6 month old kitten not eating very much

[pilates]

The last couple of days my kitten hasn't eaten very much. She normally has three packets of wet food and a handful of dry food. She has gone off the wet food and all she has eaten the last couple of days is a handful of dry food. She has been sleeping more than usual too. Should I be worried? She looks and seems ok apart from the above.

Is she drinking and using her tray as far as you know? (Oh - and has she had all her shots/recent parasite treatments and been neutered/chipped etc?)

Does she go outside?

(Sorry for all the questions.)

Vets in the morning, I bet she's got an infection somewhere.

She is up-to-date with everything, has been neutered/chipped but hasn't been outside yet. Yes using tray. She doesn't drink much water, but I have got some kitten milk which she likes.

That was my first thought - a dose of something. Unless she wakes up directly, shakes her head and goes off to the food bowl, I'd vet her also.

She wouldn't drink much necessarily if she was normally eating wet food but if she's only eaten dry for a couple of days, she should have been drinking. I'd vet her.

How could she have got an infection if she hasn't been out?

Anal gland infection? Who knows. You can't not go to the vet really.

Plus early interventions cheaper in the long run.

Thanks will see what she's like in the morning.

You could have brought something into the house, pilates - it happens. Besides which, there are other reasons she could be so off-colour.

Do you think she could be bored of the wet food I have been giving her, it's the same brand as the lady I bought her off was using? Is it ok to just feed them dry food?

It's possible - although she's just a kitten and they're usually eating machines. I think, unless - as I said - she's back to normal pretty darned quickly, I'd vet her to be careful. Cats don't always show obvious symptoms of illness so oftentimes, it's their owner's observations of behavioural changes that's the first clue.

sleeping more than usual is a sign of pain in cats, is she weeing/pooing o.kay?

My cats prefer dry food to wet (as do I wet food stinks!) If you buy a decent brand of dry food it is fine to feed them just that.

If still off food/ off colour in the morning def take to the vets.

God I never thought it was so stressful having a pet, I worry about her all the time

I will be checking her in the morning

I attribute my grey hairs to ASBO cat & his dramas.

He specialises in being obviously Ill but with no obvious diagnosis for the vet to hang a treatment plan on & miraculous recoveries the day after the vets seen him.

I doubt she's bored, kittens just want food NOW.

Yes there are all sorts of infections you can get without going out. Cystitis for example. Is she weeing/pooing normally?

I've seen her poo, but not sure about wee.

What are the symptoms for cystitis?

Has there been no pee in her tray?

The litter we get absorbs it quickly so not always easy to tell, just had a look.

I think that if there had been any peeing of appropriate volume, you'd have seen a change.

Vet first thing I'd say.

Yes she has

Update: Put clean litter in her tray last night before going to bed and there was some dampness and she did a poo this morning. Was purring and all round my feet like she was hungry, so put her normal wet food down. She sniffed it and would not touch it. So my food shopping turned up first thing this morning with a different brand of wet food, (all fishy types). I cleaned the feeding bowl and put her new brand of food down and she gobbled it up, she didn't leave a scrap. I will be monitoring her throughout the day just to be sure though.

Lordy - a fussy type.

(Seniorboy won't touch fish flavours and that's that. The difference in taste must be miniscule as well. Sigh.)

Best keep a close eye on her and see what her behaviour (including eating and tray use) is like. Maybe also vary the flavours between each meal - new meal, new pouch sort of thing. Cat food keeps fine in the fridge for a day or two so that should be easily do-able if she doesn't normally eat a whole pouch/can at one sitting.

You could also up the number of her feeds to see if that suits better? (Less food but more often sometimes fits better with particular cats if you can do it given your own routine.)

In my experience, it's around the 6 month age they start becoming fussier, (refining their palate ). When they're young kittens, they seem to want to eat anything and everything.

......refining their palate ......

Hah!

Yes thinking of changing her name to Donna .... Prima Donna . Thanks for your input everyone. Posters are so nice in The Litter Tray.