How to help my grieving cat eat and gain weight after a loss?

I do think our pets grieve, and this can last various lengths of time. All you can do is provide lots of love and affection and with time the grief will improve. New [toys](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/cat/cat-toys) and [treats](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/cat/cat-treats) can help. You can also try a [pheromone product]() that can help cats during periods of adjustment. It is available in a room diffuser or a spray.

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 feed canned food twice a day and have a high calorie dry food available at all times. The calories are now on the bag so you can compare different food’s calorie content. Also limiting the amount of exercise, or time outside in the cold will help her regain the weight. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sapphire.

I am sorry to hear about Skye! It is possible she could be feeling sad losing her kitty friends. I would consider getting a Feliway diffuser https://www.feliway.com/us/Products/FELIWAY-CLASSIC-Diffuser which can sometimes help relieve stress/anxiety in cats. I would watch her closely for vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, abnormal urinary habits and if any of these occur or if she stops eating then she should see her vet for an examination.

Cats can be very sensitive to changes in their environment and will often display this behavior during times of stress. Considering that Kylie is nine years old and your pit was 14, it would be a major change (assuming they lived together this whole time) for the dog to suddenly be missing from the environment; not to mention how stressful this must have been to you and your family. This could be causing her a fair amount of anxiety/stress. As a vet, I always worry about a medical condition causing this, so the best thing that you can do is take her for a vet exam to ensure there is nothing else wrong with her. If it happens to be stress that's causing her to act like this, then it will take some time before she gets back to normal - sometimes a couple of weeks, sometimes a couple of months. One thing that may help reduce stress is a Feliway pheramone diffuser (can get this at the pet store). These create calming pheramones in the environment, that may help her relax and start acting more normal again. I'm really sorry to hear about the loss of your dog and hope you and Kylie feel better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While the worsening in weight loss could be related to the loss of your other pet, the fact that there was already weight loss makes a medical issue more likely. There are plenty of conditions that can cause weight loss such as inflammatory diseases, intestinal malabsorption, cancer, among many others. I highly recommend that you have Elvis evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to gather more information and start with diagnostics such as radiographs, blood work and a GI panel. So sorry for the loss of your other pet. Good luck and have a good day!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bean. I am sorry to hear about your recent loss. It sounds like Bean is grieving the loss as well. She should start acting more normal soon, but if her behavior persists she will need to see her veterinarian. If she is not anything, vomiting or displaying other abnormal signs, she should be seen soon. If her appetite is just decreased then you can give her another week or so. Be sure to encourage her to eat and drink as much as possible. You can try hand feeding her or adding warm water to her kibble. Sometimes warmed up canned food is enticing as well. Hope this information helps!