How do I know if my cat has separation anxiety? What are the signs?

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! He may have separation anxiety and that may explain it. I would recommend a product called Feliway which may help with episodes of distress or separation anxiety and is not a medication per se but it helps them feel more at ease. Best of luck!

Symptoms of anxiety can include hiding, aggression, extreme vocalization, lethargy, changes in appetite, not using the litter box, and excessive grooming. Keep in mind, however, that these symptoms can also be due to a medical illness. For example, a change in appetite could be due to a systemic illness, which lethargy could be due to injury, and not using the litter box could be due to feline idiopathic cystitis. Because of that, the only way to prove your cat has anxiety is to take her into the vet. Medical causes for certain behaviors need to be ruled out first before diagnosing a cat with anxiety, and only a vet can do that. Best of luck.

Poor Wally! He may just be a very talkative cat. This will likely improve with time. In the mentine, you may want to try some feliway diffusers and spray in his favorite areas. Feliway is a cat pheromone that helps to calm some cats. It doesn't work on all cats though. You could also try some catnip as this may make him happy while you are away. Again, not all cats react the same to this. Finally, you can look into calming essential oil diffusers but you want to make sure you get one that is safe for cats. You can look into doterra or www.oilyvet.com for safe choices. If the anxiety gets really bad, I would have your vet prescribe an anti-anxiety medicine. I hope this helps!

That can be normal, but can also be a sign of separation anxiety! Cats, just like dogs, can become very anxious when away from their favorite people. I'm including an article about separation anxiety that may help! https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/separation-anxiety-1/

It's possible Spirit may feel a bit anxious when you're gone. Cats can become clingy and exhibit the behaviors listed when they are feeling anxious. A good first step is always to schedule a vet checkup and rule out any possibility of illness that may be causing these behaviors as well. That said, if Spirit checks out healthy, there are a few things you can do to help. When you leave the house, playing a soothing talk show on TV or on the radio can help, as well as placing pheromone diffusers/calming collars on spirit to help her relax. You can also get her more used to you leaving by only leaving for a few minutes, then coming back. Make sure to not make a big deal out of the event when leaving, so she doesn't anticipate it and start to become anxious. A good play session to get her tired out before you leave can also help reduce anxiety as she'll likely just want to sleep while you're away. If the issue continues, or worsens, talking with a veterinary behaviorist may help as they can create a more tailored plan and see what's going on in-person.

Sounds like he may have some separation anxiety. You can try using Adaptl pheromone products in the other room to see if that makes him more comfortable. Here are some additional resources on dealing with separation anxiety: https://www.petcoach.co/article/separation-anxiety/