Hi,
We got my cat Gizmo when he was found lurking outside my friend's house looking for food. He was very hungry and looked quite matted and dirty. He looks like a twin of one of their indoor/outdoor cats, so they almost let him in the house. Once they realized it wasn't their cat they fed him and gave him some water. My friend Kim called me and I decided to take him in. We gave him a bath, dried and brushed him then took him to a vet to make sure that he was in good health. The cat got a clean bill of health so we took him home. He got along okay with my other cat Bageerah after some minor hissing, and establishing of the pecking order in our household. At first he would not use the litter box properly so I bought him one of his own and put him into the bathroom overnight or when we were away from home for short periods of time with food, water and a soft place to lie down. Eventually he used the litter box correctly and is a very very affectionate cat with me.
When I am at home Gizmo follows me around the house like a very loyal dog. He will sit on a kitchen chair or lie on the floor when I am cooking in the kitchen. If I am sitting watching TV he will hop up my lap or sit on my book if I am reading on our bed. If I go to the bathroom or take a shower he will scratch at the door to be let in the bathroom or wait outside. If I am at the computer working or busy doing something he will scratch at our front door or run around the apartment like he's hyper or crazy.
When I go to leave for work or to run errands he will stand by the door like he wants to go out with me. He's scratched at the door a number of times once I have closed it to leave.
Can cats suffer separation anxiety? How do you make a cat feel less stressed about when you leave the home? Is there something that I can do to curb some of the needy and clingy behaviour? I don't want my cat to stop being affectionate but this has gotten excessive.
Thanks for any advice that you can suggest.
We got my cat Gizmo when he was found lurking outside my friend's house looking for food. He was very hungry and looked quite matted and dirty. He looks like a twin of one of their indoor/outdoor cats, so they almost let him in the house. Once they realized it wasn't their cat they fed him and gave him some water. My friend Kim called me and I decided to take him in. We gave him a bath, dried and brushed him then took him to a vet to make sure that he was in good health. The cat got a clean bill of health so we took him home. He got along okay with my other cat Bageerah after some minor hissing, and establishing of the pecking order in our household. At first he would not use the litter box properly so I bought him one of his own and put him into the bathroom overnight or when we were away from home for short periods of time with food, water and a soft place to lie down. Eventually he used the litter box correctly and is a very very affectionate cat with me.
When I am at home Gizmo follows me around the house like a very loyal dog. He will sit on a kitchen chair or lie on the floor when I am cooking in the kitchen. If I am sitting watching TV he will hop up my lap or sit on my book if I am reading on our bed. If I go to the bathroom or take a shower he will scratch at the door to be let in the bathroom or wait outside. If I am at the computer working or busy doing something he will scratch at our front door or run around the apartment like he's hyper or crazy.
When I go to leave for work or to run errands he will stand by the door like he wants to go out with me. He's scratched at the door a number of times once I have closed it to leave.
Can cats suffer separation anxiety? How do you make a cat feel less stressed about when you leave the home? Is there something that I can do to curb some of the needy and clingy behaviour? I don't want my cat to stop being affectionate but this has gotten excessive.
Thanks for any advice that you can suggest.