Possible separation anxiety?

[tiggerwillow]

Willow regularly gets scared while I am out of the house (at work, for example) a friend suggested she might have separation anxiety, I don't make a big thing of leaving the house, I just tell both girls I will see them later, Willow today was that terrified I had to sit with her and coax her to eat dinner

Anyone have experience with separation anxiety in cats?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
Can you try Cat Music, first while you're there with her so she associates the music with you, and then while you're gone? There's RelaxMyCat, MusicForCats, classical harp music, harp music that's written for cats, music with purrs in it, and videos with just purrs.

There might be something here;
Separation Anxiety In Cats - Understanding, Experiences, And Tips - TheCatSite

 

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

Willow regularly gets scared while I am out of the house (at work, for example) a friend suggested she might have separation anxiety, I don't make a big thing of leaving the house, I just tell both girls I will see them later, Willow today was that terrified I had to sit with her and coax her to eat dinner

Anyone have experience with separation anxiety in cats?

Interesting. Does she have a cat buddy? If yes, does she get along well with the other cat? Are your cats fixed? Do she and the other cat fight when you're not around? How many hours at a time each day are you away from home? How often do you play with your cats with their toys? Do you take them for leashed walks outside? There is an inverse relationship between exercise and anxiety.

 

[tiggerwillow]

I have two cats, both spayed females, Willows about 9 now, Tiggers about 12

Days when I'm working, normally out about 11 hours due to my work shifts.

I supervise them both outside, Willow will not tolerate the harness, she will scared bite it to make it go away cause apparently it eats cats

Both girls, worst they do is play fight, wrestle with each other in between washing each other

Tigger, due to her history, has always been very clingy and needy with people, she still is that way now, she sees a human and she will paw at them and cry for a cuddle, literally she would cuddle Hitler if he came in

I just thought, could Willow be reacting to Tiggers neediness? Not sure what I can do cause Tiggers previous home emotionally neglected her, as they had too many cats and dogs, they gave loads to RSPCA for rehoming

 

[tiggerwillow]

When Tiggers no longer here, I don't think Willow would tolerate a new cat

 

[Caspers Human]

Our youngest, Elliot, has separation anxiety. It's weird because, when we brought him in from outdoors, we thought he was feral. He had been living under our front porch. We caught him and took him to the vet to get him snipped and chipped. When we brought him home and opened his carrier, he came out and hopped up on my lap. He's been a Velcro kitty ever since. Whenever we leave, he gets anxious.

My solution is to make sure to play with him right before going to work then play again when we get home. That way, instead of being anxious, he has something fun to look forward to. It does help. When we get home, he's waiting at the door, ready for his attention and playtime. We also give him a kitty cookie when we get home, just to sweeten the deal.

 

[VAMama]

I once had a cat who liked the taste of ranch dressing. To reward him after scary situations I put a dab of ranch on my finger and let him lick. He came to expect it.