My kitten is suddenly inactive and won't play. What should I do?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Lethargy and low energy level in such a young kitten is always a concern. This behaviour could be due to fever, pain, intestinal worms and more. Please de-worm your kittens if they have not been dewormed in the last few days. If it does not make any difference, please take him to your local vets for an appointment.

Absolutely. If she is ordinarily playful, normal kitten behavior, her lethargy may be a sign of illness or injury. Your vet will do an exam, probably labwork, possibly x-rays if indicated, and based on these results will be better able tot ell you what is wrong and how best to treat it.

Usually kittens are rather playful at this age, but occasionally some are not very playful. It's good to check that she's not unhealthy though, because this can cause a decrease in activity. Check her gums - see if they are pink or white. If they are white, then he may have anemia. Check the belly - see if it's tucked in or is it round and distended. If it's round and distended, then he may have worms or other intestinal diseases. Most kittens get worms from their mothers, so if he has never had deworming medication, then it would be good to do this. Make sure he is eating and drinking well. Also make sure he doesn't have diarrhea or vomiting. These things can indicate that there is a disease causing him to be less active. The best thing you can do is have a veterinarian take a look at him. They will be able to tell if there is something wrong with him. I hope this helps.

For sure - this is definitely not normal behavior; as you have said before Cutie is normally playful and active. Unfortunately lethargy is a very general sign of many diseases, and it's unlikely that we will determine the cause of her signs or what to do about this here. I would definitely say that you should be worried, as this has been going on for a few days. Cutie needs to be seen by your vet for an examination and likely some testing, including blood work and possibly x-rays, depending on what other symptoms there are (fever, pain, for example) and the results of the physical exam.

I am worried that Cube might be sick. Kittens normally are quite playful, so a kitten who just eats and sleeps without periods of high energy play and curiosity is not normal. Please take him to the vet for an exam. The vet will probably recommend some blood tests, and may also recommend a stool sample. It could be that he was born with some sort of internal defect such as a heart malformation that makes him not able to have periods of sustained play. Please have him seen by a vet ASAP. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Keanu. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian today as he sounds very sick. Depending on his exam findings, he will likely need bloodwork and fecal testing to determine the cause of his symptoms. Infectious diseases are common in young kittens. Based on these results treatment can be started to help him feel better. I hope this information helps!

These are certainly concerning behaviors for your young kitten. I would be suspicious of intestinal parasites causing the problem, especially if he/she has not yet been wormed. I would recommend taking your cat in to the vet to be checked out and make sure nothing too serious is going on. Hopefully it is something simple like parasites that can be treated easily. Best of luck!