Dealing with separation anxiety for pets after the holidays

When the time comes to go back to work and for children to get back to school, your pet may not be well equipped to handle the sudden long days alone at home.

This period may bring separation anxiety for you as well as your pets. Separation anxiety is the distress on the pets caused by the absence of the owner. You may not know that your pet is experiencing anxiety after you leave for work but some signs can let you know that the pet has problems adjusting to your absence.

Signs of anxiety

Some of the signs include chewing on stuff, if you come home and your favourite shoe has been chewed on or your furniture has been scratched and it is something that has not happened recently, it could be your cat or dog is anxious when you are away. Other signs may include inappropriate toileting, obsessive grooming that is hair pulling and excessing howling or meowing. Anxiety also affects a pet’s appetite, they may overeat or undereat.

Ease transition

Even with the most well-behaved pets, it is good to prepare them for when you will be away. Pets get anxious because they are not sure if you will come back. So the key part is training them that you will always come back home.

The best way to start is to leave the house for a short while without them. Take everyone who will be away with you. If it is the children who are returning to school, also have them leave the house. You can place a camera strategically to see how your pet behaves when you are away. A camera can even be your phone camera.

If you come back and view the video footage and find they were okay, increase the time that you are away. If you find that they are showing signs of distress, reduce the time you leave until they are relaxed, then build it up slowly. Experts advise that if they can be comfortable up to four hours when you are away, then most pets can be fine an entire day of work.

Adjust schedule

Towards the last week when you will be home, adjust the pet's schedule to be similar to when you are back to work. Their feeding, walking, toilet breaks should be similar to when you return to work.

Remember to be patient with your pet during this transition period. When you come back to a messed house, do not punish your cat or your dog, they will not associate the punishment with the action.

Maryanne is a pet owner. [email protected]