Sudden weight loss after adding new kitten

[Mtmr02]

I have a three year old neutered Siamese male (Loki) that has experienced a lot of weight loss after the addition of a new kitten to our home. Did everything you are supposed to do when introducing a new cat...kept the kitten separated in a bedroom and slowly introduced her to the other two cats, etc. Well the kitten likes to be a kitten and considers the older cats as big toys and likes to chase them around. Loki does not like this and continually hisses at her and runs away. I noticed he was looking thinner, but just today when he was snuggling me I really noticed how thin he has become. Not sure if he is just afraid to go downstairs to the food or what is going on, but started feeding him wet food separately.

The kitten has been vet checked and no health issues (clear of all tested diseases and no worms), so I don’t think it’s a health issue that he picked up from her. I think Loki is genuinely afraid to go down to eat, although he uses the litter pan in the same level just fine. No accidents and no spraying so far. Anyone have any similar experiences when introducing a new cat? I’ll keep trying the separate feeding and see if he improves. If not I will take him to the vet to get checked, even though he is not exhibiting any other signs of sickness. Normally this is the first thing I would do, but money is tight at the moment due to getting a divorce. Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has seen this type of issue before and what they did about it. Sorry for the long post...wanted to get all the info in! Thank you!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Loki may also be responding to the increased human stress in the house, along with the stress of the kitten.

I would give Loki his own litter box, and continue to feed him separately along with fresh water and his things somewhere away from the other areas of the house.

Are you using any calming products for him? Bach's rescue remedy, and calming music could be very helpful for your meezer baby.

 

[Mtmr02]

Hi! Loki may also be responding to the increased human stress in the house, along with the stress of the kitten.

I would give Loki his own litter box, and continue to feed him separately along with fresh water and his things somewhere away from the other areas of the house.

Are you using any calming products for him? Bach's rescue remedy, and calming music could be very helpful for your meezer baby.

Thanks for the suggestions, I will give them a try. I haven’t tried Bach’s but I have a Feliway diffuser which had worked for me in the past. He seems willing to sit near the kitten as long as she is calm, but runs away if she gets frisky. She is also a bit obsessed with food which makes me wonder if she is excluding him from the food bowls. My 15 year old male doesn’t seem to have any issues, but then he pretty much just ignores her even if she tackles him. I’ll give the Bach’s a try!

 

[Furballsmom]

Keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[abyeb]

I’m sorry to hear about this! My recommendation, in addition to continuing to feed Loki separately, like Furballsmom suggested, would be to give Loki a “safe space”, where he can hide from the new kitten when he needs some alone time. Introducing a new kitten can be stressful for cats, but, I think that after giving Loki some time to adjust, he should go back to normal. I would also suggest a vet visit for Loki, just to be sure that there isn’t anything else going on.