My senior cat is grieving. Should I get her a new cat, kitten, or senior?

I am sorry to hear about your cat passing away. It is very normal for pets in the same household to grieve the loss of a sibling/house mate. What Tommy is going through is completely normal. I would first recommend taking her to be checked out by your vet just to ensure there is no underlying illness that is causing her change in behavior. If she receives a clean bill of health then you can assume her behavior is due to the loss of her sister. It is hard to say whether or not getting another cat would help. She may love the company of another female or she may feel stressed at having a new housemate. In the meantime, while you are deciding on whether or not to add another cat to your home, try spending some extra time and giving extra attention to Tommy, this may be all she needs. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hello. It is very difficult to say how Esther may react to a new kitten, but she may be distressed by the loss of her companion. I think it would be a good idea to adopt a new kitten, but do take plenty of time to introduce them. Only time will tell if this will soothe her distress. You might also consider having Esther examined as any stressful event in a cat's life can bring on underlying conditions or illnesses. If she checks out fine, then bringing home a kitten needing a new home would be a great idea. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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!

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

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.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Animals do show emotion and it very well could be that she is grieving or missing your 12 year old dog. If they were together for a long time, and now your other dog is missing, this is a big change in Kita's environment not having her friend around. I would recommend providing her with plenty of toys to play with and take her out a lot. If this is due to emotional stress, it should hopefully resolve with time. If any new symptoms develop I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Kita and test her blood for any abnormal changes. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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