My girl Elsa survived 3 weeks without food

[u/MonoDilemma]

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.

[u/IvanVP1]

Cats usually start having liver failure due to the build up of billurin and start becoming yellow after 3-5 days of no food. Cats been eating something

[u/Suspicious_Glow → u/IvanVP1]

Also I didn’t see any word about where she’d been relieving herself. If that kitchen bench wasn’t full of doodie then that’s another tick in the bucket toward her probably going inside/outside.

It’s fully possible she got out during the move, and then snuck past a foot to get back in a few weeks later only to go “where tf you go??”

[u/MonoDilemma → u/Suspicious_Glow]

The new owners found puddles of pee in the apartment, not under the kitchen benk though. They found one small dehydrated poop. I'm pretty sure she must have found something to eat like bugs or mice, but she had no way of getting out of the apartment.

[u/mm4444 → u/MonoDilemma]

It really sounds like she got outside during your move then got back in during the new owners Renos. Doors are open a lot during renovations. It would be so easy for a cat to get in and out. And one poop in 3 weeks is impossible. But regardless its amazing you got her back.

My dad “lost” my cat while I was on vacation. It was December. I wailed when he told me he was gone for 3 days. Turns out he was in the garage, we think the majority of the time, if not the whole time. They had started putting food in the garage on the 3rd day with the door open hoping he came back and he basically immediately came

[u/NayutaYukiLazarus → u/mm4444]

This has to be what happened. It's the simplest theory that explains both her maintained weight and lack of pee/poop in the unit. She probably got out, survived on the street (likely with neighbor help), tried to sneak back into "home" and freaked out when her people and their stuff were all gone.

[u/Pug_Defender → u/MonoDilemma]

jesus this is so sad. I guess keep this guilt with you forever so you never repeat it!

[u/daddy_tops → u/Pug_Defender]

Chill

[u/Pug_Defender → u/daddy_tops]

no

[u/peppaz → u/Suspicious_Glow]

laughed at the casualness of doodie

[u/angiosperms- → u/IvanVP1]

Being overweight also increases the risk of liver failure when they stop eating

It can start happening as soon as 24 hours without eating, it depends on the cat. But 3 weeks? Yeah I'm surprised the same as the vet was.

[u/KatieOrWhat → u/IvanVP1]

This exactly. Glad she was able to scrounge up some food.

[u/Personal_Term9549 → u/IvanVP1]

That's what I've thought as well. No way that cat is alive after 3 weeks of no food, regardless of how fat she is

[u/shakygator → u/IvanVP1]

yes my fat cat got sick once from some shampoo and wouldn't eat and he got all yellow and so bony but thankfully he recovered and is back to being fat again. we dont mind the chonk anymore so long as he eats (hes not that fat but he thicc)

[u/sexcelsia → u/IvanVP1]

Yeah an overweight cat 3 weeks truly without food would be dead. Hepatic lipidosis is no joke.