Do I Need To Fast My Cat Before Lab Work?

When I go to the doctor for blood work, I am not suppose to eat anything before I see the doctor.   Is the same true for my cat?  Does my cat have to fast before coming in for blood work?

For people, fasting helps decrease cholesterol levels.  Cats are fortunate that they do not have the same type of coronary artery diseases that humans have.

Fasting also decreases resting glucose levels.  This helps determine if someone is diabetic.  Cats’ glucose levels can jump dramatically from stress and fear.  Fasting is less important because your cats glucose levels have other factors that can affect the levels.

There are varying opinions in the veterinary community about the benefits of fasting.  It does decrease the fat (lipids) in the blood.  This makes it easier for the lab to assess the blood. The lab has to perform extra steps to remove the lipids.  Fasting for cats is much less important for cholesterol and glucose.

Fasting does help decrease accidents on the way to the veterinary.

So for our purposes, if the appointment is in the morning, you can feed a light breakfast or wait until you return home. If the appointment is later in the day, feeding breakfast is okay and no food before the trip.

We realize if you have more than one cat overnight fast may create distress and unhappiness. It is okay to feed everyone in the morning.  Feeding will not invalidate blood or urine testing.

Please feel free to call or email us with any questions or concerns.

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