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My cat won't eat, acts normal. Vet says bloodwork fine. What's next?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 18.2 lbs

My 9 year old cat (18.2LB) does not want to eat. He has not eaten in about 5 days now. He vommited the first day or two. Now he is drinking water and using the littler box though. He purs and acts normal. The vet says bloodwork looks normal and he seems fine and thinks it is behavior. I do not agree. What else can i do? Thanks

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on May 7th, 2017

I agree with your concerns - not eating for 5 days is certainly not normal. I'm glad to hear that Bentley's blood work was overall normal, but I am curious as to whether or not he was tested for fPL, which is a test to raise or lower suspicion of feline pancreatitis. Possible causes of his sudden loss of appetite not apparent on routine lab testing include pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, intestinal obstruction (I would expect more vomiting, however), among others. The main concern, particularly since Bentley is such a big cat, is that he could develop hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) as a result of not eating for this length of time, which can be quite severe. If Bentley is still not eating by tomorrow morning, I strongly recommend taking him back to the vet to discuss further testing, such as the fPL blood test or abdominal ultrasound to get to the bottom of this issue. I hope that he is on the mend soon!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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