Help once confident cat feel happy again

[Babypinkweeb]

This is kind of a small thing I noticed but I am a worrywart parent so... Sorry if this is kind of silly!

Long story short, my sweet cat used to be pretty confident and walks with his tail up. After an unsuccessful second cat matchup (I know intros are hard and long but I really don't think it would have worked once I found out more about personality of 2nd cat) I noticed my boy has become more nervous and just not as confident as before. The 2nd cat isn't here anymore btw.

Now when he walks around he always has his tail down, only goes up when I call him or pet him. He also doesn't fully relax as much as he used to. Thankfully he is slowly returning to his previous favorite spots around the apartment, and is actually more affectionate with us than ever, but I want to do something to boost his mojo. He isn't really food motivated, and has always been a low energy cat so he just watches toys (he's 11 now). He has plenty of tall perches by big windows. I pet him and give him attention but he's also not too clingy so I don't wanna smother him.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Pjg8r]

How long has the second cat been gone? It’s likely your boy still expects to encounter the other cat somewhere in your home and is cautious. The smells of the other cat are still in your home. It might help if you take a towel and rub it on your cat and then rub the towel on surfaces around your home to remark it as his territory

 

[rubysmama]

How long was the 2nd cat there, and how long has it been gone? Did the behaviour you're seeing now start while the other cat was there, or after it left? You mentioned that he's not food motivated, but is he eating normally? Using the litter box ok?

Here's a TCS article on stress that you might want to read.
Stress in Cats – The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles

Stress can cause both behaviour and health issues, so if you feel something isn't right, don't hesitate to contact your vet for advice. It's always best to err on the side of caution.

Here's one more article you might want to scan through:
35 Signs That Your Cat May Be In Pain – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Babypinkweeb]

How long has the second cat been gone? It’s likely your boy still expects to encounter the other cat somewhere in your home and is cautious. The smells of the other cat are still in your home. It might help if you take a towel and rub it on your cat and then rub the towel on surfaces around your home to remark it as his territory

The cat has been gone for about a week. The 2nd cat, although acted very confident and kind of bossy, wasn't big on rubbing her face on any places outside of her safe room. I will do that suggestion though. He can still go around and even into the safe room, but I can tell sometimes hes kind of watching his back.

How long was the 2nd cat there, and how long has it been gone? Did the behaviour you're seeing now start while the other cat was there, or after it left? You mentioned that he's not food motivated, but is he eating normally? Using the litter box ok?

Here's a TCS article on stress that you might want to read.
Stress in Cats – The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles

Stress can cause both behaviour and health issues, so if you feel something isn't right, don't hesitate to contact your vet for advice. It's always best to err on the side of caution.

Here's one more article you might want to scan through:
35 Signs That Your Cat May Be In Pain – TheCatSite Articles

The cat was here for a month and a half, and she's been gone for a week now. He started his change around 2/3rd of the way thru, after we started free roam with them in the same space. They had no more issues with scent/gate feeding and could eat treats face to face 1 inch away thru the gate before I started free roam. At first he wanted to sniff her but she went from hissing to keep him away, to eventually actively seeking him out to kick them out of his spots by hiss/loud meow/smacking him. He went from wanting to be around her to being so scared he climbed a shelf just to walk around her which he never does. He winces sometimes just noticing her. He stopped eating normally as even tho there was no hissing or fighting during feeding thru gate, just being near her and seeing her made him so nervous he would literally lick maybe a teaspoon of food before walking away and sleeping in a cave bed. He started eating normally maybe the 2nd day after she was gone and already has his previous appetite back a week after she was gone. He also vomited 2x a day, 2 days in a row right before we brought her back. All these changes in behavior and health concerns (for an 11 yr cat who has always been consistent) were too big of a red flag for me to justify keeping the 2nd cat. The 2nd cat has not ever hid or shown fear to him and has always intiated any smacks or small fights with him. Litter box has always been ok!

I have booked a vet appointment for this coming Monday for him. He is back to his old self except still more nervous than usual. His stress and eating issues from the 2nd cat has caused him to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time (his waist curves in too much now). He's eating happily again thankfully. I will read those 2 articles carefully!

 

[rubysmama]

Oh, your poor little guy, wanting to be friends with the new cat, and the new cat being a bully. It does sound like he's doing better, and hopefully the vet will say he's fine, but it can't hurt just to get him checked out.

 

[maggie101]

How long was the 2nd cat there, and how long has it been gone? Did the behaviour you're seeing now start while the other cat was there, or after it left? You mentioned that he's not food motivated, but is he eating normally? Using the litter box ok?

Here's a TCS article on stress that you might want to read.
Stress in Cats – The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles

Stress can cause both behaviour and health issues, so if you feel something isn't right, don't hesitate to contact your vet for advice. It's always best to err on the side of caution.

Here's one more article you might want to scan through:
35 Signs That Your Cat May Be In Pain – TheCatSite Articles

Yes! That's how I found out something was wrong with Maggie. I thought it was just stress but end up being something else. She was acting different

 

[Babypinkweeb]

Yes! That's how I found out something was wrong with Maggie. I thought it was just stress but end up being something else. She was acting different

Yikes! Fingers crossed good news on vet visit then! Right now he's acting bossy meowing in the kitchen since his food has been out for an hour and is obviously no longer fresh enough

 

[Furballsmom]

Try some cat music, it can be surprisingly effective in helping cats to be more calm

 

[maggie101]

Or singing! I sing to Duran Duran and she kneeds her paws. I guess it's my quiet voice. Don't want my neighbors to hear me sing!

 

[Babypinkweeb]

I do play cat music for him when the tv isn't in use! I don't think he likes singing much even when it's soft haha maybe we both just suck at it. He will look at us with judgemental eyes before going to another room

 

[maggie101]

She does not like anyone with a deep voice. We all have are preference!