Symptoms of Cat Starvation

Stray cats are all over the United States, and many of them are starving from lack of food. There are also pets kept and cherished as family members which can suffer from malnutrition through eating the wrong types of food or not enough of it. There are many signs and symptoms of starvation you should know, especially if you have a cat or take in strays.

  1. Loss of Fur

    • Generally, cats that are starving will begin to lose fur in patches. The fur will begin to thin out on its body. If the fur grows back, it will grow back in a darker color and thickness. The fur probably is quite dirty as well, because of the neglect the cat has undergone. In three to four weeks, a starving and neglected cat will generally begin to show these symptoms.

    Skeletal Appearance

    • Starving cats will take on a skeletal appearance as their neglect continues. The stomach will become shrunken and flat, and bones such as the shoulder blades and spinal vertebrae can be felt through their thin skin when you pet the cat. These bones will protrude and be visible to the naked eye even from a distance.

    Hepatic Lipidosis

    • Feline hepatic lipidosis is caused by nutritional, metabolic or toxic injury to the liver. Starving cats suffer from this affliction because they have no access to proper food. Malnutrition and metabolic impairment are likely found in starving cats. Cats can have intensive liver damage because fat begins to build up in the liver. Because of this, dietary sugar in the blood stream decreases. Insulin production and release by the liver also decreases because the amount of fat in the liver has increased and the liver cannot carry out its regular functions. This condition usually begins within two weeks of feline anorexia occurring. According to the website Max's House, without treatment, a feline with hepatic lipidosis has a 90% chance of dying.