Pet care: Cat gets a little anxious while left alone

Q: We are heading to Puerto Vallarta for a two-week vacation. We have a sweet 1-year-old girl cat. She is extremely bonded with my wife and seems a little anxious when left alone. So far, she has only been left alone for a few hours at a time. We can’t decide if we should board her or have someone come into our home daily to feed her. My wife is anxious about leaving her. Please help us so we can feel our girl is well cared for and we can relax and enjoy our vacation!

Dr. Nichol: You are kind to consider your cat’s well-being while you are away. She is strongly bonded to your wife, but, like any cat, she may be even more attached to her territory (your home). Considering her issues with separation distress, even when her life is normal, she could get significantly worse if boarded in a foreign environment. I advise having a pet sitter look after her.

Your kitty’s day-to-day quality of life would improve significantly if she could just chillax when your wife comes and goes. She (your sweet cat, not your wife) needs to get in touch with her inner savage. Provide a more natural life for her by transforming the inside of your house into a wonderland of cat-specific amusements. Visit my website, drjeffnichol.com, for a list of feline environmental enrichments.

While you cavort and frolic on the pristine beaches of Puerto Vallarta, your Nervous Nellie can go with the flow better with a safe anti-anxiety medication. Your veterinarian can prescribe buspirone in a tasty liquid that the pet sitter can add to moist cat food.

Your vacation will also afford lots of opportunities to meet a variety of non-pet beasts. When not hanging out at the beach bar, you can take a jungle hike and enjoy the company of rhesus macaque monkeys and iguanas. Knowing their behavior, I advise keeping healthy boundaries. You will be on vacation, but they won’t. They can become rather bellicose when they imbibe.

For help with behavior problems, you can sign up for a Zoom group conference at drjeffnichol.com

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