – Painful inflammation of the pancreas that commonly causes appetite loss, nausea, and lethargyDiagnostics may include bloodwork, abdominal ultrasound, and pancreatic enzyme testing.
Acute Kidney Injury – Sudden renal dysfunction leading to nausea, toxin buildup, and appetite lossDiagnostics may include bloodwork, electrolytes, urinalysis, and imaging.
Hepatic Disease or Liver Failure – Liver dysfunction can suppress appetite rapidly and lead to metabolic instabilityDiagnostics may include bloodwork, bile acids testing, and abdominal imaging.
Toxin Exposure – Many toxins cause nausea and appetite loss before more severe signs appearDiagnostics may include bloodwork, urinalysis, and targeted screening.
Systemic Infection or Sepsis – Infection can initially present only as reduced appetiteDiagnostics may include bloodwork, imaging, and infectious screening.
Veterinary Differentials - Common / More Typical
Gastroenteritis – Inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract causing nausea and appetite loss. Diagnostics may include bloodwork and imaging.
Dental or Oral Pain – Tooth disease or oral inflammation can make eating uncomfortable. Diagnostics may include oral examination under sedation and dental imaging.
Chronic Kidney Disease – A common cause of gradual appetite loss in cats Diagnostics may include bloodwork and urinalysis.
Stress or Environmental Change – Cats may reduce food intake during stress, but medical causes must be ruled out first. Diagnostics may still be recommended to exclude systemic disease.
Safety, Psychology, & Peace of Mind
Waiting for a cat to “start eating again” is risky. Cats can deteriorate quickly when appetite loss is prolonged, even when they appear calm or quiet at home.
Urgent care assessment provides clarity, helping determine whether appetite loss is temporary or a sign of serious internal disease — and preventing complications that become harder to treat over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a cat not eating an emergency?
Sometimes. Cats that stop eating for 24 hours or longer are at higher risk of serious complications, even if they seem calm or quiet. Appetite loss combined with lethargy, vomiting, breathing changes, or weakness increases urgency. Because cats deteriorate faster than dogs when they don’t eat, early assessment is often safer than waiting.
Why is my cat not eating but still acting normal?
Cats are experts at hiding illness. Appetite loss is often the earliest visible sign, appearing before obvious pain or behavioral changes. A cat may still purr, groom, or respond to attention while internal disease is already developing, which is why outward appearance alone can be misleading.
Can appetite come back and still be serious?
Yes. Temporary improvement does not equal resolution. Cats with infection, inflammation, pancreatitis, toxin exposure, or organ disease may eat a little one day and stop again the next. Fluctuating appetite is a common pattern in serious conditions, not a sign that the problem has passed.
Why are diagnostic tests needed if my cat just won’t eat?
Because outward behavior cannot determine severity. Appetite loss can look the same at home whether the cause is mild or life-threatening. Diagnostic testing identifies hidden problems, such as kidney disease, liver disease, pancreatitis, infection, or metabolic imbalance, and helps guide appropriate next steps.
What should I do right now?
If your cat skipped one meal, monitor closely. If appetite loss lasts longer than 24 hours, worsens, or occurs with lethargy, vomiting, weakness, or breathing changes, same-day urgent care assessment is recommended. Waiting for appetite to “just come back” can allow preventable complications to develop.