Severe Seperation Anxiety???

So here's my problem, I have 4 cats, and Buddy is the only male, I don't know if this will help any but he's a mane coon mix.

He's always had seperation anxiety to where he starts crying when we get ready to leave and as soon as we get home he starts crying for instant attention, in the middle of the night he'll walk around the house giving this pittiful meow until we wake up and call him on the bed.

But just recently he's started something new, and I need to know how to resolve the situation before I have a lost kitty. When we open the door, he's started running out the door. The first time he did it to me, I was able to catch him and bring him in, the first time he did it to my husband he wouldn't let him catch him. All of our cats are fixed, and none of them try to run outside like he does. Also, when we're getting ready he runs 180mph around the house until he's tired.

I just don't know what to do, and we watch very very carefully when we leave, my hubby always walks through and counts the cats before we leave, but I'm worried to death that he's started running outside.

Can someone offer any kind of advice? We've tried leaving treats around the house for the cats to find, and it's not really working, we've given treats before we leave and that doesn't seem to help. I just don't know what to do, nor what I would do if he ever did get lose on us.

Hi, here's an idea - been walking lots of cats for lots of years. First get a harness that not only go around the neck, but also down around the back of the front legs (little piece connects the neck strap to the tummy piece along the back). He's less likely to strangle or escape that way... dogs have much stronger necks! Then, without the leash itself connected to the harness, just attach the harness so it fits well, which means tight enough so you can just get a finger under both parts, but no more (and it won't catch on anything, and he's less likely to slither out.. they're good at that!). Then just let him wear it for increasing times every day in the house... 10 mins, 20 mins.... til he forgets about it. Once he seems comfortable wearing it, wait for a nice day at a quiet time during the day, sprinkle a little catnip just outside the door but reclose it, bring him to the door and casually (quickly) clip on the leash, open the door and take him out with you. Put him down but don't go anywhere and leave the door open behind you. Being outside is likely to make him forget all about the leash, and he may immed. want to go back in, or else crouch and sniff all around him. Let him be the first one to go anywhere, and follow, don't lead. If he totally freaks out the first time when he's outside, let him go back in before he gets out of the harness. Do it all over again later in the day, and the next, but if after 2-3 tries he's really not interested, be glad you have a house cat! You don't want to end up having him like it so much that he wants to be out all the time and yowls at the door all day, never mind the chance, however small, that something (cars, etc.) scare him enough to get out of the harness and never come back. Once he knows he'll get to go out wearing a harness, and once he knows the neighborhood, he's less likely to get lost even if he does get out.

It's a really good idea, the only problem is my apartments don't know we have cats, otherwise I'd have to pay $1500. So I cant exactly take him out, esp. since we're in the front of the building...

Thank you though

Thats great advice about the leash thing.. i'm gonna try that. I bet your neighbours know that you have cats if he's whining when you're not there.. but wow.. $1500 just to have a cat in there?! Time to move me thinks!! Good luck with your dilemma though, i hope you get it sorted out

My cat also runs out the door every chance she gets. But its no real problem because she comes back, ans ehwas an outdoor cat for the first year of her life. But we dont like to let her out so she wont get pregnant again. I have an idea...I know it sounds bad, but its better than losing your cat forever...lock him in a room while your away, that way once you close the door, he cant get out the front door. Or, I hear that stuff, bitter apple spray i think, (or it could be something else)is realy good, spray it all over the front door, and around it...then he wont go outside...if it works of course. Goodluck.

how about leaving a vacuum next to your front door and plugging it in for a second as you open the door. the sound of the vacuum always makes my cats scatter and they would definitely head as far away from the door as possible.

One of my cats does this, and it is really for the attention. He makes a game out of getting me to chase him. I get him to come home by going inside and ignoring him. After an hour or so he realizes that I'm not going to play his game so he comes home.

One thing that does work is to keep a can full of coins by the door and shake it when you come and go. It should spook all the cats away from the door.