What will cats do if they don't get fed for one day? Will they tear up the house due to hunger? Yes, theses are serious questions. Due to severe allergies I am not a cat owner tho' I have been trying unsuccessfully.

---

SoCal for now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2008 11:53PM by kap.

Why might the cat have to go a day without eating? My son and daughter in law go off and leave their cat for weekends, making sure she has plenty of food and water. She's never torn up anything, but that's no guarantee. Not all cats are created equal.

I am the volunteer cat feeder while a good friend is away in Europe for two weeks. I do the first week; his next door neighbor does the rest. I have been good until today. My jobs' schedules were so hectic I completely forgot to stop by his townhome between jobs. He has instructed me to leave only so much food for one eating per day and plenty of water. I am not worried about the latter. Just called up another cat owner friend. She thinks the cats would be all right but I would need to drive early in the morning to feed them more than the usual amount. She said dogs could stay hungry; not cats.

---

SoCal for now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2008 12:09AM by kap.

Does the cat eat all it's food usually? A lot of times cats leave a little in their bowls just in case those wacky humans forget to feed them on time.

Poor kitties!

---

“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

Just got back from feeding the cats! I put plenty of food in their bowls. Should last them for two days. Either that or they will have become fat cats by tomorrow ;)

---

SoCal for now.

They'll be fine. Even one day of no food is unlikely to unleash fury and torment. Water is most important. But you loaded 'em up with extra food. Perfect.

Bizzy Bee...

[www.imdb.com]

They'll survive even if it's not the best thing for them mentally, I'm guessing. Certainly wouldn't make a habit of it. When I'm running later than expected or get delayed much longer than anticipated I just think to myself how I feel if I haven't eaten all day. I know I'm less mellow and usually end up with a headache if I don't eat right. Our cats are in such a routine that they look at us as if we've gone senile if we don't feed them at the proper time.

They'll be fine physically. As for the "tearing up the house", it isn't a normal reaction unless those cats have a tendency to do that under normal circumstances. They shouldn't go foraging for food after 24 hrs.

Sometimes vets will have owners withhold food for 24 hrs. due to medical issues. I wouldn't go longer than that, but one day shouldn't do any real harm.

My cat gets very grumpy when her food bowl is empty (she is a dry food free range feeder) and will meow incessantly, but she certainly isn't starving in the literal sense of the word.

DM

I left my two kitties at home all weekend with some extra water and food. When I got home, they were both at the door, berating me for being so cruel, but they survived without any short or long-term trauma and are plenty content right now.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2008 09:06AM by the_poochies.

Just about everyone I know with cats leaves water and dry food out at all times .
A little bit of Can food for breakfast and supper.

They can hear that can coming out of the cupboard from three floors away and be rubbing against your leg before you've got it open.

Quote
billb
They can hear that can coming out of the cupboard from three floors away and be rubbing against your leg before you've got it open.

Our 8 year old dog is losing his eyesight and hearing. He can't hear we are leaving or coming into the house (good and bad) but he jumps out of his bed at the sound of the food bag being opened!

---

SoCal for now.

Put them outside so they can hunt for their dinner. They are soft.

I have a friend who checks in on my beasts when I'm away, but there have been times when they couldn't make it over. They're fine for three or even almost four days. I have a water bowl with a tank on it so they have about a week's worth of water, I leave them enough dry food for about four days each and two full, clean litterboxes. The lights are on a timer so they get a dark room to sleep in. At least one of the food dishes still has food in it by the time I get back, even if they don't get a refill.

I wouldn't go any more than four days though. If I tell the truth, more than three days makes me a little nervous. Not because of food or water, but that one in a hundred thousand chance of injury or something like that.