Worried family takes their cat who suddenly stopped playing and eating to the vet, only to discover he's sad and worried he's being replaced by the new kitten, they reassure him he's loved, and now he and the kitten are best friends

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Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Aug 2, 2026 3:00 PM EDT

Making friends as a cat can be a little bumpy sometimes. 

Adopting a second cat into the family is generally an idea that we support. It means your cat has a friend to spend time with when you are gone for work or on trips. It means there is another creature in the house that your cat can cuddle whenever they want to. Adopting a kitten for your cat means that there is someone they can teach, someone they can show how to commit crimes and do shenanigans. The benefits are endless, and nearly always, when someone asks us whether they should adopt a second cat, we say yes. Except for some times. 

Some cats have a hard time bonding with other cats. They are not used to having to share the attention and affection of their humans. These cats are usually ones who have never known what it means to share space with another, and the idea of it confuses them. It's not because they don't want a friend, and it's not because they can't get along with another animal. They are just kind of- confused about the situation. That's what happened with today's cat. 

All of a sudden, after the family adopted a new kitten, this cat stopped playing, stopped eating, stopped… being the way he always was. His family worried and took him to the vet, and there, they found out the strangest thing, some cats… cat get sad. And their cat was feeling like he was being replaced by the new kitten. It's not that he didn't like the new kitten. He just didn't know how to deal with having to share his humans' time and affection. But it all worked out in the end. After they proved to him just how much he matters, he gave the kitten a real chance, and now, they are best friends. 

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  • 01

    "Found out my cat was sad"

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  • 02
    I genuinely had no idea cats could get depressed until it happened to mine.
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    2230
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  • 06
    My first cat (4 months old) was so playful, gave tons of orange energy and loved eating. We decided to get another cat a month later thinking he'd like having a friend around to play with, but within a few days, he changed.
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  • 07
    He stopped playing. He stopped eating. He stopped hopping onto the bed to sleep at night and he looked so... defeated. Even when we tried to hand feed him, he still wouldn't eat. He refused to eat his favourite treat too.
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  • 08
    We thought he was unwell, so we decided to take him to the vet. The vet then told us that there was nothing wrong with him physically and that he was just sad
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  • 09
    He felt like all our attention had gone to the new cat and that he felt like he didn't belong anymore. Apparently, he felt inferior and thought he didn't deserve food or love. I felt so bad. We never ignored him.
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  • 10
    He refused to eat because he thought all of the food was for my other cat (she used to go near his food bowl) and that there was nothing for him.
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  • 11
    I felt so bad because I never knew it would affect him so much emotionally. I also realised why he wouldn't sleep in the same bed as her or even be in the same room now.
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  • 12
    We made sure to give him plenty of one on one attention, play time alone and even fed them separately. We kept a healthy amount of distance between them and let him adjust at his own pace.
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  • 13
    Fast forward to now, they're inseparable. They chase each other around the house, wrestle, nap together, and both my babies are so happy, playful and chaotic together. I'm so happy
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    EDIT: we had them separated for an entire week so he could feel like he was important. Showing him a lot of love/playing with him separately helped a lot. At the same time, my other cat got loads of attention as well. We did bring them. together for an hour or two everyday so they'd get used to each other.
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  • This might be the most heartbreaking thing that we have ever read, and we are so, so happy to hear that it all worked out. We get him. Believing that you're being replaced is one of the worst feelings. 

  • 15
    californicadreaming I'm so glad you posted this. We got a kitten a week ago and I think our 5- year old calico girl is sad/depressed. Won't sleep on our bed anymore. Won't play fetch. Is usually chatty but is now pretty silent. I am hoping she pulls out of it but man it's rough. How long did it take for your cats to become pals?
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  • 16
    nonchalantmax OP He did the same thing, he was so distant and would just watch everyone from a corner. It only got really bad when he stopped eating because that's when we knew something was up.
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  • 17
    He's super attached to my mom so for a week or so, we made sure he slept with my mom downstairs while my other cat slept upstairs. During the same week, we would also give him a lot of attention. On the second week, he started eating on his own. The vet also prescribed him some meds that'd make him hungry so he'd eat. And from the third week, they started playing together and then got so much closer after! Now he's perfectly back to normal
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  • 18
    Fabulous Two524 That's so sad the news would've crushed me. And it sounds like it did crush you. I'm so glad he got around to having a sibling eventually. It's much better for him to have a cat friend in the long run
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    nonchalantmax OP It did because what do you mean that lil walnut brain of his told him he didn't belong with us or that we didn't love him?? ⑲③ I'm so glad too!! They're always playing together, even at 3am
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  • We don't know how we would have stopped crying had we found this out about our cats. We would have been devastated. Thank goodness you made it work. 

  • 20
    introvertsdoitbetter me life better before frand hmmph
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    nonchalantmax OP He's always been a frowny lil baby
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    etsprout Poor little orange! What a goober thinking he couldn't share food lol
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    nonchalantmax OP Now he eats all her food D
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