Dealing with Fluffy’s Separation Anxiety
This is Part 4 of a series on Fluffy’s Staycation: What to do with cats who stay behind while you travel. In conjunction with this series, PetSmart is sponsoring a giveaway in which the lucky winner will win an overnight stay and TLC at a PetSmart PetsHotel. To enter, just leave a comment on this post, and on every post in this series. Each comment serves as your entry in the giveway; no more than one entry per post per household, please. Winners will be drawn at random on June 15th. Details here.
Please note: I am not a veterinarian. If you think your cat should be treated for separation anxiety, confer with your vet. Never give your cat medication that was prescribed for you.
I’ve always had at least one Siamese cat, and always will. They are smart, personable, loyal, vocal, and they bond strongly to their people.
It’s that last attribute that poses a problem when we want to travel. My meezer, Mao (right), suffers from separation anxiety, and it’s only gotten worse as he’s aged.
Mao is bonded like superglue to my husband Jeff and me, but I’m his primary fixation. Several years ago, when I traveled to Montana leaving hubby and Mao behind, Mao was annoyingly vocal and agitated in my absence, and two days into my trip he went missing (presumably, he went out to search for me). My vacation was ruined by an 11pm phone call informing me of his status.
Jeff went into warp drive putting up fliers and scouring the neighborhood to find Mao. He located him two days later. Jeff then joined me in Montana, but we had to instruct the cat sitters to sequester Mao in a spare bedroom to reduce his opportunities for escape. He was very vocal in his displeasure and I don’t think the cat sitters got any sleep. Returning home, we bemoaned the fact that we’d never be able to go on vacation again.
Weekend trips were no easier. A couple of years ago, we elected to board Mao and Skeezix for a weekend trip. I knew Mao wouldn’t be happy with boarding (see photo below, right), but he would at least be safe and unable to escape, 
and it wouldn’t kill him to be boarded for a day-and-a-half. I also thought it would be a good practice run to see if boarding would work for Mao.
The next day we got a call from the cat hotel. Mao was not eating or drinking, so they had taken him to the emergency vet for force-feeding and fluids. He survived the experience, but I crossed boarding off our list of options.
When I was planning a trip abroad last year, I did extensive research on how to mitigate the effects of separation anxiety on pets. Jeff was staying behind to cat sit, but I knew that Mao would make him miserable while I was gone by his incessant bellowing, his agitated pacing, and his inappropriate spraying. More importantly, if he went on a hunger strike as he was inclined to do, his health could be jeopardized. It was clear we needed to do something to get him through my 10-day absence.
I’d heard about “Kitty Prozac” and made an appointment with my vet to discuss whether it might be appropriate for Mao.
My vet, Dr Stephen Schuchman, was not quick to prescribe it. He asked me why I thought Mao suffered from separation anxiety. I explained that like many Siamese, Mao was extremely attached to his owners, especially me. Even if we were just out late in the evening, Mao would exhibit signs of unrestrained joy at our return, including manic purring and sticking to us like velcro. Then we’d usually have to sit through a vocal tirade while he scolded us for worrying him. Sometimes when we were gone, Mao would engage in destructive behavior; once he pulled a bag of flour from a kitchen cabinet and distributed the contents over every centimeter of the kitchen floor.
We discussed using Feliway (we had; Mao seemed immune to it), and he grilled me on Mao’s symptoms in my absence, which included refusal to eat or drink when I was gone, crying non-stop, depressive behavior, destructive behavior, aggression toward other cats, inappropriate spraying, pacing, and an obsessive need to escape outdoors and run away from home.
Dr Schuchman agreed that Mao did indeed seem to suffer from separation anxiety, and explained that although it was more common in dogs than cats, some cats–especially Burmese and Siamese–are more susceptible to it. He explained that a veterinary form of Prozac had been used with some success on pets suffering from separation anxiety or obsessive compulsive behavior, and since Mao was in good health, he would be a good candidate for the treatment. The drug would serve to keep Mao in “his happy place” while I was gone.
The drug, Fluoxetine Hydrochloride, goes by the brand name of Reconcile in veterinary use. It takes several weeks to “kick in” and Dr Schuchman recommended starting with a light dosage and slowly increasing it to the maximum dose during the time I’d be gone. Upon my return we would gradually wean him off of it. He warned that Jeff would have to be extra vigilant not to let Mao escape outside during this period. If he went missing, he would likely suffer the uncomfortable symptoms of cold-turkey withdrawal.
Dr Schuchman added that if Mao still proved to be inconsolable in my absence, Jeff could give him a light sedative or even board him at the vet’s office if he continued to refuse to eat or drink.
Long story short, the Reconcile worked very well. While at the maximum dosage, Mao slept most of the time. Jeff didn’t have a problem with him not eating or drinking, and except for a short period in the morning when he bellowed to go outside, he was quiet and docile.
Many cat lovers will shudder at the thought of drug therapy for emotional disorders in their cats, but in this case, we’d run out of options. The successful Reconcile experiment gave hubby and I hope that we might actually be able to take a trip together for longer than an overnight stay without worrying about Mao’s fragile emotional state in our absence.
Failing that, I’m trying to talk Jeff into taking all the cats with us on an RV trip. For that one, I might have to put Jeff on Prozac.
FIND OUT MORE:
- Click here for more information on Separation Anxiety in Cats
- Information Sheet on Fluoxetine Hydrochloride (Reconcile, Prozac)
- Separation Anxiety in Cats by Drs Foster and Smith
If your cat is suffering from some of the symptoms of separation anxiety, particularly refusal to eat or drink and inappropriate elimination, you should see a vet. It could be symptomatic of another more serious disorder.
Does your cat suffer from separation anxiety? If so, tell me about it. If published in The Cat’s Meow, you’ll get five additional entries in the PetSmart giveaway.
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We is lucky. None of us has bad separations anxiety. We gets upset when Mommie takes out the suitcases, but we gets over it pretty quick. And we is always glad when hers finally comes home!
I have severe separation anxiety when my mom goes out. Even just to run some errands. When I see her getting ready I have the most sad face you ever saw and I just stare at her. I am pretty sure my pawrents would not drug me to go on a vacation though. They stay home instead.
I get pretty bad separation anxiety when mom goes on vacation which makes mom anxious in the weeks before she leaves which makes me even MORE anxious and then I tend to get sick. It’s a terrible cycle and now mom does what ever she can to avoid going out of town. Thankfully when she has to go I have a good pet sitter who spends lots of time with me.
Marley experiences a good deal of anxiety when Mama leaves. He will sit or lie and stare at the door, try to manipulate the door handle, and make mournful sounds. Sometimes he can be distracted by food or play, or if he’s quite sleepy, but other times he scarcely rests until she returns, then practically attacks her with snuggles. He snuggles with Julius sometimes but he grooms him too aggressively sometimes and crawls into tight spots with him so he gets squished and after a few minutes, Juls leaves. Mama is going to try Feliway spray in a few strategic locations to see if that calms him. She wonders though if Feliway and Comfort Zone sprays are 2 different products.
The only time we’ve stayed away from home for even a night was a few years ago. The house needed flea-bombing, so Mommy and Daddy arranged for one of their friends to take us for a night so they could treat the house and let it air out completely.
Mommy and Daddy put us in carriers and a bag (Tabby & Carbon in one carrier, Skylar in his own carrier, and Lydia in a backpack that she preferred over a traditional carrier) and took us, with toys and a litter box, over to the friend’s. The two resident cats inspected us, and were very nice to us, then we were introduced to the spare room and shown our litter box. Mommy and Daddy said goodbye and told us they’d be back for us the next day, gave us hugs and kisses, then left.
The lady was very kind to us. She fed us on our schedule, made sure to lock the resident cats out of the room so we had it all to ourselves, and even came in to play with us. We explored every corner of our temporary digs, finding the empty packing boxes and the deep closet.
When Mommy and Daddy came back the next day, they were so happy to see us and we were very happy to see them. We all started purring and ran to greet them. They realized that we hadn’t used our litter box at all during the time we’d been there, but as soon as they came all of us hopped in and used it! Then, they collected us all, even after Lydia ran into the deep closet and they had to step in there to get her. She wanted to stay!
Very good info humorously put. I nearly fell outta the chair on the last comment!
Hey Mao – tell your pawrents that the RV trip ain’t such a bad idea. We’ve gone a couple of times now in the RV and we like it! We get separation anxiety when Mom and Dad go to work everyday. Mom doesn’t worry so much if we are spending the night in the RV with them – at least she knows what we are up to.
We all miss Mom when she goes away – me more than the Tabbies and I am Siamese so I do have that strong bond to humans mostly to Mom but also to Dad. But my behanvior is not as severe as Mao – Poor Baby. I think Mom suffers from separation anxiety from us – she really misses us a lot!!
Since I have meezer blood, I also suffer a little when Mom goes away, but fortunately, it is usually only once a year. I’m not bad, but I definately let mom know I’ve missed her while she was gone. I also hate it when Mom goes back to work after her month off during the summer. We loved your comment about Mr. TF and the RV trip. We can’t wait to hear all about it once you finally convince him.
Tavi (and the rest of us – Cody, Camie, Miss Jade and Gracie)
i was left at the shelter. i was a wetter and i like to bit, and i had a nasty calico cat personality….plus i did not like little babies. my new mom went to the shelter looking for the cat that would be the hardest cat to place and she got me! i continued to wet everywhere but the litter box. Thank goodness my mom really loved me. My vet suggested kitty prozac and it worked wonders. Now i use the litter box and rarely miss. Prozac helps me be a better me. Meow and purrs….Sagecat
Thank goodness we don’t go through that! We know Mom is out hunting and, when she gets home, she’ll put out food for us (how ’bout opening some of those cans you bagged, Mom?).
I’ve used Prozac myself for one of my cats, I currently have 5. Czarina was a stray for 3 years and the first time I brought her inside she was beyond stressed at being in a new environment with cats she didn’t know, even though I had kept her separated. That winter (I live in Florida so she wasn’t in the snow) she got away from me, but I decided to prepare things a little better for my second try. I spoke to my vet who suggested Prozac, but we used the human kind, just a low dosage. I managed to set up a larger area for her, not easy in my apartment, but the kitchen was her haven. I began giving her the prozac two weeks before I took her in, then continued for several months. By the 4th month she was inside, she began to show signs of happiness. She would actively try to get out of the kitchen to explore the apartment, and try to approach the other cats. After the 6th month, I was able to let her stay outside the kitchen completely, unsupervised and all day and night. A year later, she’s happy as a clam. I only used the medication for 6 months. I knew this was the only way to keep her unstressed until she realized she would be okay living inside with us. I’m all for medication if that will help.
This article was very useful. Thanks. My pawrents are going over nite to SF in the fall and they are already worried about me. We they are gone. I really don’t like it at all. I usually sit by the door. or look out the window for them. They are planning to send me to the “hotel” for kitties or ask someone to stay with me. This article helped with some things to expect.
Wow I had no idea this existed! Glad you could help Mao!
i rember that we mao did his walk about and then got broded wiff skeezix glad to her the drug did it trick. Now if i could just get something for maxie who seemed to takening up to eating werid things that are not food
sigh
when i was in the hospital for four days last year kaya went on a hunger-strike on the third day…luckily i was able to be discharged the next day and was home by 7 p.m. she STILL wouldn’t eat her kibble, but opening a can of 9-lives tuna flavor was just too tempting for her.
i’ve been terrified ever since that i’ll have to be hospitalized for the same condition or something else, or i’ll be in an accident…these aren’t things i can plan for. she loves my roommate, but when i was gone for so long that bond evidently wasn’t…enough.
since i can’t plan for an emergency-or it wouldn’t be an emergency-what on earth should i do? certainly don’t think she needs to be on kitty prozac full-time…
Boris gets separation anxiety, but it’s not so bad as it used to. The first time we left him, he stopped eating after a couple of days. It shocked his sitter how upset he looked before I finally came home and the way he did after she returned my house keys. He looked like a different cat, literally, all happy and playful.
What has also worked for us is a combination of taking him with us on some travels afterward, and getting him a companion cat. Boris travels pretty well (as does our younger kitty), but it is stressful for him (and us) to take him along, so he knows that there are worse things than mommy leaving for a few days. At least at home, he gets to stretch out and bemoan his fate. *laughs*
I am glad to know I am not the only kitty who suffers from separation anxiety. Mom use to leave me with Grandma when I was younger and I cried so loud our neighbors could hear me. (We Meezers are noisy to begin with). So mom over the years has passed up any trips. Well mom’s Aunt will be 102 years old in August and she felt she had to fly out to see her. So, with all my medical problems…. she boarded me at the vets to be on the safe side. Mom picked me up yesterday and I have been crying and whining and mom’s freaked out! Nothing is bringing me around! I’ll check with our vet about this medication, but a lot of medications I can’t take because they interfere with my medical problems. At the moment, mom’s not leaving me ever again!! She actually thinks I’m having a nervous breakdown!!!
Hugs and Purrs,
Toulouse
How appropriate for me this week. Momma and Daddy went out of town for the weekend and in the course of 24 hours I puked all over the house, tore up my favorite toy, knocked over my water cup and knocked off my wet food plate off the counter and broke it. Daddy says when Momma is gone, I sometimes refuse to come out from under the bed except to eat and potty. Sometimes when Momma leaves for work, I get so worked up and upset crying and pawing at the door that I throw up my breakfast. And it seems to be getting worse the older I get. But she never realized that it can become a serious issue, especially in Siamese (I am a Siamese mix). Thanks for letting us know there are options if it does get worse for me…..