Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Good morning, My boyfriend and I recently adopted a stray cat from a family that found him. He is 9 months old and was recently neutered. Since he has been in our new home, his appetite has fallen off, and we attributed it to the change in environment, depression and the antibiotics and recent surgery. We have taken him to the vet and they cannot find anything wrong and state that he should be eating.

Do you have any tricks to prompt him to eat? We have tried hard food, soft food, changed the dishes, changed the location of the food, etc.

I read somewhere that sprinkling a tiny amount of catnip on his food may serve as a method to try to get him back in the habit of eating.

Would this be alright to do?

Please advise as to that and any other suggestions you may have.

Thanks in advance on behalf of our little kitty.

Hi There,

Thanks for taking in this kitty. It's really worrisome that he isn't eating, however.

Most cats recover quickly from being neutered, especially young ones. You can try offering your kitty some strained meat baby food (with no onion added) to see if it jump starts his appetite. If not, I recommend another vet visit and that some diagnostics are done, at least bloodwork. Cats that stop eating can develop a condition known as fatty liver disease in as little as 2 - 3 days. This is a very serious condition and can even be life-threatening.

If your cat is nervous, I recommend keeping him in one room until he adjusts. A cat can be overwhelmed when given the run of the house right away.

Take care, and please keep us updated.

PHKitkat