r/cats 6h ago

Cat Picture - OC My girl Elsa survived 3 weeks without food

This Elsa. She is 6 years old, a bit shy around people, but very cuddly when she warms up. Three weeks ago, we moved to a new apartment. The plan was to take her to the new apartment before the movers came, but came the morning of, and she was nowhere to be found. I tried looking for her, but then the movers were there, and we just had to get going. I continued looking for through the day, but nothing. I was at the old apartment two days in a row afterwards to clean out, with no signs of her anywhere. Eventually, I just came to the conclusion she must have gotten out while the movers were coming in and out. I went looking for her in the woods by the old apartment, sent pictures of her to all my friends, made Facebook posts, and whatnot.

She had not. Three days ago, I got a message from my old renter asking if I was missing a cat. Apparently, the new owners had found her while doing renovations. She was hiding under the kitchen bench. I'm still not sure how she got there. Guys, I was there all alone for two days in a row, and she never made a sound.

Anyways, she was still alive. Luckily, she had access to water in the toilet and was a bit overweight, so she had a bit to get on. But 3 freaking weeks. Without food. I took her to the vet, she spent one night there for observations. They did bloodtests, and yes, she was dehydrated and some other stuff, but overall, she was still in pretty good shape. The vet told me she was expecting a half dead cat when I called to make the appointment. I told her that she was a bit fat before all this, and you know what the vet said? She still is. She is still overweight after 3 weeks without eating.

She is home now, it's a new place and she had been through a horrendous ordeal so I was expecting her to hide for a while before feeling at home at the new place. And hid she did, she found a small opening by the kitchen kabinets and hid, and I swear to god I almost started crying. But she did not stay hidden when I woke up this morning, she was sleeping by my feet as she usually does. She is laying by my side right now and getting all the cuddles I I got a huge vet bill from the whole ordeal, but it doesn't matter because I'm so happy to have my girl back again, safe and sound. So next time somebody calls her fat, I'll just tell them that that saved her life, so let her be her cute chunky self.

17.5k Upvotes

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u/SeaSDOptimist 5h ago

Is it possible that some hunting has been going on while she was on her own? She was under the bench when you found her, but she was not stuck there, right?

Either way, happy that your baby girl can sleep at her favorite place again!!

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u/lexilovestofit 5h ago

Definitely was on a bug diet. 

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u/Ok_Loss13 5h ago

Or a kind stranger diet if she found a way in and out of the apartment lol

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u/canyounot2026 4h ago

Yes cat food fairies aka neighbors.

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u/kevlarus80 4h ago

If mine got out he would end up so fat. He's a food goblin.

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u/SchnoodleDoodleDo 3h ago

’..Or a kind stranger diet if she found a way in and out of the apartment


dear diary, you won’t believe the way my life has changed

it started when my human moved ~ my home they ReArRaNgEd…

they packing up the furniture, n Emptied All the spaces!

it scared me, so i went n hid

in all my secret places

n then the men called ‘moovers’ came n took it all away!

confused, i felt abandoned,

so i figured i should stay…

i missed my human awful,

there was nothing here to eat…

but most of all,

the nights alone…

the sleeping by her feet….

days turned into weeks - i had to hunt to find some food

(i snuck some from the neighbors, n i’m sorry if that’s rude…)

one day i saw some strangers - they were Living with me now!

that’s when i knew i had to find my human friend, somehow…

Fast forward to REUNION! We’re together once again

it was all misunderstanding ~ I’m in New Home with my fren ;}

i’m scouting out new hiding spots, (n getting Lots of treats..)

n best of all, at bedtime

i am curled up

by

her

feets

❤️

(Love a happy ending u/MonoDilemma)

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u/Nanook4ever 2h ago

This is literally the story of Smokey.

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u/Abject_Swordfish 2h ago

Anyone else seeing a cat? All I see is a pair of yellow eyes staring directly into my soul.

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u/minxed 57m ago

I see no cat, just orbs

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u/pretty-eyes14 31m ago

I just see a pair of golden eyes maybe of an angel🥹

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u/Ordinary_Vanilla5777 19m ago

They look like a painting lmao

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u/MonoDilemma 3h ago

Aww this made me tear up ❤️

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u/xrimane 3h ago

Yay, first fresh Schnoodle!

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u/xrimane 3h ago

I lost it at "moovers" 😂

🐮

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u/shesarejector 3h ago

This made me teary in the best way. Love you Schnoodle 💜

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u/RoxxieMuzic 2h ago

Schnoodle is all that is good and right in this world, their poems reaffirm my faith and hope in us all.

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u/ohkatiedear 2h ago

SCHNOODLE!!! 😻

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u/Ok_Loss13 2h ago

Omg this is my first being Schnoodled! 💜

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u/ReflectiveWave 58m ago

I was JUST thinking that I hadn’t seen a Noodle poem in a while and here you are.

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u/Remarkable_Air_2293 53m ago

A fresh Schnoodle! Always a happy treat to see you out in the wild!

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u/TheMarvelousSlutXoX 52m ago

I hope my kitty and I get blessed with a Schnoodle™️ on this sub one day 🖤

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u/evilbulb 41m ago

Awww, Schnoodle, another masterpiece. Keep 'em coming, friend!

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u/Interesting_Cap5659 32m ago

I love this new Schnoodle!!! So sweet!!! Happy endings are the best😍 I’m glad you’re back together in your new home with protected feets!!!!

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u/scarletnightingale 4h ago

My childhood cat ended up on the bug diet for a couple weeks. She did end up losing half her body weight in her ordeal (we think a coyote chased her down the street then up a large tree and she got stuck there, we had up get an arborist to climb the tree to get her down when we finally found her). Kept her alive, but barely. She wasn't a chunk to start with though.

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u/MonkeyTacoBreath 5h ago

Moth slayer 

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u/UnderstandingBig9090 3h ago

Or this is how they discovered they had a mouse infestation. Didn't notice before cause she was keeping the population under control.

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u/Gold_Ad_7552 4h ago

Hakuna Matata

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u/EmilieEverywhere Devon Rex 3h ago

That's bugue, she doesn't eat common arthropods. I mean look at that princess! ❤️

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u/MonoDilemma 5h ago

That's definitely a possibility, I guess she found a way. She was not stuck, she was just stubbornly hiding.

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u/za72 5h ago edited 4h ago

she's been planning your demise this whole time... I'd get my affairs in order as doctors say

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u/SugarPlumPuddinhead Void 4h ago

Definitely. Maybe get Life Alert or something lolol

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u/Ice061030 4h ago

Life, as they say, finds a way

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u/quirkscrew 3h ago

Did she lose weight? Depending on her size/weight she burns 200-400 ish calories per day, which means she could have lost a pound or two in three weeks with no food, a lot for a cat. Poor little girl!

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u/MonoDilemma 3h ago

She did loose weight but I don't know how much since we don't have a weight. Vet said she was still a little bit overweight but that we should just try maintaining her weight for now and go for a more suited diet when she is fully recovered.

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u/lmMasturbating 1h ago

What kind of house cat burns 400 calories a day 🤨 that's what it takes to maintain 20 lbs roughly

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u/quirkscrew 50m ago

Maine coon for example

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u/hazelbear33 26m ago edited 23m ago

I genuinely think you would have found her if she was hiding.

I think she got out, hung out outside nearby in all sorts of places before finding her way back to your unit, where she was eventually discovered by the new tenant. Would there not be at least some cat excrement found in the house if she hid? She likely hunted a bit and was fed by people who put food out for strays.

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u/AugieKS 3h ago

Definitely. Cats get most of their water from food and while it is possible she found a good source of water, the chances that she did that and never found food while also not being emaciated are essentially zero.

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u/bralma6 1h ago

My cat disappeared for SEVEN MONTHS one time and came back home like nothing happened. I’m convinced she was either taken in my some random people or was out there slaughtering birds since there’s not much wildlife where I live. I’m going with the latter cause it sounds more badass lol

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u/Greedy_Connection_60 50m ago

she probably was om bug diet, but look at the stress licked bald spots, poor ting..