Why is my 5-month kitten losing appetite and chewing cords?

Yes he could be teething. This behavior is common in young kittens. Please keep him in a safe place where he can’t chew on electric cords. He should be less bitey as he grows up. Make sure you play with him with a laser light or toy on a string so your hands aren’t available to bite. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Salam.

Kittens typically start teething around four months of age. so if Angel is about six months of age, she would be at the tail end of teething. It's certainly possible that teething could be causing her lack of appetite. Teething is painful, and some cats will avoid eating when teething. Try soaking her food in tuna juice to make it softer for her to eat. It's unlikely to be her first heat causing a loss of appetite. When cats go into their first heat, they become more affectionate and more vocal. In fact, cats in heat can be extremely annoying! I would recommend having her spayed to avoid annoying behaviors as well as urine marking, wanting to roam, and kittens. If Angel refuses to eat her softened food, then it could be something else causing her to not eat such as a systemic illness, inflammation, injury, or infection. In that case, I would take her to the vet tomorrow for a health check. Good luck, I hope this helps!

No there is nothing specific to be done, at this age cats loose their baby teeth and it can happen that the appetite is affected very shortly. try to offer him wet kitten food, he may have pain trying to eat dry food.

Wanting to bite on wires, shoelaces, strings, and other things is completely normal behavior in a kitten this age - this is how they explore the world, and how they instinctively want to play :) You will not be able to stop this behavior, as it's hard-wired and very natural for them. Instead, you need to focus on redirecting Lucky to appropriate things for him to bite and chew on, and keep him safe by putting things away that might be dangerous. Make sure to provide a variety of different toys that you can use to play with him - it sounds like he would probably enjoy fishing pole type toys very much! He should also have a few good, solid scratching posts and a cat condo or tree to climb on. Put your shoes away when you aren't wearing them - if he tries to bite at the laces when you have them on, use one of his toys to redirect his attention so he can bite on that instead. Wires should be safely tucked away behind furniture whenever possible - you can also try using Bitter Apple spray on wires and cables to help make them taste bad, which should help to discourage Lucky from biting them. He will grow out of this behavior on his own as he gets older, so for now you need to be patient and consistent while he learns. I would not recommend using any type of punishment to try and discourage him, such as a spray bottle, hitting or smacking, etc. as cats usually respond very poorly to this and it doesn't tend to be effective. Instead, focus on proving appropriate things to bite and chew on, kitten-proofing the environment, and redirecting him to his own toys as needed.

It's hard to say what may be causing Jazz to chew on wires. Even though he is missing his teeth since you've adopted him he could still have retained tooth roots below the gum line causing oral pain. The only way to check for retained roots is to do dental X-rays. It is also possible that this is just a play behavior for Jazz. It may be very difficult to stop him from wanting to chew on wires if this is the "toy" he has decided he enjoys. Instead you may have to cover the wires or make them inaccessible to Jazz to keep him safe. It sounds like you are doing a good job at setting aside time for Jazz to have attention. Searching for a toy that doesn't scare him may also help. Something like an Undercover Mouse toy may be worth trying. I'd suggest also using a Feliway diffuser to decrease some of Jazz's fear. A veterinary consultation may help to provide more ideas and details on why Jazz may be showing this behavior. I hope this is helpful! Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I wish you and Jazz the best of luck!

It could be that Burger is teething, and that is causing him to not want to eat. Teething can be painful in kittens, and you can try tempting him to eat with some boiled white meat chicken, or gently warming up really smelly wet food such as sardine or fish based. You can also soak his dry food in gently warmed low sodium beef or chicken broth. If he won't eat this food, I would have him seen by a vet immediately for a health check.

Monitor Cash very closely for any other signs of illness such as vomiting, loose stool, sleeping more or not playing as much. If you see anything else that looks like an illness, have him examined. If you notice that his appetite is continuing to decline, have him examined as well. Sometimes you can see the appetite have some minor variation. When in doubt, have him examined. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.