Could my cat be depressed?

by Lynn
(MN)

My husband has a 2 1/2 yr old cat and I have a 13 yr old cat. We have recently separated and the cats no longer live together. The older cat has adjusted fine to hew new home, however the younger cat is not eating or drinking. I think the younger cat could be depressed as he grew up with the older cat constantly around. Would it be in teh best interest of the younger cat to find another cat around his age to hang out with?

Answer by Kate
Hi
No not necessarily.

Cats do and can go through periods of a sort of depression of a sense of loss when some or something in their lives disappears. But this is normal and will be short lived.

This sort of behavior can also occur if one cat passes away and the other cat is left wondering where they went.

There needs to be a period of adjust for the cat and getting another cat can often only cause more upset and truama.

i have a page about cat grief which although is focused on the passing of one cat companion the symptoms are the same. Here is the page for more information about how to handle it.

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-grief.html

best wishes Kate

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