Cat not eating since new kitten arrived.

Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry to hear that your cat is not enjoying your new house guest. I won't have an exact answer for you but I can give you a few suggestions.

First of all, I take it very seriously when a cat doesn't want to eat and even more seriously if he is not using the litter box. Let's start with that first.

Can you tell if he is actually going to the box at all and perhaps just not producing urine? If there is even a remote chance of a urinary blockage then he needs to see the vet right away. It wouldn't be at all related to having a kitten in the house. But, any time that I hear a story of a cat not urinating I always stress how important it is to make sure there is no urinary blockage.

It certainly is possible that he just doesn't like the kitten for whatever reason. I have seen situations where cats will get along fine with some cats and hate other ones. If he is really stressed about the presence of the kitten this can definitely cause him to go off of his food and be grumpy.

It's unlikely that the kitten has passed any sort of disease to your cat that is causing him to not eat given that the little one has only been there for a day.

It sounds to me like you'll need to keep one of the cats in another room for the duration of the stay. If it was for longer, I'd say try reintroducing them slowly after a few days but if there are only a few days left then you might as well keep them separated. If it were my house I would likely keep the kitten in a bedroom with a litter box and food and water in the bedroom and let my cat roam the house.

If your cat still isn't eating by tomorrow then I am a bit more concerned. If cats go off of their food completely they are at risk for getting a condition called fatty liver which is very serious. If he is not eating by the time you get this answer, you can try offering him some canned cat food that has been warmed in the microwave for a few seconds or even a small amount of meat containing baby food. But if he still isn't eating by tomorrow then I would have a vet take a look at him.

Hope things improve soon!

Dr. Marie.


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