Separation Anxiety, Cat Sitting, And Vacations.

My cat has pretty bad separation anxiety, and we(especially my wife) would really like to be able to go on vacation, but we also don't want our cat to go nuts while we're gone, and, we especially are worried that she'll develop behavioral issues during the trip that might persist long after the trip is over.

here is the plan we're considring.

1. consult with the vet about increasing her anti anxiety medication dosage. It helps a lot, but it seems like she might need a stronger dose. if that was better addressd, the rest should go more smoothly.

2. Buy a different house: our current house is on a very busy road, small lot, and has loud neighbors. A quieter house should provide a more serene environment, as well as room for phase 3...

3. Get a second cat that can be a companion for her: I am aware that far from all cats become best buddies, but she is a very friendly and social cat she even tried to befriend a squirrel through a window once...), so with care and the right second cat it should work. That way, if we're gone, part of her family/colony wills till be there.

4. Find a regular cat sitter (she needs a cat sitter for medication, as well s companionship) and work our way up, first with a few day trips so that she gets used to the whole idea, then a few overnights, then, some weekend getaways, etc.

Has anyone tried something like this with a neurotic cat with separation anxiety and had good results? Has anyone had success with a different plan?

Hi! Wow, bless your hearts for considering a different house location for her

A couple thoughts - do you have a way, if you don't have this already, to set up a camera so that you can see how she acts when you're away?

Also, have you tried music, as opposed to increasing the drug? Try low volume classical harp music, George Handel compositions, there's an app called Relax My Cat, and there is MusicForCats . com that are sources you could try.

Hi. As far as the cat sitter - find someone who can come to your house initially while you are there and spend some time around your cat. At first, no real reason they need to directly interact - just let your cat kind of 'feel out' the future sitter's presence in your home. Then, more visits, more interaction - all while you are there, even feedings/treats/medications/etc. Once you have an idea that things look to be going pretty well, go out for a meal/movie/etc. and leave the sitter there while you are gone. At that point, you can test out a day trip, etc. and see how that goes.

I gather any sitter you have will be staying in your house overnight when you are gone, given your cat's anxiety level?

There are also calming products you could test out that might be enough to not have to up the anti-anxiety meds. Not all of them work on all cats, so you might have to experiment for a while. One in particular is called Bach Rescue Remedy which are drops that you can rub into a cat's ear. A lot of people use these before a vet visit just to help calm down their cat for the trip.

"I am aware that far from all cats become best buddies, but she is a very friendly and social cat she even tried to befriend a squirrel through a window once...), so with care and the right second cat it should work."

I haven't heard sufficient evidence to reach this conclusion. How cats act with humans is not necessarily predictive of how they will act with another cat, and the squirrel through a window story...well I'm not sure what that means exactly, but I wouldn't rely on it. Do you have cat-to-cat evidence? A cat with anxiety + another cat is normally quite risky. You had best make sure that you can return the new cat after a week -- and realistically evaluate whether you and family are emotionally able to do that if it is best for your existing cat. A second cat is not normally something I would recommend for anxiety...not saying its impossible it could help, just saying its not normally on the possible solutions checklist.

Some cat sitters are awesome. I got one through google, she had a few recommendations on google and I took a chance. When she came over, the questions she asked, how she interacted, it was obvious she was a real cat expert. Probably got lucky, but folks like that are potentially out there for you.

Before you take any huge steps I would suggest that you do some tests to see how she does while you are both out, if you haven’t already. For example, do a day trip where you leave early in the morning and return in the evening. And, if she does okay with that get a pet sitter to stop in and do an overnight trip. That should give you some idea how she would react and hopefully lessen your anxiety over taking a longer trip.

The video cam idea is wonderful and you can get them quite inexpensively. I bought a Wyze cam for around $30 that allows me to check on my cat and house via my smartphone.