Each year 10 to 15 percent of human patients with anorexia nervosa starve themselves to death. According to the American Animal Hospital Association, cats can be affected by a similar syndrome that can lead to serious complications. Untreated, those complications claim the lives of more than 90 percent of affected cats. Symptoms of anorexia in both humans and cats include weight loss and depression.
Cats frequently have a history of vomiting as well.
Although the exact cause of anorexia is not fully understood, a stressful event precedes the illness in over 40 percent of cats diagnosed with hepatic lipidosis, the most severe complication of anorexia. For example, cats may stop eating when they move to a new home or when their owners are frequently absent. It's up to your cat's veterinarian to try to determine the cause of the decreased appetite and to treat the cat accordingly. Human and feline anorectic patients mobilize stored fats in their bodies to provide energy that is normally supplied by their food. In cats, unlike humans, this mobilized fat enters the liver, where it can be trapped if the cat can't break it down.