Not Eating After Big Move

Hi! I have two one-year-old cats (Junie and Fig - sisters!).  They are generally totally healthy (normal weight), playful, and hungry.  They usually eat 3 cans of Fancy Feast pate each per day, and are happy to eat any treats we give them.  However, 5 days ago, we moved states and are in a new apartment.  I kept the kitties in the bedroom with all of their belongings (cat trees, toys, litter, food, water, etc.) for about two days, and now allow them to wander around the apartment freely.  They seemed to be adjusting okay - they will play and explore, though they still hide under the bed or in the closet for a good portion of the day.  However, they were and are not eating much.  I assumed that this was a normal consequence of adjusting to the move, and Fig has been slowly eating more each day that passes, which is what I expected to happen.  But Junie is still steadfastly refusing to eat (she'll nibble and maybe eat a quarter of a can per day?) and seems much more depressed and anxious than her sister.  At what point should I stop assuming that she will naturally adjust to the move and take her to the vet?  I don't want to scare her even more with a car trip, but I'm worried because I know cats aren't supposed to go without food for a long time or they can have liver problems... She will act like she wants to eat, but once I actually put the food down in front of her... nope!  I'm trying different flavors and mixed in some tuna, to mixed levels of success... Thanks in advance for any help <3

Hello!  You sound very sympathetic to the stress of moving house for cats and this is particularly true of cats in a group, because territories (even cats that like each other will have separate territories) need to be established.  We would reccommend putting down lots of litter trays and water bowls in different hidden spots, including one close to where June likes to hide (you can always remove ones that aren't being used later).  We also advise providing lots of places to hide away under cover.  If is also worth noting that stress - such as the huge stress of moving - can trigger some diseases, such as pancreatitis which can result in anorexia (not eating).  Diseases that were not previously obvious do commonly come to the fore at this time, so it may be worth having a chat to your vet as to whether it's worth running tests. Meanwhile, wishing you the best of luck at this hard time for all of you and we hope that June settles in better soon.