Kitten refusing to eat

[londoneye]

My neighbour had two kittens (now c. 8 months).  They were always together (generally in our house).   Four days ago one got hit by a car and ran off.   We all searched and searched and eventually myself and OH found the poor thing's body yesterday.    Anyway, the kitten's brother now hasn't eaten for 4 days.   I have just gone to buy a tin of tuna, which he always loved, and he won't even eat that.    He just comes here in the morning and follows my own cat all day.   He doesn't really want to go home even.

Can cats really pine this badly, or perhaps he is ill, and it is coincidental.    Does anyone have any experience of this and how long it might go on for, because I don't know whether to try and persuade my neighbour to take him to vet, or whether the cat is really pining and will come around eventually.  

Myself and OH are so upset about the kitten which was killed and now we are just worrying about this one as well.  I know its not ours, but we have always looked after them for him since they were tiny kittens, as he is often away, and its horrible to see this kitten just sitting around, looking totally despondent.

[londoneye]

Would you believe it, literally 5 minutes after I posted this he has come back in the house with me and stood in front of my own cat's bowl, so I gave his some biscuits (my own cat having gratefully scoffed the tuna !) and he is now eating them.   So panic over, sorry to waste everyone's time, but don't know how to delete the post !

[Tresco]

Thank goodness. I was just about to reply that cats can be bereft when they lose a companion, and that mine went for about a day and a half without food after my old cat died. They had never even been the best of friends.

4 days was pushing it though. I'm so glad he's eating again.[:)]

[Bugsy]

Well done, I was going to say that it's not unusual for them to stop eating but four days is a long time.

Sorted, anyway.

 

edit: sorry Tresco beat me to it.  [:)]

[londoneye]

Thanks both.   Tresco, I was trying to think of a word to describe how he looks, and you have hit the nail on the head, he looks bereft.   He only had a few biscuits but he has now crept over to as near as my cat will let him sleep near him, and is curled up in such a tight ball.

I think neighbour needs to get him a new companion myself, but it's up to him.

[tenniswitch]

[quote user="londoneye"]

Thanks both.   Tresco, I was trying to think of a word to describe how he looks, and you have hit the nail on the head, he looks bereft.   He only had a few biscuits but he has now crept over to as near as my cat will let him sleep near him, and is curled up in such a tight ball.

I think neighbour needs to get him a new companion myself, but it's up to him.

[/quote]

I think you've acquired a new member of the family.  I hope your neighbor won't take offense.

[Panda]

How sad, my cat, now aged 18 also pined terribly when her brother died, we let her see him when we returned from the vet because like the kittens in this post they were inseparable, we hoped she would then see he was dead and move on.  We found a quiet spot in the garden and buried him, the sister then took to sleeping on this spot which was very spooky, she did not see us bury him there.

So yes they can grieve, mine took a week to start acting normally and some months to stop going to the spot.  She would never accept another cat and is thankfully, 12 years on, still going strong,  She still hates all other cats though!