# Cat not eating, but otherwise normal



## cubfan82 (May 6, 2013)

This is my first post (not counting my introduction post). I’ve been looking through this forum for the past couple days, and I’ve been very impressed by the knowledge everyone seems to have, so I’m hoping someone can help me. This may turn out to be long, but I’ll try my best to be concise. Last Thursday, I unexpectedly ended up taking in a third cat, who I’ve named Jax. A friend of a co-worker of mine had been feeding him since he showed up at her house a week or so ago. The person who was feeding him was leaving town, so I decided to take Jax in and give him a home because the thought of him not getting any food all weekend and being out in the rain just broke my heart. That night, my 9 year old cat Libby ate her food as usual, but then threw it up later. She didn’t eat anything Friday morning. Friday night, she ate a little bit, but then threw up again. She then didn’t eat anything all weekend or yesterday. She’s drinking water and still playful, not acting lethargic at all. I took her to my vet yesterday, and as far as he could tell, she’s completely fine. He gave her a couple shots (one was B12, and I can’t remember the other one) in hopes that it would stimulate her appetite. 

This morning, she was obviously hungry, roaming around the kitchen, meowing at me, getting under my feet, etc. When I put food in her bowl, she sniffed it, but wouldn’t eat it. I left the bag of food on the kitchen floor while I went to give Jax and my other cat, Bear, some food (Bear’s been having the hardest time with Jax’s arrival, so I’ve been feeding him by the door of the room I’m keeping Jax in). When I came back to the kitchen, Libby had knocked the bag of food over and was eating directly from the bag. She then hissed at Bear when he came over to investigate, which she never does. On one hand, I was so happy to see her eating, but on the other, I’m not sure what to do tonight if she continues to show no interest in the food in her bowl. I’m worried that this is a stress reaction to Jax’s presence, but I’m not sure how to go about fixing it. Does anyone have any thoughts?


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Yes, it could easily be a stress reaction. This hissing would be misdirected aggression from the new cat. Many cats can take a lot of work getting to know each other! Have you read about how to properly introduce cats? Stress, hissing, attacking even, is pretty common at first with new cats. Cats don't like new cats in their territory and it takes time for them to adjust.

Another suggestion may be that after the first throw up, for whatever reason, she was now hungry and ate the next meal too quickly.


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## cubfan82 (May 6, 2013)

I have read up on how to introduce cats. It feels like that's all I've been reading lately, lol. I was prepared for hissing, growling, etc., but I just didn't know how to handle the not eating. Libby's a very finicky eater. She refuses to eat wet food (or at least, I haven't found a kind she likes), and she doesn't like treats, so I basically just stick to her dry food. My big fear is that I'll get home tonight, and she'll be acting hungry, but show no interest in the food in her bowl. I basically have no idea what to do to entice her to eat when she's obviously hungry.


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## westfayetteville (Sep 22, 2011)

Something you could try is give her Pepcid AC 10mg(must be AC - active ingredient famotadine) Ideally given 20-30 minutes before feeding, the dose is 1/4 tablet twice a day (BID).

If she is upset about the new cat, this might settle her stomach and she may be more inclind to eat


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