ASK THE VET: How to Manage Separation Anxiety in Cats

Although the causes of separation anxiety are not fully understood, it is apparent that genetics and environmental factors play a role. It has been shown that orphaned or early-weaned kittens are definitely predisposed due to the lack of socialisation and parental discipline as a young kitten. Having multi-cat households where the cats don’t get a long can also exacerbate the problem.

Signs
• Following the owner from room to room
• Inappropriate urinating or defecating
• Destructive behavior i.e. chewing or scratching
• Excessive grooming that leads to hair loss
• Vocalization

If your cat is showing these signs, book them in for a full veterinary examination to rule out medical conditions first. If your cat is considered healthy, your veterinarian will consider behavior modifying techniques +/- medical management.

Behavior modifying
• Try not to make a grand exit when leaving your pets
• When you return home, ignore your pets for the first 15-20 minutes or until the pet calms down
• No attention given on demand to the pet - you must initiate the attention
• Reduce shadowing behaviour in the home by closing doors
• Leave toys (with or without catnip) for your cats to play with – consider ones that you can put food inside to keep your cat occupied
• Try a comfortable perch for the cat to enjoy
• Try music in the background with bird noises whilst you are away
• Climbing frames

You may also want to consider trying FELIWAY Spray or Diffuser, a synthetic feline facial pheromone, that has been shown to help reduce stress behavior in some situations.

Medical Management
In severe cases, your veterinarian may recommend short-term medical management. Most behavior-modifying drugs such as CLOMICALM (clomipramine), PROZAC (fluoxetine), BUSPAR (buspirone), are not labelled for cats, however, have been prescribed by veterinarians extra-label with varying results.


Our question this week came from Nikki (Kinipelas Mom)