Is my cat depressed?

Question

I have a 3 y.o. male cat, neutered. This summer we found a female kitten, at the beginning he beat her up, she just loved him, after a month they were in love, they sleep together, lick each other etc. After that, we rescued another female kitten. She is very sweet to us, but she is rather afraid of the male cat and he doesn't particularly like her, usually chases her around, but there is no danger of a serious fight.
The problem is, ever since the new cat has been here, my old cat is sleepy all day, he doesn't even sleep with me any more, he doesn't want to cuddle with me and he doesn't purr, he doesn't play with his toys, he doesn't even run to eat, he waits for the kittens to eat and he prefers to eat separately from them, because they steal his food and he does nothing to stop them. What can I do to make him feel better? He is not sick, he's been to the vet. I don't hug the kittens in front of him, and i am very sweet to him but he avoids me.

The other option I have thought of is that he plays with the little ones all night, and that is why he sleeps all day. They have all become nocturnal.

Answer 1

No, your cat is not depressed. He just feels that the younger cats need your attention and he also feel instinctively responsible.
I have observed that senior cats allow younger one to eat first, they step aside even if they are hungry.
That's what happens with the stray cats I feed outside my office.
Don't worry, he just feels different, but certainly not depressed...

Answer 2

How long has this been going on? It does sound as if he's not liking the new situation but often they'll grow out of it. Poppy was mad at me when we brought Sophie home, but that didn't last more than a week or so.

I think you're doing the right thing by not fawning over the kittens. Just continue to show him as much love as possible - seek him out if you have to. Maybe give him a few extra treats. If he doesn't want to eat with them, why not make a special thing of bringing his food to him? Make him feel special.

One other thing you can try is a flower essence. These are never harmful to cats and are often helpful. They cost about $15 and you simply put a few drops on the cat's head. They can help in these and many other situations. You've probably heard of Rescue Remedy? That's the most well-known of the flower essences.

I would suggest New Beginnings to help your guy adjust to the new situation.

Answer 3

It seems like he's jealous, and I'm not sure what can be done about that.
The same thing happened to our cat a while back. We had a brother and sister, and the sister had kittens. Once that happened the male cat didn't want anything to do with her, the kittens, or us. We tried everything, but nothing worked. He ended up running away.
We didn't live in the city, and we let our cats play outside, since there was no danger of them getting hit by a car. So it was easy for him to leave.

Also the same thing happened to my brother. He had a cat that got really depressed when he adopted a couple more kittens.

I think you should talk to your vet about it. Maybe he can suggest a way to cure the jealous little guy.

Good luck, I hope he feels better.

Answer 4

Okay, I have just read up on this and a great suggestion was to give your cat a boost by giving him some special privileges. A good privilege is to let him sleep with you at night, and to keep the new kittens out of your bedroom. This may sound cruel, but actually it is a great way to help him feel secure and happy and to get him over this depression he seems to be feeling. The new kittens will be upset, but will accept the situation and give him more respect, which will make him feel less insecure and more likely to go back to his old self.
I am trying this tonight with my cat who seems very unhappy about the new kitten we just paid $550 for :'(

Answer 5

Well you know how possesive cats can get.I think he is just jealous.I mean,as carefull as one can be,kittens always draw much attention and i guess your cat is pissed at you for bringing another one in the house.I used to have a cat who would ignore us completely if we had left him for more than 2 days(he wasn't an inside cat,he was a cat that lived in the yard and the streets and came to us daily for food and attention).He would walk in front of the house many times just to make sure we would notice him and as soon as we would start calling his name or trying to get closer to pet him he would turn his back and walk away!After a week or so he would come,lol.Cats are stubborn animals,my guess is he is mad at you and knows if he acts this way he'll get more attention from you.He also might be feeling a little bit left out,I mean if those two are young females and play a lot together he might be feeling like he lost his buddy.
I wouldn't worry to much about it(I know,easier said than done),continue being sweet to him and fair to all three of them(give them all the same share of attention,love and food/treats) and he will eventually turn around.
At the end of the day if you think that he is really miserable you might wanna start thinking about some changes(I know this isn't the type of thing you want to hear,since I know how much you love and care for your kitties).Maybe you should consider giving him away to a house where he will be alone and won't feel threatened or give away the younger kitty,and keep the two you know that went along good with each other.
I hope things will change soon and he will accept the new order of things.Cats are really stubborn though,give it some time,it may take a looooong time before he starts acting "normal" again.

Answer 6

Yes I'm sorry to say that your cat can be in that state sometimes when something new comes into a home the other will disconnect and be wanting to be left alone. Give your cat some time put the other cat out of the room for awhile and just give your undivided attention to that cat.

Answer 7

«...he doesn't play with his toys»??!! The cat is an adult for god's sake!
Do you wonder why a “3 y.o. (adult) male cat does not like females and bites them and doesn’t want to …sleep with them”? Is he made barren?

Your cat is not depressed, he is an adult now. Every cat in his age behaves the same way as yours: they play all night and sleep all day :) I remember my cat would come home to …sleep… all day…and in the evening he would leave again!
Afhse ton na kanei th zoh tou an thes th gnomh mou.

Answer 8

I think 2 kittens are a bit too much for him, too busy, and he just want to avoid them. Also because you said they eat his food. Maybe you can give him some time alone with you ? Let the kittens eat first and then give him to eat, so he can eat quietly and sit with you alone for a bit.

Answer 9

My cat was just like this when i got a new kitten to keep her company. She has only just started to be affectionate again. But if the kitten comes near her when she on me she still gets angry and jumps off. I think its prob down to jelousy. Give him time and he will come round.

Answer 10

cpinatsi, i am so sorry.
My dad is a vet.
I will ask him tonight.

EDIT:
Finally i talked to my dad.
My dad said cats try to become mature when there are smaller ones around. They Feel that these ones need like a guide, a mature one to protect them.
So he becomes the big brother.
There is nothing to worry about.
Kisses