Behavioral Issues- Separation Anxiety?

[mister tigger]

I adopted a shelter cat a few months ago and he's adjusted well. He's very loving and sweet. However, whenever I leave the home for work in the mornings, he becomes very agitated and active. He will swipe at me and run around the studio like crazy, hide and ambush, and lie on top of my shoes or work bag and won't budge. He never does this unless I'm leaving. When I come home, as soon as I put the keys in the lock, he starts meowing nonstop. He greets me like I've been gone for days and follows me around for about 10 minutes, then goes off to scratch everything and eat all his food.

Should I be concerned? Is there anything I can do to curb his behavior? I'm leaving for a work trip for a few days. I have someone coming over to take care of him, but he'll have to be alone for one night and one day. The only time I left him alone overnight, I came back and he was sneezing and coughing and developed a URI. I hope it wasn't stress that induced this. Maybe it was just coincidence. I'm worried about leaving him. Any suggestions would be helpful!

 

[red top rescue]

If you can check his history with the shelter, I would bet he was suddenly abandoned by his last owner, so yes, he does have separation anxiety, and YES this is stressful for him.  Yes, stress CAN bring on a a URI, particularly if he had one as a kitten and still carries one of the viruses like herpes in his system.  Leaving the TV or a radio on for him may help him feel less alone.  Getting another cat (another neutered male of similar age) might also be a good idea if you have to travel frequently.  You said he will have to be alone for one night and one day.  If you could get your cat sitter to spend some time with him, that might help.  I sit for one cat, only two or three times a year, but he doesn't like strangers and I've been his only sitter for at least 8 years.  We have a routine, and he is completely habituated to our routine, everything done in the same order, in the same place, and my arriving about the same time each day (dinner time, when his human mom would usually be getting home.)   He wants to eat immediately, so I feed him and then clean his litte rbox.  Then I sit on the couch and he comes over to be groomed.  He loves that, so we do it quite awhile.  Then we play with toys.  Then he stretches out and relaxes.  We watch TV.  (His human mom leaves it on for him.)  I stay at least an hour, sometimes more, and give him a couple of treats when I leave.  So this has become a second routine that he is used to, and he knows that his human mom will walk through the door one evening again, and he will not see me again for months.  He greets me with meows and head butts and purrs when I do come back.  I hope you get a caring sitter who will give him that much personal attention when you are gone.

Another friend had a problem with her cat the first time she went on vacation.  He didn't get sick, but she was gone for a week and he started pooping on the couch and her bed.  Next time I told her to tell him she would be gone for X number of days but would be back.  She thought it sounded silly but what could it hurt?  She did that.  She made a mental phone call to him every day too.  As weird as this may sound, you may call it coincidence, but he was fine with the second vacation.

When you go to work, try this.  Each day when you leave, tell him you are going to work and you will be back at the usual time (and it will help him if you DO select a "usual time" even if you later need to go out again.)  Cats do thrive on routine.  Hug him and kiss him and show him lots of love before you leave.  Reassure him that you would never abandon him and you WILL return.  Think about him throughout the day, calm affectionate thoughts (mental phone calls).  Then fuss over him as much as he fusses over you when you DO return.  This may help with the daily anxiety.  As for the trip, tell him the same thing, when you are leaving, when you will be back.  Cats read minds, not words, but by saying the words, your mind communicates.  (There have actually been studies of this phenomenon, people leaving, someone recording when they go, and when they turn to come home, and the cat actually responding to when he owner turned to come home.) 

It can't hurt and might help. You might also consider adding a soothing pheremone diffuser (Feliway) which can be found in pet stores or Amazon.  Many cats respond very well to it, and it's cheaper than a vet visit for stress induced illness.

If you CAN find out more about his history, please do, because knowing how he came to be in the shelter may give you a lot of insight into the "baggage" he carries with him.   Let us know how things are going.