I am feeling alllll the post-holiday feels y'all! What a whirlwind the holidays can be for business and personal life. After action packed days filled with cat sitting, new clients and new kitties comes the time to reset and reevaluate business goals. This comes naturally with the start of a new year, especially with a helluva year like 2020. "New Year, NEW ME" memes were a far cry from the insanity that has been gracing our timelines and conversations. Luckily, I've curated my timeline so that I really only see updates on local businesses and absurdly adorable cat memes, so I've truly had time to think about my goals for the new year.
January is that beautiful time of the year in the pet sitting industry that it feels like you can catch your breath, catch up on any administrative work that might have fallen behind in the last couple of months and reprioritize aspects of your business. One of my major take-aways from the year was wanting to learn more about cat behavior. There are many things that come naturally to me after working exclusively with cats for the past 4 years, but this is a year I would like to deep dive and continue educating myself on all the things that make our felines tick. One of my many passions is learning, I ALWAYS want to know more.
One thing I did notice supremely this year was a heightened state of separation anxiety between kitties and their owners. We are coming up on the anniversary of the pandemic and I never thought I'd still be wearing a mask EVERYDAY. Many owners that travel for work on a weekly basis are now confined to their homes, working remotely to accomplish tasks. Your kitty roommate is now walking across your computer screen during zoom calls, sitting in your lap while you type, laying on your notebook, following you to the kitchen, following you to the bathroom and I'm sure you can name a plethora of other new needy things your cats may be doing. Creating that unbreakable bond with your kitty is such a blessing. However, there will come a time when you do need to start traveling and your kitty will need their pet sitter again, especially now that they've truly enjoyed having company/attention for the past year... AND I COULD NOT BE MORE HAPPY TO FACILITATE THIS NEED!! Are you kitten me?! Kitties that typically hide are in my lap each week during visits and not one person who is actually reading this would be upset with that 😹😹
Here are a few things that I've observed in cats suffering with separation anxiety :
Signs of Separation Anxiety:
Eliminating in inappropriate places anytime you leave the home for long periods - I think I've personally noticed: peeing in the shower, pooping on the bed, pooping in front of the litter box, peeing on your clothes.
Licking all their hair off in certain spots- I've seen this mostly on tails or on their bellies
Overeating or not eating enough
Greets you in an over-the-top way; i.e., loud meows, clingy behavior
Destroying the home
Ways To Ease the Separation Anxiety:
Enrich their environment to make them feel more safe and busy without you home - I think the easiest way of doing this is with toys. In my last blog post I go over a few different toys that won't break the bank to help your kitty have more comfort in their home
Leave out a sweatshirt or something cozy that has your scent on it - they'll appreciate having your scent around.
Natural calming tinctures or CBD- There are so many kitty-safe formula's on the market now! We use this Richard's Organic Pet Calm at my house.
Cat tv/ cat music - Not joking, there is literally a cat calming playlist on Spotify
Take your cat to your vet! This is paramount in diagnosing your kitty with separation anxiety. Taking your kitty to their doctor first will be a sure proof way to rule out any underlying causes for their unusual behavior. If you're in the Charleston, SC area I highly recommend Cat's Only Animal Hospital for your vet needs. The doctors/staff are so caring, professional and knowledgeable!
GET A CAT SITTER *bats eye lids while smiling* 😺
At Coastal Cat Care our job is to help ease the separation anxiety your cat may be feeling when life is calling you out of town. By offering a range of services to meet your kitties needs we hope to provide a feeling of comfort for all our clients! Good luck in finding the best solution for your own fur kids!
-T
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