Currently I´m living in UK and have to leave my cats back in my hometown (Malaysia) with my mom. Last few days, I got some news from my mom that 1 of my cat is sick. She bring him to the vet & the doctor said there are some injuries in his internal organ due to some cat fights before. He was given some medicine & recover his strength back. Unfortunately he refuse to eat. He just sit & stare blankly at the window. My mom said, he might be depress. Depress due to fight, loneliness (his sister just gave birth to 3 kittens & ignoring him) & he might be missing me. It´s sad to hear that he always lay down comfortably on my shirt..missing me. I can´t get back to see him until this September. Please help!

I´m sorry you had to leave your kitty and that he is not doing well.

Maybe you could call your mom, she could put the phone near your cat, and you could talk to him. Hearing your voice might help him a little bit. You could also have your mom feed him special treats and make sure he gets lots of attention from her.

He may not be eating because of his medecine, but if this habit continues you might have to talk to your vet again to make sure something isn´t wrong.

I hope everything works out well. Please keep us updated

Cats and dogs can suffer from depression just like humans do. Pinkyunki, it sounds like your cat is missing you terribly. I think you should suggest to your mom that she take your cat to the vet again and discuss the issue of despression. If the vet believes his condition really is depression and not some physical ailment, there are good anti-depressant medications available for cats.
Good luck and please let us know what happens.

I hope your cat gets better soon! it isn´t easy leaving a friend behind...I bet you are unhappy too. I like the tsalking down the phone to your cat idea...it might help. but yes certainly go to the vet if the cat doesn´t recover soon.

Of course cats can suffer from depression - the good thing is, though, that depression in a cat is rarely a lifetime condition unless there´s an underlying physical problem like thyroid deficiency. Would it be possible for your Mom to play with him more? He may be missing the activities he used to do with you. If a cat is depressed, he can be put on a short and low-dosage course of Prozac, just like people.

It´s so hard to be separated from our furry friends - and they find it hard to be separated from us. I had to leave Mugger for just three days, I left him with a close and trusted friend... but Mugger still went into a little decline, and it took a few days after I got back home for him to realize that I wasn´t going to leave him again. It broke my heart... but now he´s back to being his obnoxious self again!

The last time i travelled away for a few weeks from my girls i did a tape of myself talking to them like i usually do and got my partner to play it for them now and again. Cleo in particular pines for me when i´m not around. There was a time when she was depressed and re-introducing her favourite toy as a kitten and more playtime worked miracles. Lots more attention and TLC helps but of course medication is also an option if this doesn´t work. Good luck. It must be hard being so far away.

Thank you for all the advice & concern. Yes, it´s very hard being so far away from them. I call home almost everyday to hear about my cuki & atoi. I ask my sister to take their daily pictures and mail it to me. My mom said that she & my sister take turn everyday to accompany & play with Cuki. They gave him food supplementary from the vet but he vomit it. They tried to offer few other foods but he still refuse to eat.

Talking to him on the phone sounds like the only choice I have now. It really broke my heart thinking that I´m so far away and can do nothing much for him. My mom & sis will do their very best for him because they love Cuki as much as I do.

How long are you away for pinkyunki?

About 6 months. I left them middle of march 2008 and will come back again around September.

Updates: Just called my mom and she said he gained more strength today & already sipping some water. Hopefully he will get better in a another few days.

That´s good news. Even if things get bad and he has to go on medication it sounds like you will be home in a few months so that doesn´t mean he has to be on it forever. Has he been for a vet check? Maybe this behaviour is caused by something else. Don´t give up exploring every avenue. Good luck!

Thanks! Really appreciate that. I hope he realize that everyone, (not just me) care and love him so much.

Indeed, it is possible to speak about depression for an animal. This depressionary state can also result in a change of the behavior : the cat does not feed any more or, on the contrary, he becomes compulsive eater - the cat is dirty….
It is certaint that your cat suffers from your absence : 6 months is really long. moreover, with the arrival of kittens, its practices are hustled.
Did you think about let yours personal things in his basketful ? Your odor could thus comfort him during the first weeks.
I hope that your cat will take again the moral one quickly. The affection given by your family and the kittens (full with energy and life) will be able to stimulate him.
We wait all to have news of your cat.

awww that´s so sad, poor kitty... I know our dog Mook is just in love with his daddy and when he leaves to work in another state for a week at a time Mook acts so different. I would try the phone to the cats ear so he can hear your voice and see how he reacts after he hears it. He´s got a lot of things going on and very well could be really depressed... Poor guy

Aww Pinkyunki, that must be very worrying for you but September is not so far away! Time flies by and you will soon be reunited with your puss! He may be depressed but cats bodies shut down a bit when they are sick and on medication. It´s natural for them to do this and they sleep a lot while they are healing. Whenever one of my cats has been sick, that´s what they seem to do, just shut down and sleep until they feel better. They don´t feel like eating when they are sick, just as we humans, so try not to worry too much as your mom seems to be looking after him very well.

Keep us posted on his progress.

We need to see photos when you are reunited!!