Kitten wont come to play/eat unless fetched 1.31.08

Question
My kitten Boo Boo Kitty just came out of heat last night 1/30/08, today I'm noticing she's just laying around, won't come for food or play, which is unusual - she's the first to attack the toy/jump on the counter when food's ready and is the most fearless of all 3 kittens. I tried to entice her to play and after a minute she'll get up out the basket but won't chase the toy. She may have hurt her leg, being the most fearless she performs stunts no cat in their right mind would try to do. Her ears are perked/alert but I am worried cause her nose is also very dry. I know you're not experts but any advise is gratefully welcomed.

Answer
Donna,

This site screens their experts very carefully. I have fostered and cared for hundreds of cats and kittens. I have some knowledge in dealing with behavioral issues. I am not a vet and even if I were I would not make a diagnosis on the internet because physical exams can't be performed that way.

How old is Boo Boo? She may potentially be ill with some sort of health issue completely unrelated to her heat cycle and there are many illnesses with lethargy and change of character for symptoms. Does Boo Boo have any other symptoms other than just not being her usual playful self? Is Boo Boo eating, drinking, and using the litterbox normally? These are all important things that will help determine what is wrong with her if anything. Given that your kitty's symptoms are kind of non specific your vet may need to do blood and urine testing as well as any number of diagnostic tests to determine if everything is functioning well within the body.

Is there any chance that Boo Boo may have mated? If that is the case she may well be tired and quieter than usual because she is pregnant. The other possibility that you need to consider is a uterine infection. Does she have any vaginal discharge or a fever? I would suggest that you have Boo Boo to the vet because if she has a uterine infection usually called pyometra in veterinary medicine she needs to be treated as soon as possible. Pyometra is caused by the repeated exposure to female hormones during her heat cycle. In addition to being less perky as I mentioned before they can sometimes have vaginal discharge, a fever, lethargy, increased water consumption.

If she is not limping I would not be as inclined to think that an injury is the cause, but again you will need a vet to confirm whether or not there is a fracture of her leg. The change in character so soon after a heat cycle makes me wonder if what is going on is related to her hormones which is why I am suggesting that she visit a vet to rule out the pyometra and pregnancy - it is a bit early to tell if Boo Boo is pregnant as the kittens would not show up on x-ray just yet. You mention that there are other kittens in the house - are they spayed and neutered? If not she may have been served.

Due to the serious overpopulation issues with random bred cats and kittens in animal shelters I would suggest that Boo Boo be spayed. There are several health advantages to having your cats spayed and neutered. Firstly the risk of unwanted babies is eliminated. Spaying and neutering also eliminate the risks of infections, sexually transmitted infections (yes they exist in cats too), reproductive cancers, behavioral issues (such as spraying, wandering, fighting, etc) as well as cutting out the annoyance of cats in heat.

Hopefully this offers some possibilities for you to look at. My overall suggestion is that Boo Boo is seen as quickly as possible by your veterinarian to find out what has caused this abrupt change of character. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.