My cat is withdrawn and depressed. How can I help her feel better?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Lilith. I agree that two months is a bit for grief, especially if they were not bonded. I see that she is an older girl, and so the first thing to do is take her into a vet for a health check. Even though she appears healthy, a sudden change in behavior can be the first sign of an illness. So have her seen by a vet in the next few days. I would also get a Sentry calming collar and a Feliway diffuser. Both release calming pheromones, and that may help with her behavior. While at the vet, if she checks out healthy, the vet can discuss other strategies to deal with this. I hope this helps!

I would recommend taking Lilly to the veterinarian to have her looked at. Sometimes when cats are not feeling well they start acting differently. Your veterinarian can evaluate Lilly to see if there is something underlying medically causing this issue. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Mystique! I would start with a Vet exam as she is a senior cat to be sure the symptoms you are seeing aren't medical in nature. At almost 15 I would worry about kidney and liver disease, diabetes, an over active thyroid and cancer or even arthritis for her depression. It has also been 3 years, animals do feel sadness when the house hold changes but that is a long time to assume her behavior is due to that. If she medically checks out fine I would try to enrich her environment to stimulate her and get a few Feliway diffusers. If you want to repost with her symptoms of depression we can get specific with tips. Good luck! https://indoorpet.osu.edu/sites/indoorpet/files/assets/documents/Herron10_EE_for_Indoor_Cats.pdf https://www.petco.com/brand/comfort-zone

Chloe is gorgeous! I highly recommend taking her to a veterinarian to have evaluated. We want to make sure there is nothing medical going on with her before stating it is stress from you not being around. If she is healthy then I would potentially discuss medication for her to help her in these stressful situations. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

There are calming supplements and diets which can be very helpful, as well as pheromone and comfort zone diffusers which can help cats adapt to such situations. A full health check and possibly blood panel should be considered to rule out medical causes especially if there is any weight loss or altered thirst

Feliway pheromone plug ins, sprays or collars, as well as VetriScience Composure liquid given daily may help with her depression. Both are available online without a prescription. Introducing new toys, catnip and even a new cat under close supervision (after making sure that the new cat doesn’t have intestinal parasites, fleas, FeLV/FIV or other transmissible diseases and won’t get get your cat pregnant) may help as well! Good luck!

A pheromone product such as Feliway spray or plug in diffuser may decrease any lingering anxiety or aggression related to the kitten. It may take some time. Be patient and do not force your cat to interact. Use praise and rewards to regain trust. If the behavior persists, have Lilly examined by your veterinarian. A sudden change in behavior can frequently be indicative of illness or injury.