I wouldn't keep my cat from eating for 48 hrs. I couldn't do it BUT my cat was trapped in a ceiling for 30 days without food and survived. I don't know if there was water up there but when we finally found her and got her out she was minus her beautiful hair, whiskers, and had lost so much weight. We took her to the vet immmediaely. They gave her an IV, I took her home, she immediately starting eating and drinking and today, 8 yrs. later, she is fine. My story, for whatever it's worth