Concerned about cat behavior

[ollietuxedo]

HI all,

I adopted a 6 year old male cat that needed to be rehomed and he has been with me for about 5 months now.
It has been a bit of a challenge because I have never owned a cat before and we are both prone to anxiety, but overall we have a good bond and I love him dearly.
I have been concerned about many things which I have observed in his behavior recently which include
- not eating as much especially at night
- not wanting to play much especially at night
- licks his legs and paws a lot
- does a weird thing with his mouth and tongue, hard to describe, like something yucky is in his mouth and he's trying to get it out?
- when I say " do you want breakfast/dinner?" usually he will meow enthusiastically and follow me, now he just looks at me and have to say it over and over (still gets excited about his treats though!)
- hides a lot
- doesn't want to be brushed much which he used to love
- reluctant to jump or move much
- generally seems a bit depressed

anyone have any ideas?

 

[silent meowlook]

It sounds like he needs to see a veterinarian. I would try to find a feline only hospital and get him in ASAP. Cats are great at hiding pain and illness. So, if you think something might be wrong, it definitely is. The mouth thing you described sounds like mouth pain. There might be more going on as well.

 

[LTS3]

HI all,

I adopted a 6 year old male cat that needed to be rehomed and he has been with me for about 5 months now.
It has been a bit of a challenge because I have never owned a cat before and we are both prone to anxiety, but overall we have a good bond and I love him dearly.
I have been concerned about many things which I have observed in his behavior recently which include
- not eating as much especially at night
- not wanting to play much especially at night
- licks his legs and paws a lot
- does a weird thing with his mouth and tongue, hard to describe, like something yucky is in his mouth and he's trying to get it out?
- when I say " do you want breakfast/dinner?" usually he will meow enthusiastically and follow me, now he just looks at me and have to say it over and over (still gets excited about his treats though!)
- hides a lot
- doesn't want to be brushed much which he used to love
- reluctant to jump or move much
- generally seems a bit depressed

anyone have any ideas?

Those are all signs that something is not right and a trip to the vet is needed. Vets are currently booked for weeks so call as soon as you can and get an appointment. If your cat's symptoms get worse before the appointment, call the vet and see if you can get seen sooner, or if not, a suggestion to another vet or an urgent vet care clinic that can see your cat.

The mouth thing sounds like lip smacking. That is usually a sign of nausea, sometimes dental issues. Dental issues can also cause a cat to not eat very much. I'd have the vet do a full check up and have blood work done.

 

[ollietuxedo]

Thank you for your replies silent meowlook and LTS3. I have made a vet appointment but I have to wait a couple of weeks.
I do wonder if it's a medical issue how come it's worse at night and why he has no problem eating treats, but yeah I agree best to get him check if this is a sign he has a mouth/dental issue.
Is there anything I can do in the meantime to help him? Especially to get him to eat it worries me when he doesn't eat much.

 

[Nice Loki]

The vet will find it helpful if you can log his weight a few times between now and the appointment, at the very least it will clarify if he is actually losing weight or not.
If you struggle to weigh him the easiest alternative way is to weigh yourself, then weigh yourself while holding him.

If he trusts you, you could try gently lifting the upper lip at the side of his mouth to just get a side look at his teeth, this will give you a clue as to the colour of the teeth and his gums. If that all looks good then there could be other things going on.

While you are both relaxed, just try gently feeling all over his body one bit at a time. Lift a front leg and feel along the length of it, stroke along his spine then all the way along his tail. If he is in pain in any place he will probably let you know. If he doesn't want you touching him in a specific spot never force the issue, leave it and move on. Try coming back to it another time, if he persists in avoiding touch there then make a note to let the vet know.
Vets rely on us knowing our companions very well, we are their advocates, it's a good idea for you to learn your cats foibles so you know when he is genuinely in pain.
Most cats hate having their feet touched, but with patience and time will learn to accept it. I have one cat who will let me pick her paws up, spread her toes, extend her claws, but only if I do it while she is sleepy on my lap.

As for food, without more information on what he normally eats (wet or dry, raw or cooked, how much, how often etc.), it's difficult to make suggestions.
Do you offer him a variety of flavours, textures, brands (if feeding commercial food)?
One suggestion would be to try mixing his normal wet meat with some tuna water, tuna has a really strong smell which tempts cats.
I make tuna water by getting a small can of tuna in spring water (not brine), putting it into a container and adding more tap water to it, stir it in and leave it to stand a while.

The website catinfo.org has some helpful advice about getting cats to eat and making Tuna water .
That 2nd link is to the page about pilling, but the tuna water is there as is another suggestion for using FortiFlora which a lot of cats find very tempting. FortiFlora isn't cheap though, so tuna water is probably worth trying first.
Please note that tuna is not something you should feed to your cat regularly, apart from the fact that it is not nutritionally complete, most fish have too much heavy metals for cats to deal with and the powerful scent of tuna can make cats almost addicted to it, making them refuse their usual food.