Environmental stress and cat appetite

I moved Jasper to the spare room two days ago because I was painting the living room. He’s been eating nothing but dry kibble and ignoring the wet food he usually loves. He’s a 5-year-old DSH and usually has more energy than sense. Is this just stress from the new environment, or is something else going on? I don't want to assume it's a health issue if it's just him being dramatic about the smell of the paint.

Oh no, that sounds stressful for him. I just started seeing how my shy cat Chloe reacts to even small changes. She hides under the bed if I move a chair. I'm trying to prepare for my baby arriving next month and the thought of all that new noise and people is terrifying. I wrote about it here New baby and my shy cat if you want to see how far the hiding can go. Maybe Jasper is just processing the new room?

Cats need a sense of territory. Changing that up is like telling a dog their yard is suddenly a parking lot. Maple, my 5-year-old orange tabby, loves her routine. When I had to close the door to the yard for a storm, she paced and refused to eat for half a day. I talk about The freedom of the outdoors and how access to her space keeps her calm. For Jasper, maybe let him out of the spare room for a bit so he can reclaim his scent markers in the main areas?

It is important to distinguish between stress and illness, especially in older cats, but Jasper is still young. I have an 8-year-old tabby, Ollie, who is diabetic, and his appetite changes with his blood sugar levels. I documented my feeding schedule and vet advice in Feeding Ollie on his diagnosis. If Jasper hasn't eaten wet food in two days, that is concerning. Stress usually leads to hiding or vocalizing first, but a complete refusal of preferred food types can indicate dental pain or nausea. Have you checked his mouth for any redness or bad breath?

I checked his mouth and it looks fine, no redness. I think it is the room. I posted about how he reacted to a new rug last year in Why did Jasper hate the new rug and he was just being a grumpy cat. I moved him back to the living room this morning, away from the paint fumes, and he ate a small amount of wet food. Does that confirm it was the environment?

Yay! I'm so glad he ate. My Chloe is still hiding from the vacuum cleaner and I'm worried she'll do the same with the baby's gear. I feel like we all just need to be patient with them. If Jasper keeps up the appetite now that he is back, it was definitely the stress. I'm going to try to keep the baby's stuff out of her main room for a few weeks.