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I normally feed my cat dry food in the AM and 1 small can of wet food in the PM. I also have a Catit water fountain for him, so he has a constant supply of fresh water to drink from.

I'm going away for the weekend and, unfortunately, can't find anyone to come take care of him for the two days I'll be away. His dry food is dispensed by an automatic feeder, but I have no way to give him his daily wet food. Will he be okay for two days without the wet food? Again, he will have access to ample fresh water and his normal dry food.

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Your cat will be fine as long as it has food and water. The reason for giving wet food is to keep your cat well hydrated but skipping wet food for a couple of days is not a problem.

You have to be sure the automatic feeder is working so your cat gets food at the usual times each day.

Sorry for the short answer.

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    You not only have to be sure the automatic feeder is working, you have to be sure they can't take it apart. I once came home to two very unhappy cats who had managed to remove the timer unit and battery from their feeder, but not access the food.
    – user10093
    May 1, 2018 at 16:59
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There are several answers suggesting not having wet food for a couples of days is not a problem, and I have no reason to doubt them.

But think about yourself, if you don't get a hot dinner, you do still want to have a cold sandwich or something.

I would increase the amount of dry food available in the feeder. For example make the morning feeding be larger than normal, or by adding night time dry feeding to make up for the lost wet meal.

The Cats still need the same amount of calories per day, and would appreciate having the same number of meals.

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We have a 7 year old cat that only eats dry food and is a healthy, energetic and friendly kitty. So leaving your cat without wet food for a couple of days won't kill him. Cats are very strong animals. Even if the feeder malfunctions, he will be fine without food for 2 days.

We usually have one of our parents come and feed/clean the cat, but the one weekend we couldn't find anyone, the water fountain and the feeder did the trick.

I'd be more worried about the litter box if it's an indoor cat. Our little prince, pooped right next to the litter box that time because he had already gone 2-3 times in it.

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  • Downv*ted because no, the cat will NOT be fine without food for 2 days; any period longer than 24 hours without eating is life threatening for cats, because it could result in feline hepatic lipidosis, which is potentially fatal.
    – lila
    May 5, 2021 at 1:00
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Your cat will be fine. Cats can and do live to a ripe old age on just dry food and water.

Now you do mention an automatic feeder. If this is to keep him from overeating, you can make sure it dispenses over the whole time you are away. If your cat does not overeat when you give him a lot of dry food at once, you can just leave a lot of food for him.

If you have the time to shop for it, may I suggest a food dispenser that you cat has to work on to get the food? This way he will still get some activity while you are not playing with him.

And a last note: if your cat is perfectly healthy, he can go a day without food. Just like you. He will not like it (nor would you), but if healthy it can be done.

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    It's a bad idea to let a cat go without food for any extended period of time. Hepatic lipidosis (aka "fatty liver disease") can set in very quickly in even a seemingly healthy cat. Even a couple of days can be enough time to put them at risk.
    – Allison C
    Dec 20, 2019 at 20:34
  • @AllisonC, the question is about wet food. About the longer time without food, do you have sources on that? If so, it would make it a better answer to include that.
    – Flummox - don't be evil SE
    Dec 22, 2019 at 19:33
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    Yes, the question is about wet food, but your answer mentions going without food entirely, which is not healthy for a cat. There are other questions and answers here that address the topic. You can read about it here: pethealthnetwork.com/cat-health/cat-diseases-conditions-a-z/… and note that "a few days" is a very subjective range that could range from 1-2 up to several days.
    – Allison C
    Dec 23, 2019 at 14:15

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