My Cat Won't Eat, Drink, Or Use The Bathroom After Moving

redtabbylover

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I'm a firm believer in the idea that my cat is indeed the best kitty ever. He is friendly to everyone, he eats nicely, has never had an accident (even when he has diarrhea or vomits he does it in his litter box), never scratches anything but his scratching posts, is basically afraid of nothing, and loves going for walks while under supervision. And that's the main reason why I'm so worried about him- he's perfect! He's a one year old male red tabby Persian who has never moved before. For the first few hours of being in the house he just cowered in his litter box (the only thing in the house other than his smallest cat tree that was in the old apartment). This is something he has never done before. I tried giving him a treat, which usually calms him down. He refused to eat it. I tried putting him in a room with his things and a closed door. Within a few hours he asked to be let out. Now he is exploring the house. I tried to give him his dinner- ocean white fish Freshpet with lysine, what he gets every night- and he did the same thing that he would do at our old apartment- roll around on his back and lick his paws- but he just walked away when I put the dish down. I tried hand feeding him- I always hand feed his lunch, but never dinner- but to no avail. He is also refusing to use the litter box even though it is the same brand of litter and same box. It has only been about 10 hours since he came to the new house, but I'm already worried. He's such a laid back, smart kitty. Any ideas of what I can do to get him to eat, drink, and use the bathroom? I've already tried the lock-in-a-room method, as stated and can't seem to find any other methods around. Thank you!
 

tabbytom

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Hello redtabbylover, you've just moved and the everything's new to your kitty. He is just wearied of the new surroundings. Just give him some time to acclimatize to the new place and let him check out the house at his own pace.

I would not lock him up in a room but rather let him be. He'll know where is a safe spot as he has already displayed it by cowering in his litter box. Reason is that is currently the only familiar scent he has and that make him safe.

So do t worry and don't hurry him. He'll be back to normal once he mapped out the place :wink:
 
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redtabbylover

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Hello redtabbylover, you've just moved and the everything's new to your kitty. He is just wearied of the new surroundings. Just give him some time to acclimatize to the new place and let him check out the house at his own pace.

I would not lock him up in a room but rather let him be. He'll know where is a safe spot as he has already displayed it by cowering in his litter box. Reason is that is currently the only familiar scent he has and that make him safe.

So do t worry and don't hurry him. He'll be back to normal once he mapped out the place :wink:
Thank you for replying! I only locked him in the room because that's what was recommended, but looking back at it it wasn't the best thing to do for his personality. Happily, though I've managed to get him to eat. I hand-fed him his favorite wet treat with nutrient supplements. A bit odd, but anything to make him eat. :lol:He still hasn't used to bathroom and is meowing a lot, though. It probably is normal, but I'm very easily worried about my baby. Have a good day. :)
 

loonieluna

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He's stressed about being in a new place. It will take a little time for him to get used to the idea that this is his new home so I would just let him explore the house and get to know the place. Its good to hear that he ate. I would leave a little bit of dry food out that he likes alongside his regular meals. That way, if he didn't eat enough of his wet food/meal, he can come back when he's more hungry and eat the dry food until his next mealtime. Only until he is used to the house and has gotten into his normal routine.

As for the litter, MAKE SURE HE IS HYDRATED! I cannot emphasize that enough. I would physically give him water every hour or so if he isn't drinking at all. Just get him into the area his water is, refill the water dish in front of him (assuming the his water dish is in the kitchen) and then give it to him. He will likely drink it if you give it to him that way and he'll be using the bathroom soon enough! Got this trick from my kitten who loves to knock the water dish over after shes done drinking it and play with the spilled water. To avoid the mess, we manually give her water every few hours and she has never been so hydrated. This way she can't forget to drink the water. She still manages to make a mess though! But don't worry at all! Your kitty is absolutely fine!
 
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redtabbylover

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He's stressed about being in a new place. It will take a little time for him to get used to the idea that this is his new home so I would just let him explore the house and get to know the place. Its good to hear that he ate. I would leave a little bit of dry food out that he likes alongside his regular meals. That way, if he didn't eat enough of his wet food/meal, he can come back when he's more hungry and eat the dry food until his next mealtime. Only until he is used to the house and has gotten into his normal routine.

As for the litter, MAKE SURE HE IS HYDRATED! I cannot emphasize that enough. I would physically give him water every hour or so if he isn't drinking at all. Just get him into the area his water is, refill the water dish in front of him (assuming the his water dish is in the kitchen) and then give it to him. He will likely drink it if you give it to him that way and he'll be using the bathroom soon enough! Got this trick from my kitten who loves to knock the water dish over after shes done drinking it and play with the spilled water. To avoid the mess, we manually give her water every few hours and she has never been so hydrated. This way she can't forget to drink the water. She still manages to make a mess though! But don't worry at all! Your kitty is absolutely fine!
Thanks for the response! He went to the bathroom- peed- but has still yet to drink any water! :( I've tried filling the bowl in front if him, but he still won't drink. How do you manually give your kitty water? I'm worried that he'll dehydrate himself.
 

loonieluna

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Ya I do. I just hold the dish in front of him high enough that he doesn't have to bend down too much. Or maybe try different heights. Whatever works best for your cat. We only really have to do this with our cat when she's being really super fussy with not drinking water which isn't too often. Then again, my cat hasn't recently moved to a strange new place so that might also be affecting his thirst drive. Try giving him some tasty canned tuna water.
 

Kitty Willis

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I'm a firm believer in the idea that my cat is indeed the best kitty ever. He is friendly to everyone, he eats nicely, has never had an accident (even when he has diarrhea or vomits he does it in his litter box), never scratches anything but his scratching posts, is basically afraid of nothing, and loves going for walks while under supervision. And that's the main reason why I'm so worried about him- he's perfect! He's a one year old male red tabby Persian who has never moved before. For the first few hours of being in the house he just cowered in his litter box (the only thing in the house other than his smallest cat tree that was in the old apartment). This is something he has never done before. I tried giving him a treat, which usually calms him down. He refused to eat it. I tried putting him in a room with his things and a closed door. Within a few hours he asked to be let out. Now he is exploring the house. I tried to give him his dinner- ocean white fish Freshpet with lysine, what he gets every night- and he did the same thing that he would do at our old apartment- roll around on his back and lick his paws- but he just walked away when I put the dish down. I tried hand feeding him- I always hand feed his lunch, but never dinner- but to no avail. He is also refusing to use the litter box even though it is the same brand of litter and same box. It has only been about 10 hours since he came to the new house, but I'm already worried. He's such a laid back, smart kitty. Any ideas of what I can do to get him to eat, drink, and use the bathroom? I've already tried the lock-in-a-room method, as stated and can't seem to find any other methods around. Thank you!
New place, new smells, new home......have some catnip, treats and spread all of the furrbabies toys around the new place so they can become more comfortable with the new surroundings. Always remember, cats hate change LOL
 

orange&white

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If he's eaten some of his wet food and has now used the litter box, then it sounds like he is adjusting all right. Keep an eye on the water thing, but if most of his diet is wet food he should be getting enough.
 

tabbytom

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Thanks for the response! He went to the bathroom- peed- but has still yet to drink any water! :( I've tried filling the bowl in front if him, but he still won't drink. How do you manually give your kitty water? I'm worried that he'll dehydrate himself.
Keep an eye on the water thing, but if most of his diet is wet food he should be getting enough.
Just like what orange&white mentioned, if most of his diet is wet food, he should be getting enough. But I need add that some wet food are more to the gravy type and some are not and any wet food is better than dry food especially if your kitty does not drink water.

My boy is on wet food only but I still add water to his wet food as he hardly drink water, he does but occasionally. This way I know that he is well hydrated.

An Article for you to read :-

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake
 
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