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Why is my 6-month-old kitten not eating? Teething or heat?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 6 months and 18 days old | 5 lbs

Question: We found Angel possibly abandoned by her family or she got separated from her litter. Not sure exactly which. However we are thinking that maybe she was born sometime in May. That would make her roughly 6 months old. This morning she is not in a very good mood. She is barely eating her breakfast. She only ate half. We are thinking that she could be finally losing her 1st tooth as well as beginning her 1st period. Are we right or could it be something else?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on November 19th, 2017

Kittens typically start teething around four months of age. so if Angel is about six months of age, she would be at the tail end of teething. It's certainly possible that teething could be causing her lack of appetite. Teething is painful, and some cats will avoid eating when teething. Try soaking her food in tuna juice to make it softer for her to eat. It's unlikely to be her first heat causing a loss of appetite. When cats go into their first heat, they become more affectionate and more vocal. In fact, cats in heat can be extremely annoying! I would recommend having her spayed to avoid annoying behaviors as well as urine marking, wanting to roam, and kittens. If Angel refuses to eat her softened food, then it could be something else causing her to not eat such as a systemic illness, inflammation, injury, or infection. In that case, I would take her to the vet tomorrow for a health check. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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