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Why are my cats acting off after losing other cats? How to help?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 11 years and 9 months old | 19 lbs

A few months ago I had to put down 2 of my cats and since then my other 2 cats have been acting off not their normal selves what is going on and how could I help them

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian

Published on November 14th, 2017

I am so sorry to hear about your losses. It is never easy to lose a special part of the family. Depending on what is going on with your other two cats, they could be depressed or ill. They could be saddened by losing the other two cats especially if they were friends with one another. As long as they are eating and they just seem to somewhat depressed, I would just continue to give them time. If they are not eating, lethargy, vomiting, having diarrhea, sneezing, coughing, or having any other abnormal behaviors then I would recommend to have your vet take a look at them. If all of your cats were completely healthy and over a few weeks to months been getting ill I would consider having their blood work checked and their feline leukemia and feline aids statuses check to ensure there is no toxins or viruses involved that could have affected all 4 cats. Without all the information and without being able to do a full exam, it is difficult to give you all the details as what could possibly be wrong with them. I hope this helps but if you would like more information, I would be happy to do a consult or you can write back on the forum again with more information. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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