Why are all my cats refusing to eat and hiding?
Multiple cats in a household can suddenly stop eating and go into hiding, leaving owners concerned when standard tricks like warming up their food fail. This sudden refusal to eat prevents them from getting necessary nutrition, leading to deep worry for pet owners who cannot figure out what is wrong.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- Most of it landed at once — the busiest month was September 2026, with 20 people.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1warming up the food with warm water or in the microwaveDid this help you?
- 2buying half-size cans or single-serve portionsDid this help you?
- 3storing leftovers in glass or plastic containers instead of the metal canDid this help you?
- 4adding food toppers, freeze-dried treats, or broths to entice the catDid this help you?
- 5Using a water fountain to track daily water intakeDid this help you?
- 6Mixing warm water into treats like ChuruDid this help you?
- 7Adding water to higher quality wet food cans or blending canned food with water to achieve a treat-like consistencyDid this help you?
- 8Trying different textures like pate, mousse, shredded, or gravy-heavy foodsDid this help you?
- 9Buying individual cans instead of variety packs to exclude disliked flavorsDid this help you?
- 10Rotating between multiple brands and flavors to prevent boredomDid this help you?
- 11Mixing different brands togetherDid this help you?
- 12Switching permanently to a different brand or food lineDid this help you?
- 13Mixing water with food so the cat drinks the liquid and takes a bite or twoDid this help you?
- 14Trying different food options like Whiskas to encourage eatingDid this help you?
- 15Trying sardines in oil and using the sardine oilDid this help you?
- 16Blending wet food with warm water or sodium-free bone broth into a smooth liquidDid this help you?
- 17Mixing in a Churu treatDid this help you?
- 18mixing food with water to improve textureDid this help you?
- 19warming up the foodDid this help you?
- 20putting treats on top of the foodDid this help you?
- 21trying different brands or flavorsDid this help you?
- 22switching to raw feed preparationsDid this help you?
- 23Feeding the cat whatever food they will tolerate through trial and errorDid this help you?
- 24Offering smooth foods like Tiki Cat mousse across three mealsDid this help you?
- 25Trying to add supplements like omega oil, bone broth powder, and goat's milk powderDid this help you?
- 26Leaving food out continuously or providing additional mealsDid this help you?
- 27Using treats, toppers (like Churu or Tiki Cat), and high-calorie kitten foodDid this help you?
- 28Reporting the issue to the manufacturer with the lot number and expiration date for a refund or couponDid this help you?
- 29Throwing away the rejected food and opening a different can or boxDid this help you?
- 30Mixing dry food into the refused wet foodDid this help you?
- 31Cooking homemade cat food using boiled chicken, tuna, sweet potatoes, and eggsDid this help you?
- 32trying a million different foods with things like rabbit, duck, and liverDid this help you?
- 33trying dry foods and wet foodsDid this help you?
- 34giving canned pumpkinDid this help you?
- 35adding psyllium husk to foodDid this help you?
- 36trying probioticsDid this help you?
- 37using prednisolone prescribed by the vetDid this help you?
- 38Giving the cat prescription foods or higher calorie kitten foodDid this help you?
- 39Crushing kibble and topping wet food with it for extra flavor and caloriesDid this help you?
- 40Hand-feeding the cat or holding the food bowl like a pedestalDid this help you?
- 41Trying various wet food flavors, treats, or raw beef heartDid this help you?
- 42Administering prescribed medications like Prozac, gabapentin, or mirtazapineDid this help you?
- 43Visiting the vet for exams, blood work, and IV fluidsDid this help you?
- 44getting a second opinion from a different vetDid this help you?
- 45running bloodwork, MRIs, or X-raysDid this help you?
- 46administering anti-nausea medicationDid this help you?
- 47wetting down wet food with extra bone brothDid this help you?
- 48washing bowls more frequentlyDid this help you?
- 49switching to smooth, non-porous bowls or flat platesDid this help you?
- 50using shallow or elevated bowls to prevent whisker fatigueDid this help you?
- 51Switching between multiple different brands and flavors of wet and dry food to find something they will eatDid this help you?
- 52Mixing high-value items like tuna, Churus, or squeezables into their regular foodDid this help you?
- 53Locking picky cats out of the kitchen during feeding times so they don't steal other cats' foodDid this help you?
- 54trying different wet food flavors (chicken, trout, shrimp/salmon mix)Did this help you?
- 55adding Churo paste to the foodDid this help you?
- 56separating the cats during feeding timeDid this help you?
- 57emailing the vet to see if a visit is absolutely necessaryDid this help you?
- 58enticing the kitten to eat wet food by putting treats on top of itDid this help you?
- 59Leaving the wet food out for an hour or two before feedingDid this help you?
- 60Mixing paste treats into the wet food to entice eatingDid this help you?
- 61Serving the food with room temperature water or no water at allDid this help you?
- 62monitoring water intake and bathroom habitsDid this help you?
- 63offering high-value treats like ChurusDid this help you?
- 64waiting and monitoring the cat until regular veterinary clinics openDid this help you?
- 65trying several different brands of wet foodDid this help you?
- 66using food toppersDid this help you?
- 67putting treats inside the wet foodDid this help you?
- 68offering fish or chickenDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“her purrs are "lower" but she never stopped making biscuits. She runs around just as good but she's not lively at all. It doesn't seem to hurt her when I pet her anywhere tho..”source ↗
“I have this problem with one of my cats as well, warming it up doesn’t work either.”source ↗
“Ever since I’ve had him he’s very picky and will only eat dry food (I free feed) but I still try to give him wet food and he only slowly eats maybe a quarter of a can and maybe half a can if I’m real lucky.”source ↗
“I’m just worried about future issues this could cause if it would, he drinks his water but I’m still worried about kidney issues.”source ↗
“Does anyone else have picky cats or any ideas of different things I could give him he might like that would be healthy for him to give him some variation?”source ↗
“She has eaten very little today and mostly slept. I am feeding her wet food (AM) and dry food (PM) but she doesn’t seem to care for either.”source ↗
“How can I get my girl cat to start eating and drinking? Is this normal? I cannot afford another emergency vet visit.”source ↗
“I have a 15 y/o female cat, and she lost half a kilo in the last week. She went from 4kg down to 3.5, today she weighed 3kg.”source ↗
“She barely touches dry food now, and she is mostly just sleeping.”source ↗
“We were at the vets 2 weeks ago, they did blood tests and ultrasound, checked her over, and she is fine.”source ↗
“It seems to be no issues, other than her not eating.”source ↗
“I noticed that our boy cat wouldn’t hardly touch his wet food from his bowl (the black one) but had no issue eating from his sister’s bowl.”source ↗
“his would still have food and hers would be empty.”source ↗
“because of the bowl’s texture it was holding leftover oils and bacteria that made him not want to eat from it.”source ↗
“My orange will eat one flavor one day then refuse it the next.”source ↗
“Today, she's back to not eating or drinking, but every time we bring her into the vet, they can find nothing physically wrong with her”source ↗
“Over the past few days she has grown increasingly disinterested in her wet food (but still picking at her dry) as well as sleeping more and more, not really having the energy to play either.”source ↗
“I am just worried that there is something more serious underlying this, any help from those who have experienced something similar is appreciated.”source ↗
“He now refuses to eat the wet food in his bowl unless it's been left out for more than an hour or two.”source ↗
“The only time he'd eat the wet food fresh is if i mix some paste treats so I know his fucking ass is just being dramatic but how do I get him to move past it?”source ↗
“Now all 5 of her cats aren't eating anything and we're all concerned.”source ↗
“My prone to vomit kitty vomits this one up so we have to buy individual cans to exclude this one. 🤷♀️”source ↗
“He has lost about a pound. Our primary symptom was a sharp decline in appetite - getting him to eat has been a struggle.”source ↗
“Any ideas for bulking up the calorie content?”source ↗
“I’d love to get him back up to about 230 calories, which is what he was eating before.”source ↗
“I’ve tried everything, every wet food on the market, mixing dry and wet food, mixing water in to his dry food, all of it, and he won’t even try it.”source ↗
“He’s definitely just a picky cat but I worry about him developing kidney/urinary issues later in life especially since he’s a male.”source ↗
“One will not eat wet food at all.”source ↗
“She stopped being interested in her food and ate less over the course of a month, with vomiting about 2-3 times per month.”source ↗
“Today, she has eaten barely anything. Not really any kibble and no wet food.”source ↗
“I offered her her regular dry food and she wasn’t interested in that either. I don’t know how to get her to eat.”source ↗
“Previously, he'd beg for food and then act like we were trying to poison him when we fed him; that's why we were trying so many different foods.”source ↗
“Anyway, he's back to being finicky again. Acting starved and then barely eating or not eating at all when we put food down.”source ↗
“We moved here over a month ago and she stopped drinking water and eating her food she's eaten her whole life.”source ↗
“I have no idea what to do I'm so stressed out you have no idea I keep crying about it.”source ↗
“My male cat doesn’t either. And couldn’t be convinced.”source ↗
“She will only lick the gravy from the cat food so has lost more weight to a tiny 1.5kgs when a few years ago she was 3kgs.”source ↗
“Has anyone any suggestions for putting weight back on and getting her to eat more than has worked for their old cat please from personal experience as my vet took is out of ideas.”source ↗
“My cat does the same thing - a food she's eaten for years suddenly turns her away but the next can or box is just fine.”source ↗
“She's likely stressed from the move and from all the vet visits. Eating only 80% of her food and losing a tiny bit of weight won't kill her - give her a little time to adjust.”source ↗
“My cat started to suffer from constipation, she wasn't taking in enough water and she was on dry food only for years because she would turn her nose up at wet food.”source ↗
“My cats will not do the pate either. They act like they are starving all the time, but if I put a pate down, they just look at me like what is this?? And one tries to cover it up lol”source ↗
“My cat stopped eating this flavor last week too!”source ↗
“Earlier this year I had a bad batch. Stank real bad if you smelled it and made one of my cats projectile vomit.”source ↗
“My refused to eat any pate flavour after eating her whole life.”source ↗
“My cat hates the chicken one. He eats the other flavors just fine which is interesting.”source ↗
“She loves churu but won't eat if mixed with anything. Tried making it puree with warm water, tried puree with churu, also with cat milk. I'm going insane 😭”source ↗
“All three of my cats have been eating purina friskies prime fillet wet food for a couple years and I just got a new box and all 3 of them are refusing to eat it.”source ↗
“My cats did this, and I found out that my heavy mother in law was repeatedly standing on the box of cans to reach something in the garage. I think her doing that made the seals not as good or something, because my cats refused to eat that food.”source ↗
“stopped eating, drinking water, sleep all day when she was playfull af, my poor baby”source ↗
“lately she's become picky and wants only dry. I've been telling her no 'treats' until she eats her dinner. It's been a real fight.”source ↗
“I’m having similar issue with one of my cats and dry food. She needs to be off of it entirely but the other cats are fine on it.”source ↗
“Towards the end of my little guy’s life, I did switch things up when he started to eat less.”source ↗
“I've tried serving it without water and with room temp water but he won't even go near his plate.”source ↗
“We figured it out this morning and unfortunately all the vets are closed on Sundays”source ↗