Hi!
Can anyone give me some ideas as to what could be wrong with my cat?
We left on a trip for about 10 days and returned about one week ago...
When we came home, I thought that everything seemed fine and that all of my pets seemed okay.
Just yesterday I began to notice that one of my cats seems to not be acting himself. At first I was thinking that maybe he was mad at us for leaving, or that he was scared having had someone else coming and going taking care of him while we were gone, but the more I got to thinking about it, I remember that he had been doing "normal" things for a few days after I had been home. I am not sure when he stopped acting "normal" as I only noticed yesterday. I have 4 cats, so maybe I didn't notice if it were a day or so before that...
Here are some examples:
The biggest thing that stands out to me is the fact that he isn't coming running to the sound of soft cat food being opened. He always does.
I haven't even really noticed him coming out to eat much at all. In fact, for the last two evenings, I have taken food to him. At first when he sees it, he runs out to eat it, takes a few bites, but then turns and walks away. Though, when I offered cream (just to see), he lapped it up...not all, but a bit.
When I checked this AM to see if he had eaten his food overnight, though, he had. It was gone. The strange thing is that he always usually RUNS for the food when he hears the can and he is the cat that would normally eat a ton if I had food down all of the time (which I would if my one-year-old didn't come to dump it over all thru the day...lol). Now, he seems to wait for me to bring it.
Also, he seems somewhat timid. I mean, he is always a little "cautious" around the kids, because they annoy him, but now when I go in to visit him ("in" because he seemed to hang out in my bedroom all day today), he is very affectionate to me..even rolls over for a tummy pet..but when my son followed me in, he scurried away. What is that?
Also, after he snubbed his food tonight when i first brought it to him, he went and hid under my bed...Not all of the way but just enough to be under the bed, looking out. When I called him out, he came right out purring, but when he heard my son coming, he went back under.
I know this isn't a matter of my son doing something to him, because he usually doesn't run from him/them. If anything, he just waits to see if my son is going to annoy him and gets ready to scratch if he wants...so I am always watching my son around him...so neither one gets hurt.
I am just not sure what to think. I know that he had been lounging out in the living room as usual after we got home...I know that he had hung out in the evening in my older son's room at least one or two nights (as usual) since we had been back...So, I am not sure when this change took place exactly...Now he seems to hang out in my bedroom all day and evening.
If he is sick or something, what could this be a sign of? I don't think I have noticed vomiting, but then again, he and another cat of mine vomit hairballs frequently and so if i had, then I maybe didn't notice much as that wouldn't have seemed a big deal...or at least not out of ordinary.
Do cats act like this if they have eaten something they shouldn't have? I am planning to take him in to a vet, but I am stressing out, so I thought I would ask here....Could this strange behavior with his food be a sign of something terrible?
Anyway, I know this all may not seem like a big deal, but it just seems strange as all of my cats have their "normal routines" and behavior and this just doesn't seem like the same cat.
Any advice or ideas welcome....
Thanks!
Dakota
Can anyone give me some ideas as to what could be wrong with my cat?
We left on a trip for about 10 days and returned about one week ago...
When we came home, I thought that everything seemed fine and that all of my pets seemed okay.
Just yesterday I began to notice that one of my cats seems to not be acting himself. At first I was thinking that maybe he was mad at us for leaving, or that he was scared having had someone else coming and going taking care of him while we were gone, but the more I got to thinking about it, I remember that he had been doing "normal" things for a few days after I had been home. I am not sure when he stopped acting "normal" as I only noticed yesterday. I have 4 cats, so maybe I didn't notice if it were a day or so before that...
Here are some examples:
The biggest thing that stands out to me is the fact that he isn't coming running to the sound of soft cat food being opened. He always does.
I haven't even really noticed him coming out to eat much at all. In fact, for the last two evenings, I have taken food to him. At first when he sees it, he runs out to eat it, takes a few bites, but then turns and walks away. Though, when I offered cream (just to see), he lapped it up...not all, but a bit.
When I checked this AM to see if he had eaten his food overnight, though, he had. It was gone. The strange thing is that he always usually RUNS for the food when he hears the can and he is the cat that would normally eat a ton if I had food down all of the time (which I would if my one-year-old didn't come to dump it over all thru the day...lol). Now, he seems to wait for me to bring it.
Also, he seems somewhat timid. I mean, he is always a little "cautious" around the kids, because they annoy him, but now when I go in to visit him ("in" because he seemed to hang out in my bedroom all day today), he is very affectionate to me..even rolls over for a tummy pet..but when my son followed me in, he scurried away. What is that?
Also, after he snubbed his food tonight when i first brought it to him, he went and hid under my bed...Not all of the way but just enough to be under the bed, looking out. When I called him out, he came right out purring, but when he heard my son coming, he went back under.
I know this isn't a matter of my son doing something to him, because he usually doesn't run from him/them. If anything, he just waits to see if my son is going to annoy him and gets ready to scratch if he wants...so I am always watching my son around him...so neither one gets hurt.
I am just not sure what to think. I know that he had been lounging out in the living room as usual after we got home...I know that he had hung out in the evening in my older son's room at least one or two nights (as usual) since we had been back...So, I am not sure when this change took place exactly...Now he seems to hang out in my bedroom all day and evening.
If he is sick or something, what could this be a sign of? I don't think I have noticed vomiting, but then again, he and another cat of mine vomit hairballs frequently and so if i had, then I maybe didn't notice much as that wouldn't have seemed a big deal...or at least not out of ordinary.
Do cats act like this if they have eaten something they shouldn't have? I am planning to take him in to a vet, but I am stressing out, so I thought I would ask here....Could this strange behavior with his food be a sign of something terrible?
Anyway, I know this all may not seem like a big deal, but it just seems strange as all of my cats have their "normal routines" and behavior and this just doesn't seem like the same cat.
Any advice or ideas welcome....
Thanks!
Dakota
