My cat has anxiety symptoms. How do I know if it's not medical?

True separation anxiety is not horribly common in cats. But the signs would that your cat shows distress when left alone or separated from you (or other people she's attached to). You might be self-inflicted trauma, excessive vocalization, urinated or defecating inappropriate places, lack of appetite, withdraw, over grooming or (less commonly) destructive behaviors. She might be hyper focused on you when you are around or vocalize/follow you when you prepare to go. It's important to check for a medical reason for any of the symptoms you're seeing (for example, if there are litter box issues, it could be separation anxiety, or could be related to illness or cystitis or many other causes). Generally, videotaping what she does when you're not home is helpful in diagnosis, and then a full blood panel (CBC, blood chemistry, urinalysis, fecal test) and exam to check for medical issues. I hope that gives you some idea about if your kitty is effected and how to proceed! Good luck!

They can show they are stressed by urinating outside the litter box, GI issues such as diarrhea, hiding, excessive grooming, decrease in appetite, excessive vocalization, increased sleeping, and aggression towards people and other animals in the home.

Cats with separation anxiety can exhibit many signs. Hiding / reclusive behavior, meowing / vocalizing more, scratching at walls or doors, shaking, inappetance, drooling, etc. can all be signs that your cat is experiencing separation anxiety. I would recommend using products such as Feliway and NaturVet Quiet Moments Calm Chews with Melatonin which you can find online or at your local Petco. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I'm glad to see that Pippin has been neutered because this eliminates that possibility of hormone-fueled behavioral changes and aggression. Behavioral changes in cats can occur at any point in time, and could be related to anxiety or stressful situations (even rearranging furniture or introducing new people to the home can be stressful to cats). Without a lot more information and observing Pippin's behaviors, I can't precisely tell you why these changes are occurring. It may be best to consult a veterinary behaviorist in your home so that they can observe everything firsthand. You can also try using calming pheromone collars or diffusers (Feliway is one example), and discussing the use of anxiety medication with Pippin's vet. I hope that all goes well!

Hi there. Yes, there are definitely medications that can help with chronic anxiety in cats, and she would likely also benefit from other changes in her environment to help make her more comfortable. Ideally, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate her in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan for her, including medication if he/she feels that it would be helpful in Sunny's case. You can search for one in your area here: www.dacvb.org If this isn't possible, then you can certainly work with your regular veterinarian if he/she is comfortable treating behavioral issues in cats. You will indeed need to have her seen for an exam in order to start any prescription medication - so you'll need to bring her into the clinic, or you can see if there are any vets in your area who offer housecall services. You can ask your veterinarian about using a calming supplement such as Anxitane or Zylkene before the visit to help make her a bit more comfortable, if needed.

Poor Hedj! I would talk to your vet about starting him on some anti-anxiety medications. That may help with the vocalization in the specific area of your home, and allow you to prevent him from accessing that area of the home without him freaking out. You can also use Feliway, which is a pheromone diffuser that helps cats with anxiety. You can use Sentry calming collar in conjunction with the pheromone diffuser. If Hedj gets very stressed out going to the vet, you can see if your vet does house calls, or you can see if there is a mobile vet in your area.

It sounds like something is making your cat nervous or scared. When we have a change in behavior, we have to ask is it only behavior, or is there a medical reason. A trip to your veterinarian for an exam and possible lab work would help to make sure there are no other concerns. If it is determined to be a behavior problem, I would start with a pheromone such as Feliway that can help with anxiety. It is available as a plug-in room diffuser for large areas, and as a spray for small areas like a mat or bed. https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=8906 https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=37241 Another product I like is Composure, which is available as a little treat. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetri-science-composure-feline-bite-sized-chews If these do not help, you might consider discussing prescription medication for anxiety with your veterinarian. Thanks for using PetCoach.