How long can my cat survive without eating?

• One might think about ten minutes, judging by the frantic screams that we cat owners are subjected to when our cats want food and find an empty bowl!
  
• The truth is cats can survive several weeks without eating, and it is far more important in the short term that they take in fluids and do not get dehydrated.
  
• Very rarely, a cat that refuses to eat can develop a fatty degeneration of its liver, which can then become life threatening.