My kitten is not eating - How long can he go without eating

You are in a panic because your kitten does not eat and you wonder how long he can go without eating, without risk of to starve ?

Faced with this critical problem, we must first understand the risks of a kitten refusing to eat et know how to react :

Why can a kitten that does not eat starve?
How long can a kitten go without eating?
What to do so that your kitten does not die of hunger?
How to feed a kitten that does not want to eat?

Here are the answers to these questions which are only shared here for information because a kitten that does not eat is a serious problem that requires you to take it consult a veterinarian without delay.

My kitten is not eating - can he starve?

Whatever the age of your kitten, if your kitten refuses food, it is a very serious problem that can quickly lead to death (even more quickly in kittens under 8 weeks).

In fact, like a baby, a kitten must consume food adapted to its needs several times a day to have the energy necessary for its survival and for its physical and psychological development. So a kitten that does not eat is a kitten will starve if you don't react!

And of course, the younger the kitten, the greater the risk of dying from lack of food. Indeed, a 2 month old kitten who is already completely weaned will be stronger than a 1 month old kitten who no longer drinks breast milk ...

How long can a kitten go without eating?

If an adult cat can go without eating for 10, 15 and for some up to 20 days (see Can a cat starve to death?), this is not the case at all with kittens.

Indeed, depending on the age of the kitten, it must eat many times during the day and can never go 2 or 3 days without eating anything!

To give you an idea, a 2 month old kitten could go without eating during 8 to 10 hours maximum and this on condition that he can drink.

However, you should know that it all depends on the age of the kitten and the circumstances (abandonment or not of the mother, extreme cold, heat, dehydration, state of health of the kitten…).

How long can a kitten go without drinking?

If your kitten does not eat and drink, the risk of death is even greater and will occur even faster. Indeed, water is essential to make the body of a kitten work just as it is for an adult cat (see My cat refuses to drink, how can I hydrate it?).

My kitten is not eating - What to do?

Obviously, if your kitten is not eating at all, the first thing to do as soon as you notice that he refuses food is to take him immediately to his vet.

That said and after consulting a veterinarian, it will be necessary to feed him enough and in sufficient quantity and to closely follow your kitten in relation to his feeding concerns.

But the basis for properly feeding a kitten that is not feeding properly is to give it a richer and better quality diet.

My kitten is not eating - what to do if it is unweaned?

If your kitten is not yet weaned, see how to feed a 2 week old kitten ou how to feed a 1 month old kitten?

Depending on the age of your kitten and the type of milk used, you will need to adjust the number of feeds which are generally:

8 per day the first week
6 per day the second week
5 per day the third week
4 per day the fourth week
3 or 4 meals until weaning.

My kitten is not eating - what to do if it is weaning?

If your kitten is in the midst of weaningit will take alternate formula feeding with a solid diet:

give him bottles of substitute milk (milk recommended below);
from time to time offer him a bowl of substitute milk in which you will add kitten food ;
Then day by day you will have to increase the kibble and decrease the amount of milk ;
Then, you have to manage to give him only croquettes and pâtés and so remove all milk. It will also be necessary to give it fresh water at will.

My kitten is not eating - what to do if it is weaned?

If your kitten is weaned :

Give him canned food in addition to special kitten kibble (see recommendation above);
In addition, give her baby jars of meat;
Add grated cheese to the food you offer your kitten;
Add special kitten growth food supplements.

Complements for kittens

Add fish oil to its food. It will be a contribution in calories, fat and Omega 3! You can use sardine or tuna oil, but it is preferable to choose special cat fish oils.

How do I know if my kitten is eating enough?

Monitor the weight of an unweaned kitten

If your kitten is not yet weaned, it is extremely fragile and to know if it is eating enough you will have to control its weight. I advise you to weigh your kitten every day at the same time and to record its weight to make a curve of the evolution of its weight.

Thus, you can check that he is gaining weight regularly and especially that he does not lose it! FYI, the weight of a kitten at birth is between 80 to 110 grams. And he should take between 70 and 100 grams per week for 2 months.

Monitor the weight of a weaned kitten

From the age of 2 months, you will need to weigh your kitten once a week and, from 3 months, 2 weighings per month will allow you to control the evolution of your kitten's weight. To find out if your kitten is more or less "within the standards", find out what is the kittens weight according to age.

Is your cat constipated or no longer peeing? Discover how long a cat can go without defecating ou how long a cat can go without urinating