Start with the change
A skipped bite is different from a cat that has stopped eating. Note when your cat last ate normally, whether they will take treats, whether drinking has changed and whether there is vomiting, diarrhoea, hiding, pain or unusual tiredness.
What you can check now
- Make sure the usual food is fresh and accessible.
- Check whether another pet is blocking the food area.
- Look for a recent food, bowl, routine or household change.
- Record what was offered and roughly how much was eaten.
Do not turn it into a home-treatment experiment
Appetite loss can have many causes, including problems that need veterinary care. Do not force-feed, give human medicines or delay care while repeatedly changing products.
An appetite change: a useful observation sheet
A short exercise you can use at home. These are observations and low-risk changes, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan.
Record the last normal meal
Write down when your cat last ate a usual portion, what food was offered and whether drinking, toileting or behaviour changed. Note possible access problems such as another cat blocking the food station or a feeder failing.
Look without delaying care
Check that the food is fresh and the bowl is in a calm location. Do not force feed, give human medication or repeatedly experiment with new food while an unwell cat goes without eating. Inappetence can become serious, especially for kittens, older cats and cats with existing conditions.
Make the veterinary call useful
Contact a vet promptly if your cat refuses food, particularly if it is ongoing or accompanied by vomiting, hiding, lethargy, weight loss or other changes. Tell the clinic when your cat last ate and what symptoms you have noticed.
Contact a veterinarian promptly for sudden, severe, persistent or worsening changes. Breathing difficulty, collapse, repeated straining to urinate, seizures or suspected poisoning can be emergencies. Online guidance cannot diagnose your cat.
Further reading
This page uses Cornell Feline Health Center as a reference starting point. External organisations do not endorse this site.