Today I noticed my two year old female cat suddenly acting sick. She isn't showing interest in food, acting lethargic, and had diarrhea. Her hair seemed to be standing on end, she hissed when my other cats approached her, and meows kind of frightenedly when I picked her up. I've moved her into her own room with food, water, and litter box. When I checked on her I saw that she had been in the litter box but peed on the floor just beside it.
I've been reading online about her symptoms. I haven't noticed any blood in her stool or urine. The more I read, the more I think she may likely just be suffering from high levels of stress. She recently had kittens, which I have just this week found homes for. I'm currently babysitting some other kittens, which have been running around the house. I also have a new cat. And I have a six month old Maltese who this cat seriously hates because she barks at and chases her. The cats have their own room away from the dog, but recently this room has been overrun by those 9 week old kittens. I have been out of the house a lot lately and am on a very different schedule than I was a few weeks ago. I even read that temperature changes can set off stress, and I left the window in the cats' room open the last few days to let a breeze in the house, but a couple of the nights have gotten rather chilly. My other 2 cats are acting normal, but they are also much more social and get along fine with the dog. The cat that is acting sick is the one that is the most standoffish with people.
I am wondering whether I should take her to the vet tomorrow or wait a couple days to see how she does now that she is in her own stable environment? If she really is just overly stressed then I worry a vet visit would only stress her more. Do her symptoms sound serious or would it be okay for me to wait a day or two and watch for improvement? I intend to buy her some wet cat food to try to tempt her appetite. I also read that I need to spend at least about 20 minutes a day petting and comforting her one on one, maybe even play soothing music. What other steps could I take to make her as comfortable and stress free as possible?
I've been reading online about her symptoms. I haven't noticed any blood in her stool or urine. The more I read, the more I think she may likely just be suffering from high levels of stress. She recently had kittens, which I have just this week found homes for. I'm currently babysitting some other kittens, which have been running around the house. I also have a new cat. And I have a six month old Maltese who this cat seriously hates because she barks at and chases her. The cats have their own room away from the dog, but recently this room has been overrun by those 9 week old kittens. I have been out of the house a lot lately and am on a very different schedule than I was a few weeks ago. I even read that temperature changes can set off stress, and I left the window in the cats' room open the last few days to let a breeze in the house, but a couple of the nights have gotten rather chilly. My other 2 cats are acting normal, but they are also much more social and get along fine with the dog. The cat that is acting sick is the one that is the most standoffish with people.
I am wondering whether I should take her to the vet tomorrow or wait a couple days to see how she does now that she is in her own stable environment? If she really is just overly stressed then I worry a vet visit would only stress her more. Do her symptoms sound serious or would it be okay for me to wait a day or two and watch for improvement? I intend to buy her some wet cat food to try to tempt her appetite. I also read that I need to spend at least about 20 minutes a day petting and comforting her one on one, maybe even play soothing music. What other steps could I take to make her as comfortable and stress free as possible?
