Separation anxiety is increasingly recognised in cats, challenging the stereotype of cats as entirely independent animals. Recognition and management improve welfare for affected individuals.
Feline separation anxiety causes genuine distress — affected cats show physiological stress responses when separated from attachment figures. Unlike dogs, the signs are often subtle and may be attributed to other causes (litter tray preferences, furniture damage). Welfare management includes graduated desensitisation to departure cues, environmental enrichment to provide occupation when alone, and in severe cases pharmacological support (fluoxetine, buspirone). Multi-cat households do not always resolve anxiety and may create additional stressors.