Laura was at her wits’ end with her cat Coco, a 6 year old Siamese mix. Ever since Laura’s work schedule had picked up last fall, Coco had begun urinating on her bed. It would happen a few times a week. Laura had thoroughly laundered all the bedding and applied a pet odor remover. When this didn’t help, she put down plastic sheeting atop the bed, added a second litter pan near the bed and kept it impeccably clean. All to no avail.

Coco had always been a very friendly cat, but now she was sticking to Laura like glue. Meowing, rubbing against her legs, waking her in the early morning and constantly getting underfoot. It was impossible for Laura to get anything done without Coco kneading, pawing, or depositing herself right in the middle of whatever Laura was doing.

Coco had a classic case of feline Separation Anxiety Syndrome (SAS).

Separation anxiety is a well-recognized behavior syndrome in dogs but many people don’t realize that cats can experience it too. Conventional wisdom says that cats are too independent and apathetic to fret over a person’s comings and goings. Not so. In fact cats are highly social creatures with the ability to form deep attachments to humans and other animals. For some felines, this attachment becomes excessive and dysfunctional. When a treasured human is absent, these kitties can suffer true distress.

Diagnosis

Feline separation anxiety usually presents more subtly than it does in dogs, and therefore may go undiagnosed—or misdiagnosed—for years. The typical dog with SAS will bark, whine, pace, howl, and become overtly destructive. It’s hard to miss. While cats with SAS may be more demanding and needy, they’re equally apt to internalize their stress by becoming withdrawn, not eating, and literally pulling their hair out. The symptoms overlap with a wide range of health and behavior problems such as urinary tract disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and other causes of inappropriate elimination. Therefore is essential to consult with your veterinarian if your cat shows these symptoms. He or she will perform a full exam along with appropriate lab tests to rule out physical problems. A precise behavioral history is also essential to distinguish exactly what’s going in.

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