TEENAGE KITTEN MOODS ?

Question
Our 6-month kitten ("tame" feral) who has been with us for 6 weeks suddenly became depressed a couple of days ago and stayed in all sorts of unusual, out-of-the-way places in the house, as if hiding, not eating or drinking and not using the litter tray. We have a larger female cat that she has been getting used to, and vice versa, and they are doing very well together.  The mood change was quite sudden and started with the kitten wanting to be UNDER the bed covers with us at night, for a couple of nights beforehand. She is a little better now but is still quiet and still not playing about as she was a few days ago.  We are keeping a very close eye on her physically because she was quite ill in the beginning with flu etc, and we are taking special care of her and keeping her inside until she is fully fit for her jabs etc, which will be soon, but we do take her outside for fresh air so that she is not always confined to the house. Her feral friends live in and around the garden and she knows they are there.

The mood change was so sudden and everything else is back to normal - eating, using her tray and even "talking" to us, but she is still abnormally quiet.  Do you have any ideas - could it be feline adolescence, if it exists, and if it does, is it the right time ?  One of her favourite places with this new mood is sitting in the skylight where she can see the sky. Could she just be desperate to be outside ?  TIA

Answer
Jane, cats can be moody, but I don't think that's the only reason for her behavioral changes. I would still see your vet just to be sure. It may be nothing or it could be a sign that she is ill. Cats like high places when they don't feel comfortable, so the sky light is not a strange place to find a cat.  You may have a quirky kitty who misses being outside, but as I said she may have a little something off. My vet actually calls cats like that "ain't doin' right" or ADR kitties. One of mine did that shortly after he was neutered. He became quiet and anti social. He would even bite occasionally. He turned out, with some investigation to be constipated. Little things like that can make kitty out of sorts. Becoming introspective and quiet can sometimes mean that cats are quite sick. Your first course of action is to make a visit to your vet, give a complete history and see what they find. Be prepared that it might be nothing, but it is better to be safe than sorry. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.