Cat problems

Question
QUESTION: I have a 2 year old cat, who has been acting strangely lately. A month or two back, we got a kitten. After a week they were laying together and such.Everything was fine until this last week. Within the last week, he has started acting weird. He is always laying in one of 3 spots, and won't come out if I shake the treats. He just lays there and I have to pull him out to give him affection. Normally, he meets me at the door when I come home, and lays next to my pillow for an hour or so. He hasn't been doing these things. He is eating every day, and I saw him drinking today. Since the cat's use each others litter boxes I can't tell if he's not peeing, or pooping. I know this is a question that is asked normally. My boyfriend thinks it's because the kitten is bothering him. She attacks his tail a lot, and just pesters him like she does to us. I'm really worried about him, he's my baby. Thank you for taking the time to answer this.

ANSWER: Hi Joelle,

Because your cat and kitten were getting along ok before without causing a change in his behavior, I don't think her pestering is the cause of his depression. Lethargy and social withdrawal are two of the most common signs of illness. Most cat owners miss these signs and don't seek vet attention until the cat has stopped eating, but the cat is often pretty sick by that point.

I think you should get your kitty to the vet. I realize it can be difficult to explain what you think may be wrong with him when there are only behavioral signs, but good vets are used to seeing the way cats cope in this manner. There are some ways to diagnose what may be ailing him despite his failure to display outward signs of pain. Palpation of the throat and abdomen can detect pain in those areas. Observation of the mucous membranes can indicate inflammation, pallor, or jaundice. Listening to his lungs and heart can help to indicate that those organs are functioning properly. The bowels and bladder can be palpated to ensure they are being emptied (obstructions are life-threatening emergencies!). And assuring his temperature is normal may help rule out infection. If all is normal, some bloodwork might be suggested.

If the bloodwork is also normal, you might begin to treat this as depression. I'm still not certain the kitten would bear the blame. Some cats do fall into depressions without a known cause. But it wouldn't hurt to give him a kitten-free retreat and spend some alone time with him. I recommend using pheromone therapy and, ultimately, working with your vet to put him on an antidepressant for a short time, if necessary.

Good luck!
Jessica

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you, I got way too worked up and decided on taking him to the vet tomorrow. It just seems like he's off. He struggled with a jump onto my dresser earlier, and stays in one spot mostly. Any ideas of what that might be? I would love to give the vet as much usable info as possible.

Answer
Unfortunately, his signs are so vague that I can't give you too much insight. You can try to separate him and see if you can monitor his litter usage for better clues. He should urinate a few times a day and should probably defecate, but if he is secretly eating less, his output may be less. You can also try to see if his breath is smelly at all or if he seems to have any thick saliva. Thick, foamy saliva without an odor can indicate nausea. An odor in the mouth can indicate respiratory infections or oral infections. Thick or copious, foul smelling saliva would suggest an oral infection. For the most part, when lethargy and stanoffish behavior is the chief complaint, it seems that my cats have been dealing with a generalized infection that probably caused body aches that made it sore to move and uncomfortable to be petted. Fever is often a part of it. If his gums appear pale at all, you might want to consider having his red blood cells checked. A low RBC count is a common cause of listlessness and can be caused by parasites, bacteria, viruses, kidney problems and even cancer (though your kitty is young for the last two).