New Rescue Cat - Won't Eat

[turbo and pinky]

Hi everyone! I just adopted a new cat today from the local shelter. She is about 2 years old, brown and white patch tabby and incredibly sweet. Right now, she is very sick with an Upper Respiratory Infection (the vet has her on Zithromax and eye drops) and she was just spayed yesterday.

I know that I am probably just being overly-concerned, but she has not eaten since we brought her home this morning (about 12 hours). I feed her the same food that I feed my other cat - Nutro Indoor. *The cats are being kept completely seperate.*

When should I really start to worry that she is not eating? I know that she is stressed out, but is there anything I can do in the mean time? *She is drinking some water from the bowl that is next to the food*

Thanks for your help everyone. I really appreciate it!

Lauren

 

[lemur 6]

Wow, sounds like the cat's been through quite a bit. Might be just stressed out. If you're worried about her not eating, try some soft food with a very strong smell, like canned tuna cat food mixed with a little water (I like 9lives, it's almost entirely tuna). I can normally get most any cat to eat that even when they've been off food for a while.

Another thing you can try is meat based gerber baby food. Make sure it's level 2 so it doesn't have any vegetable filler. I like the chicken one the best, it's mostly chicken, and smells pretty strong so it'll entice them to eat. Only give a little bit of this though, since giving too much can upset their tummies.

But, I think the most important thing is just to leave her alone in a quiet room all by herself for a while and let her settle in and find all the hiding spots and such. She might not be eating because she's still too insecure.

 

[vampirecat]

What was she being fed at the rescue centre ? Any change over in food should be slowly to prevent tummy upsets.

Other than that i agree with Lemur6. Try a smelly food like tuna, maybe some cooked chicken or freshly cooked white fish ?

The important thing is that she is drinking, that is good

She has a lot to deal with at the moment and your careing post does you great credit

Please let us know how she gets on. What are you going to call her ?

 

[wookie130]

Man, after all she's been through, I probably wouldn't eat for a while either! Keep offering the meals, but don't expect too much for a bit...she's stressed, sick, and has been through a spay. Eating will most likely not be on the priority list for a few days...although she should start to nibble once she's a bit more settled.