wont eat

Question
7 year old cat who does not like noise and alot of people around. I think he was abuse before we got him. started friday night not wanted to eat much. He will only eat less than a quarter of a can of fancy feast and no more twice  a day. We have a new baby in the house who is 12 days old. Could this be the problem and how can we fix it. Please help!!!!!

Answer
Sharon,

I would bet that your 7 year old cat is jealous of the new baby.  I suggest to people that when a new arrival comes, lavish the established pet(s) with extra affection and treats.  This way they associate the new "sibling" as a good thing.  Often there is so much attention given to the new baby, the established pet(s) gets ignored and has some jealousy issues.

I would try giving the cat extra affection and lots of treats first.  A couple of really good treats cats love are meat baby food (just meat and broth, no added salt, onion or garlic) or pouches tuna, salmon, chicken or turkey.

If this does not work, you might take the cat over to the vet to see if there is a physical problem.  The vet can give him medication (vitamin B12 shot or cyprohepridine or vallium) to help stimulate the appetite.

Please keep me posted.

Best regards... Norm.