As your local Lansdale cat sitter, I have learned a lot about cat behavior while on the job. However, one of the biggest lessons I learned right at home. My adorable orange kitty, Mimi has serious separation anxiety.
I’ll preface this story by saying that although I own a Lansdale pet sitting business, I have terrible animal allergies. They are so bad that I am not able to sleep with my pets, EVER! Once my allergies were diagnosed, I was forced to start shutting my kitties out of the bedroom during the day and at night.
It all started while I was at work for a very long day. I came home and realized Mimi had ripped out all of the carpet next to the bedroom door. There were also scratches all over the bottom of the door and door frame. It was as if she was trying to dig a hole under the door and into the bedroom. I also began to notice that Mimi was having poop and pee accidents all over the house. It started off slowly but within a few weeks they were becoming very frequent. The Vet checked her out and nothing was wrong with her internally.
Next, I began waking up at night hearing her pacing outside my bedroom door, crying and crying. As a pet lover, this is possibly one of the worst, most heartbreaking noises. Between cries she would put her paws under the door and scratch endlessly at the door. I laid awake hoping that she would eventually give up and go to sleep! But she’d be back again within an hour or two.
I started reading up about separation anxiety and it seemed she was displaying many of the symptoms. I immediately went out and bought her a calming collar and some pheromone plug-ins. These pheromones would supposedly calm her down. I also bought calming treats and herbal calming drops to put in her water. Sadly, nothing worked! Eventually the Vet suggested a calming medication. I didn’t want to unnecessarily medicate my cat or turn her into a zombie but I wasn’t sure what else to do!
Years later, my Mimi is now on a teeny, tiny dose of daily Prozac. She is happy, peppy, and loving! But, she almost never has accidents, never cries at the door all night and doesn’t try to dig holes under it either!
If you notice your pet displaying some of these behaviors, please take them to the Vet! Separation Anxiety is easily treated – either holistically or with medicine.
For more pet-related tips, follow us on Facebook! Or schedule your consultation today!