My normally sociable cat has been under the bed for two days and is barely eating — is she just sulking?

Two days of hiding plus two days of barely eating earns a vet appointment in the next day or so, not a wait-and-see. A cat who suddenly hides is usually a cat who feels ill or in pain. Hiding is what cats do with pain, and they are very good at it — by the time it is obvious to us, they have often been unwell for a while.

One specific danger makes this time-sensitive. A cat who eats little or nothing for more than about two days can start to shut her liver down, and an overweight cat is at the highest risk of that. A teaspoon a day counts as barely eating.

Go straight to an emergency vet, tonight, if she is breathing with her mouth open, breathing fast while resting, straining in the litter box with nothing coming out, or if she is limp, wobbly, or cold to the touch.

Before the appointment, get some numbers. Weigh her on a kitchen scale in grams — a cat can lose a great deal before you can see it. Measure the food you put down instead of eyeballing it, and measure what is left. Count the urine clumps and the stools in the tray each day. Watch her from across the room rather than pulling her out; dragging her from her safe spot tells you nothing and costs you her trust. And note any recent change: a new pet, building work, a house move, a strange cat in the garden.

Stress is a real cause of this. But it is the answer your vet lands on after ruling out the others, not the one to start with.