bereavement

[ravendale]

Our cat, Dulcie, is 12 years old. We've had her since she was a kitten. All that time we've had other cats too, but last Monday, her last remaining companion was put to sleep. At first Dulcie seemed unaffected, but on Thursday she changed completely. She stopped eating and drinking and became withdrawn. All her normal little habits and routines just disappeared in the space of 24 hours. We have tried to keep things normal for her and give her lots of attention, but so far no luck. I wonder if she's grieving, but she didn't really like her last companion, and she's always been very confident and self sufficient. We're at our wits end.

Ravendale

[ruthann58]

hopefully this is just grief and she will brighten up in a few days, we had a cat that lost his mum when he was about two he was fine for about a week then he seemed to realise she was gone for good and went down hill fast ,sleeping outside on the yard in the freezing cold not eating or drinking we kept him in for a few days and he slept in front of the radiator for 2 whole days then slowly started to move about and eat, in the end he got back to normal good luck

[Eels]

It's possible that Dulcie is pining for her friend, but please don't assume this to be the case. Many ailments can affect older cats and cause them to behave in this way - so for your own peace of mind I would suggest a quick visit to the vet in order to rule out any illness. Although it might seem obvious that the loss of her companion is the cause of the problem, it could be a red herring, in which case Dulcie needs veterinary attention.

[bunnie33]

I have a house full of cats, 11 in fact. One of my cats Little Miss Trib I call her had a twin sister who died several months ago. Little Miss Trib and her sister along with a few other cats were having elected surgery. Tribble , Little Miss Tribs sister passed away with complications. In the past Little Miss Trib would always cat call to her sister and Tribble would come running. They were very close. When I brought Little Miss Trib home from the vet the first thing she did was start cat calling for her sister, which for me was extremly sad. She kept calling to her for around two days straight and seem withdrawn. I was concerned for a while but she bounced back. She still cat calls from time to time and stands patiently waiting for sister to come bounding thru the cat door, but she has made a few new friends with my other cats and is doing well. Give your old friend some time and do a vet check just to be safe. I thinks things will be fine. Best to you and your family, Denise from Florida.