Separation Anxiety

[MirandaLC]

I have a 5yr old male cat who pees on laundry, couches, pillows, blankets, & the bed. He was neutered when he turned 1. He is on Prozac now, & that definitely helps the behavior, but I am still nervous. You see, we just moved in with my boyfriend over Christmas, & he has already had 1 incident since the move (that was because we had to travel so he was off his meds for 3 days & we came home & had laundry in the floor. Totally not his fault, & we got the laundry & floor cleaned quickly!). My issue right now is he wakes me up every morning between 2am & 4am to give him treats, and I am so terrified that if I ignore him, he will go pee on something! So, I oblige. Any advice on how I can sleep until at least 7?!

ps treat time used to be around 6-7am, but I had a roommate who would be up at 4:30am so now my cat associates that time with being awake & treats! Also, even after giving him treats & trying to get back in bed, he will still come and meow and jump on us in bed so that I am forced to go out to the couch & shut the bedroom door so my boyfriend can sleep! The cats stay with me and actually calm down & rest when I get on the couch, but I want to be in my comfy bed!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Before you moved, after being fed treats in the early morning, was he jumping up on your bed then? If so, it is now a habit and one you let go on before. If he did do that, how did you handle it - and can you replicate that now? If he didn't do this before, it might be that he is still adjusting to his new home and feels particularly needy right now. Also, did he mostly sleep with you before you moved? Another habit that is going to be hard to break. If he didn't - where did he sleep, and can you re-produce a very similar bedding/area for him to use?

As far as the food, you could consider buying a timed feeder to open up at about the time he is used to getting his treats and see if that would stop him from bugging you - it might even stop the bed jumping afterward, but likely not.

 

[MirandaLC]

Hi! So after getting treats early morning, he would usually lay back down in bed with me. But now it seems he doesn’t know where to lay or when to lay down! I think the timed feeder might be a good idea if all else fails. I’m just really worried if I ignore him he will find something to pee on, & I really don’t want my boyfriend to hate my cat! He was already weary about them moving in, but he’s actually starting to warm up to them a lot! So I’m just nervous about his peeing

 

[FeebysOwner]

Give your cat some space on the bed somewhere, and ask your BF to be tolerant/patient! Once your cat finds a place on the bed that he feels he can lay comfortably, that is likely what he will do and will begin to settle in more quickly. If you petted him before when he came to bed, you kind of need to continue doing that, at least for now. That also should help him to settle. Remind your BF that you and your cat(s) came as a 'package deal'!! I hope he grows to love your cat(s) the way you do - I am sure in time he will!!

 

[MirandaLC]

Thanks everyone! Since he is now consistently on his anxiety meds, I have been able to ignore his demands for treats before 6:30am with no issue! He has now gotten the hint, & either waits or goes to snack on dry food until I wake up!