Hello all,
I'm wondering how to deal with separation anxiety in my cat Rosie while I'm out of town. She's about 17 and I've had her for 7 years. She lives with me and my boyfriend, and she loves him - she sleeps with him almost every night, lets him pick her up, sits on the couch with him, and hangs out with him while he works. He works from home, so she spends more time with him than she does with me usually. She is very attached to both of us though.
If I go out of town alone, he takes care of her, but she still seems to get stressed, usually evidenced by getting diarrhea or loose stools. I don't want her to be uncomfortable or stressed, and she also often gets it in her fur when that happens, so that's an additional source of stress to try to clean it out. She will also sit by the front door and wait for me. Honestly, she seems to do better if we're both out of town and have the cat sitters come, as opposed to her being alone with my boyfriend.
From what I've read online about separation anxiety during vacation, the main suggestion seems to be "have someone come stay with them while you're gone." However, she's still in her normal home environment and with my boyfriend who she loves and spends most of her time with. I've heard of calming sprays and pheromones but I'm not sure if that would help with something like this. Has anyone been in a similar situation, or does anyone have any advice on how to help her relax while I'm gone?
Thanks!
Emily
I'm wondering how to deal with separation anxiety in my cat Rosie while I'm out of town. She's about 17 and I've had her for 7 years. She lives with me and my boyfriend, and she loves him - she sleeps with him almost every night, lets him pick her up, sits on the couch with him, and hangs out with him while he works. He works from home, so she spends more time with him than she does with me usually. She is very attached to both of us though.
If I go out of town alone, he takes care of her, but she still seems to get stressed, usually evidenced by getting diarrhea or loose stools. I don't want her to be uncomfortable or stressed, and she also often gets it in her fur when that happens, so that's an additional source of stress to try to clean it out. She will also sit by the front door and wait for me. Honestly, she seems to do better if we're both out of town and have the cat sitters come, as opposed to her being alone with my boyfriend.
From what I've read online about separation anxiety during vacation, the main suggestion seems to be "have someone come stay with them while you're gone." However, she's still in her normal home environment and with my boyfriend who she loves and spends most of her time with. I've heard of calming sprays and pheromones but I'm not sure if that would help with something like this. Has anyone been in a similar situation, or does anyone have any advice on how to help her relax while I'm gone?
Thanks!
Emily
