Feline Separation Anxiety

Is it a Case of Feline Separation Anxiety?

Clinging Cat

I have a four-year-old spayed female cat that has recently began acting strangely. First off, she follows me from room to room throughout the course of the day; no matter where I go she is right behind me.

Second, she drags clothing from my bedroom to other parts of the house, and she will only drag around my dirty clothes. I am worried that something may be wrong with her. Should I be concerned?

Thanks~~ Carolyn J.

Expert Reply

Hi Carolyn,

It sounds to me like your cat could be experiencing some separation anxiety. The reason she prefers to grab your dirty clothes is because they carry your scent, unlike your freshly laundered clothing.

Have you recently been spending more time away from her than usual, perhaps at a new job or on vacation? Is there a possibility she suffered some sort of traumatic experience? I'm also wondering how long ago she was spayed, and if there's any connection to her current behavior?

For now, her behavior is a little out of the ordinary, but not so extreme that you should be alarmed. Keep an eye on her to see if any signs of physical illness appear such as lethargy or a drop in her appetite. Should this happen, then it will be time to consult your vet about the entire situation.

Thanks for your question~~ Kelly

Separation Anxiety and Cat Spraying

Hi,

I have two neutered male Burmese cats. They are brothers and have always got along well; they even sleep and eat together. They are generally happy little cats.

In the two years I have had them there have been only a few incidents where at least one of them was urinating outside the litter box on the curtains. There wasn't anything wrong with either of them like bladder infections or stones because I had the vet check them out.

Six months ago I moved out of my boyfriend's apartment to relocate closer to school. The cats and I are now living with two new roommates. I go away on the weekends to visit my boyfriend and leave my flat mates to feed and look after the cats.

The problem is that when I leave the cats seem to suffer from what I can only assume is separation anxiety. One of them urinates all over my flat mates things, and the other one vomits all over the place. As soon as I come back it stops for the most part. However, one of the cats does occasionally urinate outside of his litter box if I ignore him when he wants to go outside.

I don't know what to do. Both cats sleep in my bed with me at night, and I have now accepted that I probably need to stop this so that they will be less likely to suffer when I am not there. I am just wondering what else I might be able to do, especially since they are ruining my flat mates things! Any advice would be welcome!

Expert Reply

Hello,

Yes, it does appear that your cats are acting out while you're away. Burmese have personalities that are quite similar to dogs. There's none of that stand-offish behavior that some cats display toward we mere humans! A Burmese is very interested in everything you do, and wants to live hand-in-paw with you.

Urinating outside of a litter box is sometimes more about marking territory. I think perhaps your cat is trying to "claim" one of your roommates as his own during your absence. Of course there are better ways of doing it, but cats will be cats.

You need to keep your roommates happy or your living arrangements are going to sour. Since your cats used to live at your boyfriend's apartment with you, why not take them with you on the weekends? You can keep a litter box there, fill it with just enough fresh litter to get by for the weekend and clean it out before you leave.

If this suggestion won't work for you, I'd consider looking for a good pet boarding establishment in your area where you can leave the cats over the weekend. This would eliminate the inappropriate urinating and vomiting going on at your current apartment while you're away.

You could also try alternating both of these solutions.

Thanks for your question~~ Kelly