Crying When I Leave Apartment

Heebeeweebee

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Hi,

I recently (within the last 2 months) adopted a young cat, and named him Peanut. I don't know a lot about his past, other than he was brought in to a shelter as a stray and is approximately 1 year old. He is fairly independent, loves to play on his own and sit on his window perch. He is also very affectionate.

I recently figured out that he cries/howls when I leave my apartment. He seems to get upset and agitated every morning when I am ready to leave for work (he recognizes the routine). He also tries to run out of the door with me (but I think he just wants to explore). When I come in the door he somehow is always RIGHT there waiting - I'm not sure if he literally lays by the door and waits? I've seen him do that when my boyfriend leaves my apartment. It breaks my heart to think that he potentially spends the day waiting for me to return...

I'm not sure how to stop him from crying every time I leave. It's not so much a concern about noise, but that he is clearly stressed out. I tried reading some other threads, but most were directed towards cats acting out, biting, etc from separation anxiety. Peanut is generally well behaved when left alone.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I've "checked off" some of the more obvious ideas (leaving a radio or tv on, giving him window space to look out, providing scratching posts and fun toys). Would he do better with another active cat so he isn't alone during the workday?

Thank you for taking the time to read!!! :)
 

MoochNNoodles

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I do think he would benefit from a friend. He's still so young. You would still have to properly introduce them; but it can be really good for young energetic cats. I adopted my current 2 as kittens (litter mates) and seeing the difference getting 2 together; I suggest it whenever someone asks! :agree:

Here is one article we have on introducing cats. It would be good to consider this before you decide for sure to bring in another kitty: How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

One other thing you can try is leaving him one of your dirty shirts to snuggle. Whenever we travel I save a couple pajama tops and t-shirts I've worn for cleaning around the house (or any other sweaty activity). I will put them in places my girls like to lay so they have my scent around them. When Noodles decided she didn't want to take her meds from our new house sitter my Mother had to come by. She ended up making Noodles a "tent" out of a nightgown she'd fished out of my dirty laundry and stretched it over the dining chair Noodles was hiding on. It was a hit. :lol:
 

FlawlessImperfection

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In the meantime you could try a puzzle ball hen you leave? Our Shih-tzu has terrible separation anxiety, and the kitten started too- I think because he got her wondering what was so awful when we left. So they get puzzle balls, and seem to have calmed down immensely!
View media item 421289
 

FlawlessImperfection

Life isn’t perfect, and it’s lovely that way. ❤️
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I do think he would benefit from a friend. He's still so young. You would still have to properly introduce them; but it can be really good for young energetic cats. I adopted my current 2 as kittens (litter mates) and seeing the difference getting 2 together; I suggest it whenever someone asks! :agree:

Here is one article we have on introducing cats. It would be good to consider this before you decide for sure to bring in another kitty: How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

One other thing you can try is leaving him one of your dirty shirts to snuggle. Whenever we travel I save a couple pajama tops and t-shirts I've worn for cleaning around the house (or any other sweaty activity). I will put them in places my girls like to lay so they have my scent around them. When Noodles decided she didn't want to take her meds from our new house sitter my Mother had to come by. She ended up making Noodles a "tent" out of a nightgown she'd fished out of my dirty laundry and stretched it over the dining chair Noodles was hiding on. It was a hit. :lol:
Noodles has a pretty great Nana! :D
 

susanm9006

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Yes, a friend might help, or you might be trading loneliness for cat stress from an interloper. I would set up a camera so you can see and hear what goes on after you leave. The meowing may very well stop in a few minutes and your cat is actually having a perfectly normal cat day - snoozing and playing. You can ease your transition out by not feeding the cat until right before you leave so he associates that event with something positive.
 

Furballsmom

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Hi!
susanm9006 susanm9006 has an excellent idea.

If you find that your kitten remains agitated rather than finding a place to snooze the day away, you could take a look into nature dvds and/or youtube videos of webcam streaming of birds and squirrels that are for cats.

Also, you could possibly look into a calming diffuser, feliway makes one but some cats don't respond to it, but there are other companies that make calming products with different ingredients, including Thunderease.
 
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