This might be a little long, I apologize ahead of time I just want to get all the details in.
We closed on a house last Monday and we are now pretty much done moving in. We spent the first few days, Tuesday-Saturday getting the house ready. During those days we were away from our apartment longer than normal so Dori was alone longer than she normally is. Also on those evenings once we got done at the house and we got back to the apartment I would work on packing boxes. Dori started getting a little anxious then, but she was still eating and everything fine. Then Sunday was the big moving day. I closed Dori inside one room in the apartment so she wouldn't escape through the front door. It was very hectic, we managed to get everything moved to the new place. That evening I brought Dori over to the new house in her carrier. I closed her inside one of the new bedrooms while we moved everything in. She meowed constantly so I let her out of that one room, but I closed the hallway door so that basically confined her to half the house, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Then after everyone left I opened the door and let her explore.
I know that I probably did that all wrong
I should have let her out and introduced her slowly, but she was meowing so much when she was confined and then she did seem fine when I let her out, I thought she was ok. She spent a lot of time exploring that first evening, but seemed ok. She used her litter box (which I brought over with the same litter in it), and even slept with me just like normal that night. I didn't go to work Monday and spent the day unpacking and she seemed fine that day as well, she explored some more.
Ok, now here goes the problem... I normally free feed Dori Innova light dry and give her Merrick wet in the morning. She normally can not wait for me to get up and feed her.
-Monday morning I couldn't feed her right when I got up because the box with her wet food in it was still packed somewhere. I went to the grocery store and got her old favorite, wet Friskies turkey and cheese. She ate it just fine. But that entire day she never touched her dry food. I figured she was just adjusting and would be ok.
- Tuesday morning she did not run and get up when the alarm went off as usual to eat. She stayed in bed until I got out. I put her Friskies wet down again, she ate a little, but still did not touch her dry all day. I was worried so that night I gave her a little more Friskies wet. She ate it.
- Wednesday morning I gave her Friskies wet again and she ate just a little of it. That night I gave her dry food and broke up some of her Wildside Salmon treats inside the dry and she ate a bit of that as well, but not much. She showed no excitment like she normally does when she gets her food.
- This morning I gave her the Merrick wet, which is her normal food. She wouldn't touch it. I brought it back to my bedroom and sat down with her and her food bowl. I pet her and managed to get her to eat a bit of it, but it still wasn't very much at all. She wouldn't eat the dry food at all, not even with the Wildside Salmon in it.
I have realized the barely touching her food started Tuesday when I went back to work. I have been leaving her free roam of the house and today when I left for work I put dry food in a bowl in my room, next to her fountain and I left food and water in the kitchen as well where it normally goes. This house is twice the size of the apartment, so I thought it best for now to leave out 2 bowls.
I called her vet this morning and asked them about her behavior. They suggested that tomorrow when I go to work to close her in one of the bedrooms for the day with her litter box on one side of the room, food on the other, and any toys or blankets she likes in there as well. They said the problem may be that with all the change and our schedules being out of the ordinary that once I started back to work Dori got anxious and was probably looking around the house for me, not knowing if I had stepped out for a minute or for the day. She doesn't want me to bring Dori in because she doesn't want to stress her out more.
I don't know what to do about the food. Should I keep trying the Friskies wet, it's like a treat to her, she eats it, but then I worry she will never go back to her normal food. But at the same time, I know how important it is thatcats don't go long without eating before Hepatic Lipidosis sets in and I don't want to risk that.
Oh and I forgot to mention, Dori is very restless right now. She does sleep with me all night, but when we are up she walks around meowing constantly. I have noticed that when I pick her up her ears always feel warm.
I am thinking I need to go buy a Feliway diffuser today and close her in one room tomorrow, I just feel bad because she cries so much when she is closed in a room, she actually HATES it even if we close the bathroom door.
If anyone can give me any suggestions on what to do I would very much appreciate it.
We closed on a house last Monday and we are now pretty much done moving in. We spent the first few days, Tuesday-Saturday getting the house ready. During those days we were away from our apartment longer than normal so Dori was alone longer than she normally is. Also on those evenings once we got done at the house and we got back to the apartment I would work on packing boxes. Dori started getting a little anxious then, but she was still eating and everything fine. Then Sunday was the big moving day. I closed Dori inside one room in the apartment so she wouldn't escape through the front door. It was very hectic, we managed to get everything moved to the new place. That evening I brought Dori over to the new house in her carrier. I closed her inside one of the new bedrooms while we moved everything in. She meowed constantly so I let her out of that one room, but I closed the hallway door so that basically confined her to half the house, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Then after everyone left I opened the door and let her explore.
I know that I probably did that all wrong
Ok, now here goes the problem... I normally free feed Dori Innova light dry and give her Merrick wet in the morning. She normally can not wait for me to get up and feed her.
-Monday morning I couldn't feed her right when I got up because the box with her wet food in it was still packed somewhere. I went to the grocery store and got her old favorite, wet Friskies turkey and cheese. She ate it just fine. But that entire day she never touched her dry food. I figured she was just adjusting and would be ok.
- Tuesday morning she did not run and get up when the alarm went off as usual to eat. She stayed in bed until I got out. I put her Friskies wet down again, she ate a little, but still did not touch her dry all day. I was worried so that night I gave her a little more Friskies wet. She ate it.
- Wednesday morning I gave her Friskies wet again and she ate just a little of it. That night I gave her dry food and broke up some of her Wildside Salmon treats inside the dry and she ate a bit of that as well, but not much. She showed no excitment like she normally does when she gets her food.
- This morning I gave her the Merrick wet, which is her normal food. She wouldn't touch it. I brought it back to my bedroom and sat down with her and her food bowl. I pet her and managed to get her to eat a bit of it, but it still wasn't very much at all. She wouldn't eat the dry food at all, not even with the Wildside Salmon in it.
I have realized the barely touching her food started Tuesday when I went back to work. I have been leaving her free roam of the house and today when I left for work I put dry food in a bowl in my room, next to her fountain and I left food and water in the kitchen as well where it normally goes. This house is twice the size of the apartment, so I thought it best for now to leave out 2 bowls.
I called her vet this morning and asked them about her behavior. They suggested that tomorrow when I go to work to close her in one of the bedrooms for the day with her litter box on one side of the room, food on the other, and any toys or blankets she likes in there as well. They said the problem may be that with all the change and our schedules being out of the ordinary that once I started back to work Dori got anxious and was probably looking around the house for me, not knowing if I had stepped out for a minute or for the day. She doesn't want me to bring Dori in because she doesn't want to stress her out more.
I don't know what to do about the food. Should I keep trying the Friskies wet, it's like a treat to her, she eats it, but then I worry she will never go back to her normal food. But at the same time, I know how important it is thatcats don't go long without eating before Hepatic Lipidosis sets in and I don't want to risk that.
Oh and I forgot to mention, Dori is very restless right now. She does sleep with me all night, but when we are up she walks around meowing constantly. I have noticed that when I pick her up her ears always feel warm.
I am thinking I need to go buy a Feliway diffuser today and close her in one room tomorrow, I just feel bad because she cries so much when she is closed in a room, she actually HATES it even if we close the bathroom door.
If anyone can give me any suggestions on what to do I would very much appreciate it.
