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Go to a vet now if your cat is not eating and is also straining in the litter box with little or no urine (especially a male cat), breathing with an open mouth, vomiting repeatedly, collapsed, or has yellow gums or eyes — or if they may have chewed a lily, which is deadly to cats. For a suspected poisoning, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
The short answer: a cat that stops eating is more urgent than a dog that skips a meal. When a cat goes without food, its body floods the liver with fat it cannot process, and that can turn into a life-threatening condition called hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) — especially in overweight cats. The working rule most vets use: call your vet if your cat has eaten nothing for 24 hours, and treat 48 hours as an emergency — sooner for kittens, seniors, overweight cats and cats who are also hiding or vomiting. The most common reasons are dental pain, nausea, kidney disease, stress or a change at home, and illness elsewhere in the body. You can try warming food and offering favourites for the first few hours, but never wait days to see if it passes. Because we make hemp for cats, this page also says plainly that hemp is not an appetite treatment.
Written by Marc Brannigan, Co-Founder & CEO of HempMy Pet. Last updated 10 November 2026.
The Hours Clock
How long has it been since your cat ate a real meal? That number decides what you do next.
| Time without eating | What to do |
|---|---|
| Up to 12 hours | Watch closely. Note whether they are drinking, using the litter box, and acting normally. Try the at-home steps below. |
| 12 to 24 hours | Keep tempting with warmed, strong-smelling food. Call your vet for advice — now, not tomorrow, if your cat is a kitten, a senior, overweight, diabetic, or has kidney disease. |
| 24 to 48 hours | Book a vet visit the same day. The fatty-liver risk is now real, even if your cat seems bright and is drinking. |
| Over 48 hours | Emergency. Go today. Cats who have not eaten for several days often need fluids, anti-nausea medication, appetite stimulants and sometimes a temporary feeding tube. |
Eating much less than usual counts too. A cat eating a quarter of their normal amount for several days is on the same clock.
A dog can skip a day. A cat that skips two needs a vet.
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Not Eating Plus What? The Signs That Point to a Cause
The other things you notice narrow it down fast.
| Not eating, plus… | Often points to | How urgent |
|---|---|---|
| Goes to the bowl, sniffs, walks away, or drops food, chews on one side, drools, paws at the mouth | Dental pain — a broken tooth, gum disease, tooth resorption, a mouth ulcer | Vet within a day or two; sooner if not eating at all |
| Lip-licking, drooling, vomiting, or approaches food then turns away | Nausea — from kidney disease, liver disease, pancreatitis, hairballs, a gut problem or a swallowed object | Same day if vomiting repeatedly or not keeping water down |
| Hiding, sleeping in odd places (including the litter box), less grooming | Pain or illness — cats hide when they feel unwell. See behaviour changes in cats. | Same day |
| Straining in the litter box, peeing small amounts often, crying | Bladder problem — and in males, a possible urinary blockage | Emergency if little or no urine is coming out |
| Drinking and peeing much more, weight loss, older cat | Kidney disease, diabetes, an overactive thyroid | Vet this week; sooner if not eating at all |
| Fast or laboured breathing, open-mouth breathing | Heart or lung disease, or severe pain | Emergency |
| Recent change — a move, a new pet or baby, a new food, boarding, a vet visit | Stress, or food aversion | Try the at-home steps, but the clock still applies. Stress can trigger fatty liver too. |
| Recent vaccination or a new medication | A side effect, usually short-lived | Call the vet if it lasts more than a day |
What to Try at Home in the First Hours
For a cat who is otherwise bright and alert, while you watch the clock.
- Warm the food to body temperature. Cats eat by smell first, and warming releases aroma. Stir and test it — no hot spots.
- Offer something stronger-smelling: their usual wet food, a little plain cooked chicken or fish, or a spoon of a lickable treat. No onion, garlic or seasoning.
- Use a wide, shallow dish and put it somewhere quiet, away from the litter box, other pets and noise.
- Check the water and the box. Is your cat drinking? Peeing normally? Write it down.
- Don't switch foods suddenly to try to tempt them — a sick cat can develop an aversion to whatever they were eating when they felt bad, and you may lose two foods instead of one.
- Never force-feed a cat with a syringe without your vet's instruction. It can cause choking, aspiration and food aversion.
- Never give human appetite stimulants or medicines. Many are toxic to cats.
If none of this works within a few hours, or the clock above says it is time, call your vet. Bring your notes: when they last ate properly, what they are drinking, litter-box output, any vomiting, and any recent changes.
What Your Vet Can Do
Your vet will look in the mouth, feel the belly, check hydration and temperature, and usually run bloodwork and a urine test — kidney disease, diabetes, an overactive thyroid and liver problems are common and treatable. From there:
- Anti-nausea medication — many cats who won't eat are simply nauseous.
- Pain relief and dental treatment if the mouth is the problem.
- Fluids for dehydration.
- Appetite stimulants. Two are FDA-approved for cats: Mirataz, a mirtazapine ointment rubbed on the inside of the ear, for undesired weight loss; and Elura (capromorelin), for weight loss in cats with chronic kidney disease.
- A temporary feeding tube for cats with fatty liver or who won't eat for days. It sounds dramatic, but it is often what saves them — and most cats tolerate it well.
Where Hemp Fits — and Where It Doesn't
We make hemp for cats. This is the clearest case on our whole site of where it does not belong.
There is no published evidence that CBD restores appetite in cats, and a cat on the hours clock needs a diagnosis, not a supplement. Anti-nausea drugs, dental care and the FDA-approved appetite stimulants above are the tools that work. Please don't delay a vet visit to try anything from us.
In a placebo-controlled study from the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, a single 4 mg/kg dose given before carrier travel and meeting a stranger did not measurably reduce cats' stress. Cats also process cannabinoids differently from dogs — see cats process hemp differently.
Once your cat is eating again and your vet has found and treated the cause, some owners use a low-dose hemp oil as part of a wider plan for a cat who is stressed by change or stiff with age. That is a conversation to have with your vet — not a fix for appetite.
If you do use hemp with a cat, choose a low-strength product, read is CBD safe for cats and CBD dosage for cats, and tell your vet — especially if your cat is on any medication.
Hemp for cats — for after your vet has cleared them
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100mg Hemp Coconut OilOur gentlest strength$39
Small Formula BundleTry three formats$93
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Shop Hemp for CatsHemp for Senior Cats
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I worry about my cat not eating?
Call your vet if your cat has eaten nothing for 24 hours, and treat 48 hours without food as an emergency. Act sooner — within 12 to 24 hours — for kittens, senior cats, overweight cats, diabetic cats or cats with kidney disease, and immediately if not eating comes with vomiting, hiding, straining to urinate, laboured breathing or yellow gums. Cats cannot fast safely the way dogs can because of the risk of fatty liver disease.
What is the 3-3-3 rule for cats?
It is a rule of thumb for newly adopted cats: roughly three days to decompress, three weeks to learn the routine, and three months to feel at home. A new cat eating little for the first day or two is common, but the hours clock still applies — a newly adopted cat that has eaten nothing for 24 to 48 hours needs a vet, because stress can trigger fatty liver too.
What should I do if my cat is refusing to eat?
Note when they last ate and whether they are drinking and using the litter box. Warm their usual wet food, offer a strong-smelling favourite in a quiet spot, and use a wide, shallow dish. Do not force-feed or switch foods suddenly. If they still will not eat, call your vet — within 24 hours for a healthy adult, sooner for kittens, seniors and cats with other signs of illness.
Why is my cat not eating but drinking water?
Common reasons are nausea, dental pain, kidney disease, diabetes, stress, or the early stage of almost any illness. Drinking more than usual while eating less is a classic sign of kidney disease or diabetes in older cats. A cat that is drinking is not out of danger — fatty liver develops from lack of food, not lack of water — so the 24-to-48-hour clock still applies.
Why is my cat not eating and hiding?
Cats hide when they feel unwell, frightened or in pain, so not eating plus hiding usually means something is wrong rather than fussiness. It can be stress from a change at home, but it is just as often pain, nausea, fever or illness. Treat it as same-day: call your vet.
Can stress make a cat stop eating?
Yes. Moving house, a new pet or person, boarding, building work, or even a change of food bowl can put a cat off food. Reduce the stressor, give them a quiet place to eat, and offer warmed favourites — but don't let it go on. Stress-related food refusal can still lead to fatty liver, so the same 24-to-48-hour clock applies.
What are the signs that a cat is about to pass away?
Signs that a cat is very seriously ill or nearing the end include refusing all food and water for days, hiding, no longer grooming, extreme weakness or being unable to stand, a low body temperature with cold paws, laboured or irregular breathing, and loss of interest in people. Many of these can also be signs of a treatable crisis, so a vet should see your cat as soon as possible — they can tell you whether it is treatable and, if not, how to keep your cat comfortable.
Does CBD help a cat eat?
There is no published evidence that CBD stimulates appetite in cats, and it should never be used to put off a vet visit for a cat that is not eating. The appetite treatments with evidence are anti-nausea medication, treatment of the underlying cause, and two FDA-approved appetite stimulants for cats, Mirataz and Elura, both by prescription.
The Short Version
Cats cannot safely skip food. Call your vet at 24 hours without eating, go at 48, and go sooner for kittens, seniors, overweight cats and cats with any other symptom. Not eating plus straining, laboured breathing, repeated vomiting, yellow gums or a possible lily is an emergency now.
In the first few hours, warm the food, offer a favourite in a quiet spot, and write down what you see. Hemp is not an appetite treatment, and we would rather tell you that than sell you something.
When Is a Cat a Senior? →Shop Hemp for Cats
Peeing Outside the Box · Why Is My Cat Panting? · Cat Over-Grooming · How Long Do Cats Live? · Is CBD Safe for Cats?
Marc co-founded HempMy Pet in 2016 with his business partner Natalie Mondine, the company's COO. HempMy Pet breeds its own hemp genetics, grows them on its own Colorado farm, and formulates every batch in-house under human-grade standards — seed to sale, nothing sourced overseas. Every batch is third-party tested and the certificates of analysis are published. More about us.
HempMy Pet ran its own 90-day study of 37 dogs with chronic joint discomfort. Of the 32 that completed it, 30 (93%) showed a benefit, and 94% of owners reported their dog's quality of life had improved. It was overseen by Dr. Robin Downing, DVM, MS of the Downing Center for Animal Pain Management, with Lori Kogan, Ph.D. and Peter W. Hellyer, DVM of Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, and published in the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. That trial was in dogs; we do not apply its results to cats. Read the methodology.
Why Dr. Downing: in 2005 she became only the third veterinarian in the world credentialed as a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management. She founded the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, is a Diplomate of the ACVSMR, a Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner and a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, and was the AVMA's 2020 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year. Read the published paper (PDF).
This article is general information for cat owners, not veterinary advice. It is reviewed and updated as new peer-reviewed evidence is published, and where the evidence is thin or negative we say so.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is general information, not veterinary advice. If your cat is unwell, contact your veterinarian.
