How long can a very sick cat last without eating and drinking?

Poor Oscar, I suspect he might be suffering with kidney disease. This is a common cause for increase thirst and urination in elderly cars. In order to stop progression of kidney disease you should not give him metacam anymore and opt to have a different form of pain relief. It is hard to answer your question, in a way his body is shutting down but it might take a week to get worse and another 3-5days for him to go. During those 5 days he will not eat, he will probably vomit and be in pain as not allowed to have/not taking his medications. My suggestion is to try to do something with your vet to help him feel better and if he should continue to deteriorate, not eat /drink a lot then let him go peacefully. Hope this makes sense, sending you positive thoughts

It’s a medical emergency when a cat won’t eat, and if they go longer than 72 hours without eating, they will develop a fatty liver. A fatty liver is fatal without treatment. Koko cannot wait until Monday to be seen, i strongly urge you to take him into an ER vet now.

I'm quite concerned about Charlie. I think he needs to see a vet right away. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck.

Hi. If she isn't getting better, and it's been that long, I would recommend an ER and a second opinion. And yes, a feeding tube may be very helpful for her, but you have to find the primary cause of why she needs it in order to fix it. Good luck. I'd head to the ER.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Bebe. Oh no, that is not good. It's actually very serious when a cat won't eat, and if they go 72 hours without eating, they will develop a fatty liver which is fatal without treatment. She is approaching that time now. The best thing you can do for her is take her into a vet immediately. I hope this helps!

As your cat has not been eating for a few days now as well as not drinking, this is an emergency. Cats can get liver disease from not eating for more than 2 days and not drinking will make them dehydrated and feel even worse and less inclined to drink and eat. Vomiting bile can be a sign of chronic or acute pancreatitis. There are some diseases that will have to be ruled out (can be done easily with a blood test), such as kidney disease and hyperthyroidism and dental problems. I think taking her to an emergency clinic is definitely warranted.

Poor guy. It is tough when you are in these situations where you are deciding on continued care (which isn’t 100% guarantees to work) or Humane euthanasia. Unfortunately we don’t have enough information about your cats particular case to help you decide things here. Perhaps a consultation would be best to comb through all of the details such as lab work findings (even seeing the normals is quite helpful), medications tried so far, and his physical exam findings would also be helpful. But generally speaking if your pet is ill from liver disease, which can be any condition such as hepatitis, hepatic lipidosis (carries a poorer prognosis unless aggressive treatment is implemented including a feeding tube in most situations), liver cancer or even gallbladder disease can cause elevated liver enzymes, then it’s best fo an abdominal ultrasound to determine what specific liver condition is present. The prognosis of your pet should be determined by your vet and then carefully considered when determining if continued care should be done or if Humane euthanasia is the better option. I hope this helps and best wishes moving forward with a good decision regarding Elmo’s care.