Kitten has lost its appetite..

Hello. My 3 month old kitten seems to have lost her appetite recently. I noticed this started to happen about a day after I took her to the vet for vaccinations. I've had her in my house for about 2 monthes now.

Now, she only picks at her wet food and doesnt really eat much of it. I feed her Purina Pro Plan Kitten canned food and Nutro Complete Care Kitten Food (Indoor). I've also noticed that she only eats the fishy flavored wet food like the Salmon and Oceanfish flavors. I tried giving her the Chicken and Liver flavor and she didnt even touch it. She used to eat all 3 flavors with equal enthusiasm. Her water consumption is normal.


The other night she puked on the floor too.

I'm wondering if this is because of the vaccinations? This was her second round of vaccinations. She did not show any adverse symptoms the first time she got vaccinated. Her behavior, other than eating habits, havent changed. She still has alot of energy and is quite active.

Can anyone offer explanations as to what is going on? What further actions should I take?

thank you!

to TCS!

How long ago was the second round of vaccinations? It's not unusual for cats to feel "under the weather" following their shots, but the effect should wear off by day two or three. You should call your vet and report adverse reactions, and make a note to remind yourself to mention it to the vet before the next round, too.

If you want to stimulate her appetite, you could try putting a little "tuna juice" on her canned food (get water-packed tuna for humans, and use a little of the water from the can). She may also just be craving some more variety, so another brand of wet kitten food might tempt her.

If you read through this forum, you'll find lots of threads on what our members have to say about various brands of food.

she had her second round of shots about 6 days ago.

As for the variety thing..I tried to give her the chicken flavor after feeding her salmon flavor almost exclusively for the last two months. I think she might have become fussy and only eats salmon flavor now.

After six days, the shots shouldn't be having an effect.
Yes, she may have become fussy. How about opening a can of each, and giving her half salmon/half chicken for a couple of days (store the unused portions in the fridge, and warm them to room temperature again by zapping them for a few seconds, or adding a little warm water).

I have an adult fish fanatic, and I trick him by buying poultry with a little bit of seafood in it, but there's a greater variety for adult cats, and your little one still needs kitten food.

thanks! thats a good idea about mixing the two different flavors. I was wondering what I was gonna do with all the chicken cans I brought...

just wondering..if i mix the chicken flavor with the salmon flavor..do i need to do it gradually to avoid upset stomach? For instance, should i mix 10 percent of the chicken with the fish and gradually go up to half and half? They are all made by Purina Pro Plan...just different flavors.

There shouldn't be any problem with the wet foods, especially since they're the same brand. Some cats are sensitive to a change in their dry food, while others (like mine) have cast-iron stomachs.

Nowadays, many nutritionists are suggesting that people rotate brands to prevent possible deficiencies and pickiness. The latter can be a real problem if a food becomes unavailable, as was the case with the recent pet food recalls, the recipe is changed, or a cat has to be switched to a prescription diet.

If she refuses the 50/50 mixture, you could try adding the chicken more gradually.