Help! Overnight cat is suddenly not as hungry as usual

[lyds]

My 9 month old cat this morning barely had a reaction to when i poured her food in a bowl. Usually, she is very loud and will run up to you from wherever you are if she hears that bag.

This morning, I couldnt even find her and turns out she was under my bed. I tried to poke her a bit to see if she would get up but she wouldn’t. It didnt take until a few tries of luring her with treats, and then once i brought her out from under the bed, she finally responded more mildly to me opening a can of wet food.

Maybe im overreacting, but i am very worried she swallowed something she wasnt supposed to? We returned to our apartment after a whole month, so im worried i missed something when cleaning.

 

[lyds]

btw she is not pregnant (spayed). she seems to be pretty much normal now, but food normally causes her big reactions.

 

[ArtNJ]

Its possible. But cats get mild illnesses just like people, and some days seem to eat less for whatever reason. So sure, continue watching. But don't distress yourself unless you see additional symptoms or this drags on some.

 

[Furballsmom]

We returned to our apartment after a whole month, so im worried i missed something when cleaning.

Hi, why were you away? How long have you
been back?

 

[ArtNJ]

Ah, I did miss that point. As usual, Furballsmom is zeroing on something important. Whether you took your cat or had a cat sitter, either way the cat likely has some distress. Things are not normal. That could easily explain temporarily eating less.

 

[Caspers Human]

Leave her food out for her, overnight, to see whether she's eating when you're not there.

If the cat has recently had a major change in her environment, her eating habits might have changed. It will, likely, take a while for her to return to her old routine.

However, if she doesn't eat for more than 48 hours, you should call the vet.

Also watch her litter box to see whether she leaves any "deposits." The amount of food she eats should be roughly equal to the amount of deposits you find in the litter box. If "input" equals "output" you're good but, if not, you've got a problem that need's a vet's advice.

If you see deposits in the box, even though she hasn't been eating while you are watching, that means she's eating when you're not around. Again, you should see evidence of this when you look at her food bowl.

Basically, cats can skip a day at the food trough and they can also skip a day at the litter box. Sometimes, cats just do this. Either they don't feel the need to eat or use the box or else something has temporarily "put them off their feed." However, skipping two days, either at the bowl or the box, means that there could be trouble.

Skipping one day means just keep an eye out.

Skipping two days means it's time to call a vet.