Separation Anxiety

My 1 year old Domestic Shorthair girl has separation anxiety.
My boyfriend and I had rescued her in October of 2013. She has been though a lot in her little life. From a house fire a couple days after adoption, to all the abuse and neglect she endured before we found her. I've always worked from home, and I have been home with her everyday for her entire life. But when it comes to leaving, she panics. She will frantically run back and forth, Meowing. When I leave, she will sit in the window and watch me leave. I can only imagine that makes it hard for her. Even if I'm not in the same room with her, she will cry out until she finds me. She will do this thing where she will put her tail upright, and wiggle it vigorously, the more excited she is (like when we come home) the faster she wiggles it. I've never seen another kitty do this .
Usually if I am gone too long, she will poo outside her litter box. She is my little shadow, always with me. Is there anything I can do to ease her anxiety?
When I go away to visit my family, my boyfriend always says she becomes increasingly clingy and almost depressed. I end up leaving my family visit early to make her feel better. She never shows any anger when I come home, just pure excitement.
Is there anything I can do to help her feel more at ease when I leave? I leave a Feliway plug in all the time, but I'm not too sure it works. Are there any other natural remedies I can try? As you can see from the photo, she is always with me :lol3:

Just my own idea and not backed up by experience or other sources but maybe you could record your voice or face to play when you're away. I've read turning on the radio or tv helps cats feel less alone when they are.

Otherwise, I've read that you can could leave toys around, keep her busy. Maybe play with her then feed her before you leave to tucker her out so she'll take a long nap (of course, this only works for shorter trips).

Thank you so much for the Ideas! I will have to try them. I'll find something to record as well as play, maybe use her favorite word.. 'Eat' haha.
She has a bunch of toys so scattering them around won't be a problem. Of course, she would probably have so much fun stuffing them where I can't ever get them back :lol3:
Thanks again for your help!

mingking said:

Just my own idea and not backed up by experience or other sources but maybe you could record your voice or face to play when you're away. I've read turning on the radio or tv helps cats feel less alone when they are.

Otherwise, I've read that you can could leave toys around, keep her busy. Maybe play with her then feed her before you leave to tucker her out so she'll take a long nap (of course, this only works for shorter trips).

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good point. i know people who call home when they are away so their pets will hear their voice over the answering machine.

1) Feliway is worth a try. Just keep it plugged in.

2) Grab an old shirt you don't wear anymore. Work out in it, do yard work, sweat in it. Make this shirt your "sweat" shirt. The nastier the better. This shirt is now saturated with your scent. Don't wash it. Rub this shirt over her body before you go out. You can also do this periodically when you're at home (once every day would be just fine). Put this shirt near where she likes to hang out, or her sleeping bed if she has one. 

You are trying to mingle your scent with hers, which is what she misses the most when you aren't around. Cats with SA needs to feel reassured, and your sweaty shirt helps her do that. 

3) You can also train her to expect you to come home. Start making this a routine. Dress up and pretend that you're leaving. Do the usual stuff you do before you leave; take your purse, put on shoes, nice clothes and on your way out the door, just talk to her. Don't make a huge deal or fuss over it. Something as simple as "I'm heading out, be a good girl, kay?" would work. Head outside and close the door.

Now wait 5 minutes. Come back inside, and reverse everything you just did. Again, don't make a big fuss over it. Do this for a few days; once a day or once every other day is fine. Gradually increase time outside to 7 minutes, then 10 minutes, up to, say, 30 minutes. You want her to get used to the fact that you will always come home, that she never has to worry ever that she won't see you again.

4) Recording your voice is a good idea. If you like, you can also invest in an answering machine and call home and talk to her.

5) Leave some soft classical music on the radio when you're not around (or even when you're sleeping). This works in conjunction with Feliway so that she doesn't feel so stressed.

Good replies and you may find this interesting as well - 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/separation-anxiety-in-cats

Our little guy has some separation anxiety, not as severe as yours though. The dirty shirt trick works for us. We don't rub him with it, but put it in his bed for him to snuggle with while we are gone. 

woowoo said:

Thank you so much for the Ideas! I will have to try them. I'll find something to record as well as play, maybe use her favorite word.. 'Eat' haha.
She has a bunch of toys so scattering them around won't be a problem. Of course, she would probably have so much fun stuffing them where I can't ever get them back :lol3:
Thanks again for your help!

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If able to get another cat to keep her company. It may not cure it but could help.

I had a kitty just like yours. Pipsqueak would cry and meow every time I went for my purse, keys. Even getting my makeup on and getting dressed up would spark his anxiety about my upcoming departure. He would rub up against my legs constantly almost trying to stop me from moving around. I started a game with him before I would leave. He loved to chase his puff balls and retrieve. So I used this as a way to make my leaving fun. Yes - it took extra minutes to play this game with him but it did seem to soothe him and leave him with his most favorite toy after I left. He would then carry this puff ball around almost serving as a pacifier!! I would often find the puff ball in his favorite bed or on my bed where he would nap with the toy until I got home. It was almost like a security blanket is to a child. I also left out my pajamas on my bed and he would nap near or on those as well. Leaving something that you have worn, a piece of clothing such as a nightshirt, is another comfort for cats with separation anxiety. I also will suggest leaving out a couple of treat ball dispensers Amazon has many, many to choose from. Maybe pick out a couple of different types as well. Fill them with most cats favorite treats such as Temptation Treats. Pip loved the game of fetch and then knew I would offer him these special treat balls. It really helped calm him down and distract him from my departure. You can also, on top of these suggestions, feed a VERY, VERY special canned food. My Pip would be busily eating as I snuck out the door sometimes. He loved Fussy Cats chicken/tuna.

I also gave Pipsqueak a Composure Treat after his breakfast in the mornings. Not all cats like these and readily eat them but I was lucky in that Pipsqueak loved these treats. They really can help naturally to aid in keeping anxiety at bay. You can even try to crumble up a treat and mix it into some wet canned food. The ratings are pretty amazing on this calming product.

Even though I have other cats, and two dogs, Pipsqueak would still panic and rise to a heightened state of anxiety well before I would actually leave the house. Just as dogs, cats can have this type of anxiety, and having other companions in the house does not help them at all as most people would think. The minutes before your departure are the worst for these types of pets and the few minutes that follow. SO, having something to distract them, to entertain them is how you retrain their brain to happy things after you leave.

You can also plan a few extra minutes to play an interactive game with you cat by using wand toys such as Neko Fliers. Most cats go nuts for these little furry creatures!! Make certain that you never leave wand toys out as most cats will chew and eat the strings off of the wands. Put them away securely in a cabinet or closet.

There are things you can do to try to make things more comfortable for your cat when you leave thus turning your departure into something positive instead of negative. We can try, anyway. It takes a little more time on our end but in the long run the cat does become a little less anxious. GOOD LUCK !!!!!!!!!!! And, let us know how things are going.