Please Help!!! Just moved cats and my cat has not eaten a full meal in 2 days!

frankfizz

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Hi all, 

I am so extremely scared for my cat right now 
. A little background, I have two cats (brothers and great friends) who have very different personalities. One of them, Frank, is very friendly, lets us pick him up, etc. The other cat, Fuzz, will not let us pet him or pick him up, but he is playful and has been getting better. Now the current dilemma: I moved to a new apartment on Friday night. To get Fuzz in the crate, I had to chase him around the apartment and eventually corner him and grab him to put him in the crate (he pooped right before I grabbed him from being so scared). I feel so bad about this and I didn't know what else to do :(, I have been slowly trying to get him in the crate for a week and nothing was working.

I moved to the new apartment and Fuzz seemed to be adapting pretty quickly. I've been here for 3 days and he's been using the litter box, drinking water, walking around the new apartment, and acting pretty normal. Except for the main problem that he has not eaten a full meal at all. This is the third day now and he still has not eaten a full meal. I have everything out for him (his regular bowls and food) but he still won't touch his food! His brother, Frank, will eat the food normally. I just don't know what to do because Fizz will act like he is hungry and want food but once its right in front of him he won't touch it! 

I've tried everything-- I gave him some grilled chicken (his favorite) but he will only eat a couple of bites. I have tried to give him tuna and he did not want that either. I know that he is stressed, but his behavior seems like everything else is normal. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can do??? I am so scared that he is starving :(:(:(!! Also, taking him to the vet is not even an option right now after all of the stress he has been through!
 

di and bob

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Three days is not long at all in a cat's life. Cats HATE change! You have to be VERY careful about opening doors for a while, and warn those who visit, it takes many weeks until a cat is comfortable in a new home. You might get ID collars for now, in case one of them gets out. A cat collar marked with a permanent marker will work too. As long as he is taking even a few bites he should be all right, just try to tempt him with treats and stinky foods such as mackerel or tuna. Gerber baby food, plain meat such as turkey, is very tempting too. He is totally stressed out, I would buy some Feliway at a local pet dept. it is a little pricey but works well. (It is a plug in like an air freshener) The best thing I have found is a 'Calming treat' found on Amazon (or you might call your vet and see if they suggest one) the only problem is you have got to get him to eat it. I wrap pieces of mine up in shaved turkey, and they usually go for it. I use it before vet visits and it really helps. You might get some cat nip in a bag and sprinkle it in a little pile somewhere where you can sweep it up and see if he will go for it, it might make him forget his troubles for a while and think the new home is great. Since he doesn't like affection, just talk to him calmly whenever you can, stroke him when he allows, play with him to distract him, maybe with a wand, and give him a special place maybe high up to escape to and feel safe. My Chrissy spent months in a bed on top of the fridge when we moved. I know it's hard. but try to act calmly when he is eating and keep trying yummy treats! All the luck and keep us posted!
 
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frankfizz

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Thank you for the advice!! It has been a rough day today. I have literally tried everything to get him to eat something.. The only thing that worked was a little bit of chicken and some cat milk. I have put feliway in the room and have tried to feed him baby food too..with no luck :( I have also put rescue remedy in his water and in his stomach.
It's just so weird because he's drinking water and using the litter box and always acts like he wants to eat but once food is in front of him he won't eat it. He is still pretty playful and vocal. He is also eating cat grass as well. At this point I will be taking him to the vet tomorrow, which I was trying to avoid because it will just add so much more stress on him :(:( I just don't know what else to do!
 

lavishsqualor

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I think you've made the right decision.  The vet will be able to give him an appetite stimulant that will surely help.

Good luck and let us know how he does!
 
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frankfizz

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Just wanted to give an update in case anyone else has this problem with their cat. We took Fuzz to the vet and got the blood work done to see if he had any health problems. The vet said that he was all around healthy and the blood work came back as normal, except for a slight fever that Fuzz had. The vet did give him an appetite stimulant, which has been amazing!! He is now eating normally again and everything has been going well with Fuzz! I guess it was just chronic stress that made him lose his appetite! We took Fuzz to a strictly cat hospital and the vet there was amazing!! She knew so much and was so gentle with Fuzz. I felt that I was more nervous than Fuzz at some points haha. To anyone else having this problem- take your cat to a cat hospital just to make sure everything is okay with him/her. Trust me it will make you feel so much better and it will help your little fury friend :)
 
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