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Why is my cat suddenly not eating, withdrawn, and sleeping less?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 3 years and 7 months old | 15 lbs

My cat has suddenly stopped eating since 8 hours ago and is withdrawn. He is not sleeping at his usual place (and seems like he is sleeping less) and is silent. He has urinated about 2-3 times, defecated once and it looked normal and is not vomiting. There is nothing out of the ordinary in his routine. Please tell me what you think is wrong.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By C. Rathjens, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 18th, 2019

From your description, he's not eating and maybe a little agitated, but otherwise normal. That is a very general clinical sign and could be caused by almost anything. I wouldn't panic at this point, but would schedule a vet visit if he's reluctance to eat goes on for more than 24 hours or he's otherwise ill (lethargic, vomiting, diarrhea, etc)

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 3rd, 2019

    Hi, and thanks for your question. This is a quite generic but concerning presentation. Differentials are many, from gastrointestinal diseases (infection/inflammations often dietary related) to any disease that can spread systemically (causing lethargy for example) like infection, and anything that can cause pain/discomfort. The approach must be logic, starting from offering different kind of food. A check up is needed if inappetence lasts for more than 24hours. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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