Dog or cat not eating: when to see a vet
Just off their food – or a warning sign? Find out when not eating becomes dangerous, which signs can't wait and how to prevent problems in the first place.
Image: AI-generated for Animal Helper Guide – for illustration.
- Cats: if she hasn't eaten anything for 24 hours, call the vet. For kittens under 6 weeks, 12 hours is enough.
- Dogs: if he isn't eating and there's also vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy or pain – see the vet today.
- Go straight to the clinic for breathing difficulties, pale or bluish gums, a swollen belly with retching, or a male cat that can't pass urine.
- Puppy with bloody diarrhoea and incomplete vaccinations: suspected parvovirus – go now.
- Prevention: core vaccinations, a yearly check-up and, for animals from abroad, the right tests.
If your cat hasn't eaten anything for 24 hours, call the vet – for kittens under six weeks, after just 12 hours. For dogs, there's no fixed number of hours; if your dog isn't eating and something else comes on top – vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, fever, pain – he needs to see a vet today. And some signs can't wait at all. The traffic light shows you which ones.
The warning-sign traffic light: now, today or wait and watch?
When to see a vet: the traffic light
Straight to the animal hospital
- Breathing difficulties, open-mouth breathing (cats), blue or grey gums
- Pale or white gums, collapse
- Swollen belly and retching without vomiting (dogs)
- Male cat straining and passing little or no urine
- Seizure lasting longer than 5 minutes, or several in a row
- Suspected poisoning – even just a suspicion
- Accident, heavy bleeding, heatstroke
- Unvaccinated puppy with vomiting and bloody diarrhoea
- Blood from the mouth, nose or anus, coughing up blood, blood in the urine
- Severe vomiting or diarrhoea – more than 2 times in 24 hours
See the vet today
- Adult cat hasn't eaten for 24 hours (kittens under 6 weeks – 12 hours)
- Yellowish gums or inner ears
- Any bite wound – even if it looks small
- Cat going to the litter tray unusually often and passing only a little urine
How to help until then
- Call ahead – then the team is ready when you arrive
- Pack up the packaging, plant remains or vomit and take them with you
- Don't hold a seizing animal down – time the seizure and film it
- Transport calmly, cats in a carrier
- Don't give anything the vet hasn't explicitly told you to
The red column means: don't wait until tomorrow, and don't wait for regular opening hours. Call the emergency service and go. You'll find the emergency vet service for your federal state in the emergency directory.
Cat not eating: why even one day matters
Cats cope with going without food less well than dogs. The Cornell Feline Health Center says that not eating can have serious effects on an adult cat after just 24 hours – in kittens under six weeks, it becomes life-threatening after 12 hours.
The reason: if a cat doesn't eat for several days – especially an overweight cat – she is at risk of fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis). The liver is flooded with fat that it can't process. Without prompt treatment, it's fatal. One warning sign is yellowish gums or inner ears.
Is your cat drinking enough?
Cats often drink little because they get a lot of fluid from wet food. Look less at the water bowl and more at the overall picture: is she eating, is she lively, is she passing urine normally? A cat who goes to the litter tray unusually often and only passes a little needs a vet – a male cat passing nothing at all needs one immediately.
Dog not eating: when it gets serious
A healthy adult dog who skips a meal but is otherwise lively is usually not an emergency. It gets serious if:
- vomiting or diarrhoea comes on top – severe, bloody or more than twice in 24 hours,
- he seems lethargic, withdraws or shows signs of pain,
- his belly is swollen and he retches without bringing anything up – suspected bloat (GDV), go straight to the clinic,
- he may have got hold of something poisonous → Dog poisoned: what to do?,
- he's a puppy.
Puppy with bloody diarrhoea
A puppy that isn't vaccinated, or not fully, and is vomiting and has bloody diarrhoea may have parvovirus. Puppies between 6 weeks and 6 months are most at risk. The good news: with hospital treatment, over 90% survive, according to the MSD Veterinary Manual. So go to the vet straight away – and call ahead so your puppy doesn't infect others in the waiting room.
Vomiting, diarrhoea, blood: how urgent is it?
| Sign | How urgent |
|---|---|
| Blood from the mouth, nose or anus, coughing up blood, blood in the urine | Emergency – go to the vet now |
| Severe vomiting or diarrhoea, more than 2 times in 24 hours | Emergency according to the AVMA |
| Vomiting with a swollen belly, retching with nothing coming up | Suspected bloat (GDV) – go straight to the clinic |
| Vomited once, lively afterwards, eating again | Keep an eye on it; call if it happens again |
| Pale, white, bluish or grey gums | Emergency – shock or lack of oxygen |
How to check the gums and which readings are normal is explained in our guide Pet first aid for dogs and cats.
Diseases you should know about
Many dangerous infections can be prevented by vaccination or caught early:
| Disease | Who | Typical signs |
|---|---|---|
| Parvovirus | Dogs, especially puppies | Lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, bloody diarrhoea – 5–7 days after infection. The virus survives outdoors for months. |
| Distemper | Dogs | Fever, nasal discharge and pus-like discharge from the eyes, gut and breathing problems; later often twitching and seizures |
| Cat flu | Cats, especially kittens | Sneezing, conjunctivitis, watery eyes, drooling, mouth ulcers, fever, loss of appetite |
| Feline leukaemia (FeLV) | Cats | Often no signs at first. Spread through saliva, mutual grooming, shared bowls and litter trays |
| FIV ("feline AIDS") | Cats | Spread mainly through bites. Infected cats often have a normal life expectancy, as long as they aren't also infected with FeLV. |
New cat in the house?
Have her tested for FeLV and FIV, and keep her apart from your other cats until then. If the FeLV test is positive, Cornell recommends a confirmatory test, because false positives do happen.
Animals from southern and eastern Europe may also bring Mediterranean diseases such as leishmaniasis or heartworm with them – often without visible signs. Which tests make sense and when to repeat them is covered in our guide Adopting a rescue dog from Romania.
Vaccinations: the best protection
| Core vaccines according to WSAVA 2024 | Guideline of Germany's vaccination committee StIKo Vet 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dog | Distemper, infectious canine hepatitis, parvovirus; rabies where required by law | Distemper, parvovirus, leptospirosis |
| Cat | Panleukopenia, herpesvirus, calicivirus; FeLV for cats under 1 year and outdoor cats in high-risk areas | Panleukopenia, herpesvirus, calicivirus |
Puppies and kittens get several vaccinations 2–4 weeks apart, the last one at 16 weeks or later, followed by a booster. For any trip across a border, the EU requires a valid rabies vaccination.
Good to know
The two guidelines differ in the details, and Austria has no vaccination committee of its own. Which vaccinations your pet needs depends on its age, lifestyle and travel – your vet will go through this with you.
Worried about vet bills?
Be open about it – ideally when you first call. Many practices will work out a solution with you, such as paying in instalments. And if you're caring for an animal in need that isn't yours, message us: we'll tell you who can help.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a cat go without eating?
Not long: according to the Cornell Feline Health Center, things can get serious after just 24 hours without food, and after 12 hours in kittens under 6 weeks. If a cat – especially an overweight one – doesn't eat for several days, she is at risk of fatty liver disease, which can be fatal without treatment.
My dog isn't eating but otherwise seems fine. Do I need to see a vet?
Skipping a single meal is often not an emergency for a lively adult dog. But call today if he goes without food for longer, if vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, fever or pain come on top – or if he's a puppy.
When are vomiting and diarrhoea an emergency?
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), when vomiting or diarrhoea is severe, with more than two episodes in 24 hours – and always if there's blood, the animal is very lethargic or it's a puppy.
Which vaccinations does my dog need?
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) lists distemper, infectious canine hepatitis and parvovirus as core vaccines, plus rabies where it's required by law. For travel across borders within the EU, rabies vaccination is mandatory. Which vaccinations your dog actually needs is best discussed with your vet.
My rescue dog has barely eaten since moving in. Is that normal?
In the first few days, a new daily life is exciting for many animals, and their appetite can go up and down. If he isn't eating at all, seems lethargic, or has diarrhoea or a fever, see a vet – and ask about testing for Mediterranean diseases.
Sources
- Cornell Feline Health Center – Anorexia
- Cornell Feline Health Center – Hepatic Lipidosis
- Cornell Feline Health Center – Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease
- Cornell Feline Health Center – Feline Leukemia Virus
- Cornell Feline Health Center – Feline Immunodeficiency Virus
- AVMA – 13 Animal Emergencies
- MSD/Merck Veterinary Manual – Canine Parvovirus Infection
- MSD/Merck Veterinary Manual – Canine Distemper
- MSD/Merck Veterinary Manual – Feline Respiratory Disease Complex
- MSD/Merck Veterinary Manual – Initial Triage of Small Animal Emergency Patients
- ACVS – Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus
- WSAVA – Vaccination Guidelines 2024
- StIKo Vet – Guideline on vaccinating small animals (06.01.2025, in German)
