New Cat Not Eating Much

[ashley3496]

Hello! I'm new here. My husband and I just adopted a cat four days ago, and she has been wonderful. It of course was and still is an adjustment for everyone, but she's so loving and playful, and we're completely smitten. We're getting concerned, though, because she's not eating as much as she's supposed to. We've given her both dry and wet food, and she seems to prefer the dry. But even then, she only eats a little before walking away. I'd say that she's only eating half of what she needs for her weight. She does usually eat treats when we give them to her, but she sometimes refuses them too. I know she's still adjusting and dealing with the stress of a new home, but is there anything we can do to get her to eat more?

 

[maggiedemi]

Cats can be really picky. You might have to try different brands and textures. What brand are you feeding?

 

[duckpond]

She will still be adjusting, you are correct.

With my guys i feed 2 wet meals per day, as much as they want. and i leave a low carb dry food out all the time. My boys eat less often, and more at one time. the girls eat 10 or 12 times a day, but very little at one time. She may be a nibbler like my girls.

As long as they seem to be eating, not begging for food, no litter box issues or throwing up, no one loosing weight, or gaining to much, then i don't worry. Some days they seem to eat a lot, someday not much at all. I think they regulate depending on their activity and what they need.

What foods are you feeding? does she seem to like the food? You could always try a different brand and see if she likes it better.

 

[ashley3496]

I'm feeding her Natural Balance Limited Ingredient for the dry food and Blue Wilderness canned food. She seems to prefer the dry food. She just licks the wet food. She does seem to be a nibbler. Whenever she eats, it's just a few bites.

 

[abyeb]

This would be something that I would recommend mentioning to your vet. Likely, her appetite loss is simply pickiness or stress-induced, but I would advise checking in with your vet, to rule out any potential underlying medical issues. Has she had her post-adoption check-up yet?

Regarding stress, here’s an article that gives great advice: Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats

 

[ashley3496]

Regarding stress, here’s an article that gives great advice: Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats[/QUOTE]

Thanks! I've been trying to focus on limiting her stress as much as possible because it's such a hard transition, but I hadn't thought about how my own stress could affect her.

I haven't taken her to the vet yet. Her foster mom took her soon before I adopted her, but I should probably take her in soon anyway.

 

[ashley3496]

We actually got her to eat a real meal last night! We mixed some tuna into her food, and she ate most of it. I also realized I was being dumb with the placement of her food and water. They were near the tv, which she was terrified of when we first got her. She's handling tv much better now, but I'm sure she still didn't like getting that close to it. We moved her food and water to opposite sides of her cat tree, and she ate her food and even drank from her water fountain for the first time.

She still hasn't eaten as much as I'd like so far today, but I've noticed that she always takes a few bites of food when I come home for lunch or when I get home in the evening. She came from a foster house with several other cats, so I'm wondering if she's just not used to eating alone.

 

[Steph42q]

What you're describing is exactly what I went through when I adopted my 2 year old cat recently, right down to just licking the wet food and eating slightly more but still not enough. It's absolutely terrifying when your cat won't eat. I ended up getting an appetite stimulant from the vet, which works by jump-starting their appetite. She only needed one dose to get her appetite on track. Now I'm have the opposite problem of her eating too fast. Little stinker!

 

[ashley3496]

What you're describing is exactly what I went through when I adopted my 2 year old cat recently, right down to just licking the wet food and eating slightly more but still not enough. It's absolutely terrifying when your cat won't eat. I ended up getting an appetite stimulant from the vet, which works by jump-starting their appetite. She only needed one dose to get her appetite on track. Now I'm have the opposite problem of her eating too fast. Little stinker!

That's hilarious! It's nice to hear from someone who went through the same thing. My cat is improving, but she's still not eating as much as I'd like, so I'll probably give it a few more days and then see a vet if she's still not eating enough.

 

[xcourtney3]

Try different foods. She may not like what you're feeding her. Why are you feeding limited ingredient?

 

[maggiedemi]

I'd try some different brands of canned food. My cats are notoriously picky too.

 

[sunflower7]

I agree with those who say to try different foods. Do some research ( on here and on your own) and get maybe 5 or 6 brands to try - the small cans. she which ones she likes better- chicken, turkey, etc and also which style- pates, shreds, etc. and I'd feed 3-4 times a day, small amounts. some cats like that better than "big" meals.