Changes in Cat + Moving Soon

russ0268

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
55
Purraise
1
Location
Michigan
I'm not sure if this should be in Health or Behavior.

My cat Simon who has always been very healthy has me worried. I have been planning a move the last couple months and don't know if this can be tied to his recent changes. About 2 months ago he showed a disinterest in eating. As far as I can tell he has not eaten any of the dry food that is left out for him. He is overweight but durning this time period he went from 16.2 lb. down to 14.7 lb. I would be happy if I had anything to do with it. He just won't eat enough. My vet said he should be around 11 lbs for his size. I have had him to the vet (a new vet) who is wonderful. We have ruled out all the normal problems, his liver is fine, he uses his pan, and anything else that was elivated could be tired to him being overweight. Needless to say both my vet and I don't know what's wrong. I am going to have a test done on monday to make sure his intestines are fine. We want to rule out caner. I have tried many different kinds of food and he will like one thing one day and then not like it the next. The last couple days he is acting stand offish, not be his usual social self.

Can this all be tied to stress from the move. Can he tell what's going on? I am planning on moving next weekend. I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Thanks for any help you can provide. Laurie
 

momofmany

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jul 15, 2003
Messages
16,249
Purraise
70
Location
There's no place like home
If you are stressed, Simon will pick up on it and may become stressed himself. But emotional stress doesn't always explain weight loss and behaviors you are describing. Every time that I have moved, at least one of my cats got sick as a result of it. My theory is that they do pick up on your stress, and that stress turns into a physical illness with the cat. It might be that they were predisposed to that illness and all it took was a little bit of emotional stress to bring it into the open.

Prepare yourself for the move the best you can. If you can gain access to the new place in advance, bring their cat trees, beds, etc to the place to get his sent in it. Vacuum your old place then bring the dirty vacuum to the new place and vacuum there. It will start to put their scent in the new place. On the day of the move, keep Simon confined to a single room so that he doesn't have to witness the actual move. When at the new place, confine him to one room until he adjusts to the new place. Keep his favorite treats handy. Try your best to re-establish his routine at the new place, e.g. feed him at the same time each day, go to bed at the same time, etc. Take care of yourself and try to relax.

But most of all, continue to work with your vet to find out what is happening with him. Don't assume this is only emotional stress right now.
 

momto3cats

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Aug 1, 2006
Messages
1,143
Purraise
131
Location
TX
Some cats can react to stress by not eating. Please make sure he eats something every day. If he doesn't eat he could end up with fatty liver syndrome, which is life threatening. You might ask your vet for an appetite stimulant you can give him.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

russ0268

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
55
Purraise
1
Location
Michigan
Unfortunitly I have been dealing with a ton of personal stress, but they have always been my release. The comfort they provide is huge. But I don't know what to do about the eating. When I have tried so many things, different canned foods, high end to low end and everything in between. He does eat everyday but he is wasting away, because he is not eating enough to maintain his current weight. So I continue to try new foods but eventually I am going to run out. And of course when he doesn't eat I feel stress, I try not to show it but it is almost impossible. I know time will tell what is going to happen, but the wait is horrible, absolutly horrible.

Thanks for your comments about the move I was going to do many of them but you mentioned a few that I had not thought of.

Laurie
 
Top