In this blog, we will entertain our important question, “Why won’t new cats eat in the house?” we will also cover why your new cat is not eating in its new house, what signs you should look for in new cats, and how you can make your cat comfortable with you.
Why won’t new cats eat in the house?
Your new cat will not eat in the house because of the following reasons:
- Stress
- Change of environment
- Food is not tasty
- Medical condition
These are the major reasons for your cat not eating its food in the house. You need to rule out every reason to reach the major one.
What are the major reasons for new cats not eating in the house?
Following are the major reasons for new cats not eating:
Stress
The first reason is stress. It could be because of many reasons. Your cat is nervous and is acting weird. Your cat will not accept the new environment easily. You have to work hard to make your cat comfortable with you.
The major factor of stress could be transport stress or any bad experience that has happened to your new cat in the shelter or in its old home.
Change of environment
The change in environment is also new to your cat. The cat is not ready to accept the new environment, so you need to be very patient with your cat. It will take time for your cat to adapt to the new environment of your house.
Food is not tasty
One of the reasons why your cat is not eating is maybe because the food you are offering your cat is not tasty. The food may be of high quality, but cats have different behavior. They like to eat what they find appealing.
Medical condition
If your cat is not eating for a long time then it could be because of some medical condition. Following are the major diseases that can affect the appetite of your cat:
- Liver problems
- Kidneys problems
- Stomach upset
- Worm infestation
These four major threats need to be ruled out. If the liver and the kidneys are damaged, then your cat will be showing other signs too. Based on clinical signs your vet will diagnose the condition.
Stomach upset, and worm infestation in your cat is not a very big issue but can become worse if it is not treated in time.
What are the signs you will observe in your new cat?
Following are the signs you will observe in your new cat:
Hiding in the house
If your new cat is under stress it will hide in the house. This clearly explains that your cat is nervous and is not ready to interact with the other pets and the people around it. You have to take this very delicate, and you do not need to rush and include the cat with other pets.
Fighting
Some cats become aggressive in the new house. You just need to be calm. Aggressiveness is not generally their trait but they can show aggressiveness because they want to protect themselves. You also need to protect the other pets in the house so they do not get hurt in all this hustle.
Not using the litterbox
Your new cat will also not be using the litterbox, it is also a sign of stress in your cat. The new cat might be litterbox trained or not, but the stress of the new environment will disturb the behavior of your new cat and it will not poop in the litter box.
How can you deal with such cats in the house?
If you have brought home a new cat and it shows abnormal behavior then it is alright for you and your new cat. You just need to spend more time with the new cat so that it can feel the love and care you are delivering.
You should also talk to the new cat as talking can help your cat respond to the voices. Some cats are very friendly and will respond to your words while others are very nervous and they will not respond to a single word.
You need to move step by step and offer tasty food and treats to your new cat. After a while, your cat will start accepting food and treats. Now move on to the next step, introducing the cat to other pets in the house.
Conclusion
In this cat blog, we answered the major question, “Why won’t new cats eat in the house?” we also discussed why your new cat is not eating in its new house, what signs you should look for in new cats, and how you can make your cat comfortable with you.
