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Help! My 8-week-old kitten won't eat or drink after coming home.

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My wife picked up an 8 week old kitten on Friday evening and she hasn't eaten or drank anything that we know of. She is having bowel movements and peeing. What can we do to get her to eat and drink?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Vanessa Yeager DVM MPH

Veterinarian

Published on June 11th, 2018

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There can be many causes for decreased appetite. If you just got her on Friday, it may be the move has stressed her out a bit and she needs a few days to adjust. However, there can be other causes such as viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections that may cause decreased appetite potentially. It is good to hear she is having normal bowel movements and is urinating, however. You can try heating up her food a bit to bring out the flavor and try feeding small amounts frequently. If a couple more days go by and she still has not eaten, I would recommend she see her veterinarian just to make sure there is nothing more serious going on. I hope this helps!

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