Can Adult Cats Get Separation Anxiety?

[cheekibreeki]

hi there!
for some background, i should explain that our lovely Coach Mcguirk, our orange tabby, was given to us about 9 or so years ago by a classmate. he was very small and they were unable to care for him (literally said they were just going to put him in their yard instead of take him to a shelter). now that he's grown, he's a chunky boy (apparently that's an orange tabby thing?)

around this time, some family came to live with us, and my cousin, who was about 3 at the time, treated Mcguirk horribly. she would squeeze him, sneak up on him to pick him up, and wouldn't let him go when he protested. this garnered a BIG distrust for people in him, and for years all he would do was run away from anyone who got close to him. i didn't pet him for the longest time!

now, in late 2015 i moved away, and then in 2017 i moved back. since then, Mcguirk has gotten more friendly. the family moved out about when he was about a year old, and he likes my stepfather well enough to come up for pets. since i've come back, though, he's gotten Very friendly with me. he likes to sit by my bed and chatter/meow at me, will push my door open to come inside, and in fact he's laying next to me purring as i type this! i feel a sense of pride that he's gotten close to at least SOMEONE over all this time.

however, if i'm in a room with the door closed, he'll scratch and cry insistently until i let him in. this includes the bathroom! i don't like scaring him off, so i give in every time, but i've started to wonder if now whenever he's not around me (who he seems most comfortable with) he gets anxiety. does this happen in adult cats? he's about 10 years old now.

thanks!
here's him, btw

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Coach Mcguirk is a cutie pie.

Some cats just like to be in whatever room we're in, or whatever room has a closed door. So it could just be Mcquirk's normal feline quirkiness.

Do you know how be behaves when you're out of the house?

 

[samyoz]

well, short answer: as far as I've seen yes.
long answer: I have two cats one of them adult, and every time, I close my room's door whether I'm inside and they're outside or I'm outside and they're inside they would try to open the door with all what they could, and when they fail they just meow till forever,
and everyday I go to college, when I come home they come running at me once they hear me entering the house till the come by my feet demanding a pet,

also my parents' cat is the same, she'd not ever stay alone at night when my family go to sleep, she must find some room cracked open to stay with whoever left the door open {in her case, she loves all my family so that was not randomly}

 

[cheekibreeki]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Coach Mcguirk is a cutie pie.

Some cats just like to be in whatever room we're in, or whatever room has a closed door. So it could just be Mcquirk's normal feline quirkiness.

Do you know how be behaves when you're out of the house?

Thank you!!

if i recall correctly, he spends a lot of time in my room when i'm not around. i've gone on week-long trips only to come back to a big patch of orange fur on my bed, lol! he tends to go back to his anxious self.

My other cat, Syxx, who i've had for most of my life (and pretty much all of hers!) also does the "paw at the door and cry" thing, so i wasn't sure if i should base my question on that alone.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Maybe something here will help;

Separation Anxiety In Cats

How To Set Healthy Boundaries For Your Cat

 

[cheekibreeki]

Hi! Maybe something here will help;

Separation Anxiety In Cats

How To Set Healthy Boundaries For Your Cat

Thanks so much! i'll definitely have to look into those. I worry about leaving him alone sometimes ):