Does your meowsome cat(s) experience separation anxiety?  Did you nose a full 65% of us cats are pawsitively attached to our humans, which means we too, can suffer from separation anxiety; a condition thought to affect only good dogs.

Hi Jerry Underfoot here to meow now on feline separation anxiety.

Later this month huMom is taking a trip to Toronto, her home town to visit Auntie Lorraine.  She will be gone a whole 3 nights.  HuMom has never left us over night never mind three of them! She has been trying to not get anxious about it because we would pick up on those emotions & feel insecure & nervous.  A good friend of hers is coming twice a day to check on us, feed us, give clean water, & clean our litter box.  She may hang out for a while, although  we usually run upstairs when humans come over but we do nose her so maybe we will come back down.  I nose huMom hopes so because Dot who is more courageous than I (I’ll admit it) will eat all the food.

Since huMom has never left us for more than an afternoon none of us nose how me & Dot will react.  However, while reseaching feline separation anxiety we learned that cats who were orphaned or weaned too early can be prone to it.  Even more so if they do not live in an environment that isn’t catducive to confidence-building.  While Dot was found at 4 weeks old with her litter mates running loose near a highway (the family moved away & abandon them) & I was found caught in a trap, we do live in a pawsitive environment that is purrfectly catducive to confidence-building.

Most humans think of us good cats as aloof & less social compared to good dogs but the fact is, in 2019 a team of researchers at Oregon State University scientifically confirmed what most good cat huMoms & huDads all over have always known; our feline furmily members love & bond with our humans. Their research shows that, just like kids & good dogs, us good cats form secure & insecure bonds with their humans.  The lead study author Kristyn Vitale of Oregon State University said, “Like dogs, cats display social flexibility in regard to their attachments with humans & the majority of cats are securely attached to their owner & use them as a source of security in a novel environment.”

“Cats with separation anxiety don’t howl & bay like dogs & they don’t chew on doors & windowsills in frantic attempts to escape,” writes veterinary behaviorist Dr. Nicholas Dodman, pawfessor emeritus at Tufts University. “Their misery is far less obvious, & it sometimes takes a sleuth of an owner to appreciate what is going on.

Common signs of feline separation anxiety include crying or meowing excessively when our favorite human(s) is away, refusing to eat or drink, eat too fast, engage in destructive behaviour, eliminating outside our litterbox (sometimes in or on our human’s belongings or bed (Yowzzz!), grooming excessively & overly enthusiastically greet our human’s return.  Please remember that us good cats that do eliminate on our human’s bed or belongs are not doing it to be spiteful. It’s really a way for us to self-soothe by mixing our scent with yours. It’s also a way that we try to help you ‘find’ your way home.

Lets not  forget that there are both medical & behavioral reasons for us cats to pee or poop outside the litterbox that have nothing to do with separation distress. The same goes for excessive grooming  abnormal eating habits so you want to ensure that there are no issues medically or behaviourally before assuming it is separation anxiety. A urine sample & a vet visit can help clear that  up, that is if this is happening frequently & not simply when you go out or your good cat can’t see you.

 

 

It is suggested that our humans should inspire confidence in us cat when you interact with us, & that you engage us in interactive play sessions each day, twice a day or more is better.😺😽 Rather than reward us for meowing & being insisitant on your attention, reward the behavior you want to see again & don’t reinforce the behavior you don’t want to see.  When we are resting, quiet & playing on our own then give us love & or treats( I suggest both 😸).

 

 

Practicing coming & going without all the drama when you are leaving is also recommended.  Don’t over do the goodbyes we will think you are leaving forever instead of a few hours or days. Keep your emotions in check, we pick up on them & if you are worried or anxious we will also be.

Other suggestions are calming music.  HuMom plays soft piano music for me & Dot.  Pheromone diffuser like the Feliway are also a pawsome tool for helping us stay calm; we always have Feliway & Adaptil (for good dogs) on hand.  Some humans use flower essence, essential oils & herbal supplement.  Flower essense are are gentle enough to not be offensive to us felines & can be very beneficial for emotional support. Flower essences are safe to use topically on us as well as in our water (we ourselves have not used them but huMom has with a cat named Nemo & found them to be highly effective). While essential oils  can be safe when used with a water diffusion method. It is pawsitively impawtant that we can leave the room the diffuser is in, if we choose to. Hydrosols are also a safer choice with us cats.  It is best if you speak to holistic & integrative veterinarian when chosing specific homeopathics.

HuMom choices are CBD Dog Health‘s CBD Calm for Cats, Omega Alpha‘s E-Z Rest & EnduraStress. All are safe an effective in maintaining a peaceful & calm good cat.  Dot just reminded me that huMom often gives us one of these calming solutions a few days or more before the actual event to ensure we will feel their waginificent affects.

 

Now you nose that yes, we good cats can suffer with separation anxiety & there are solutions 😻😻

 

 

Have a purrfect week!

Remember to be gnawsome, be kind & stay safe.

Dot & Jerry Underfoot😻😻

           Remembering CEO Olivia & Eddy forever🐾💜🐾