• DOI:10.2460/JAVMA.2002.220.1028
• Corpus ID: 18595901

Separation anxiety syndrome in cats: 136 cases (1991-2000).

@article{Schwartz2002SeparationAS,
  title={Separation anxiety syndrome in cats: 136 cases (1991-2000).},
  author={Stefanie Schwartz},
  journal={Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association},
  year={2002},
  volume={220 7},
  pages={
          1028-33
        }
}

• S. Schwartz
• Published 1 April 2002
• Psychology, Biology
• Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

OBJECTIVE
To determine whether cats develop clinical signs typical of separation anxiety syndrome (SAS) and the type and frequency of applicable clinical signs in affected cats.

DESIGN
Retrospective study.

ANIMALS
136 cats with clinical signs typical of SAS in dogs. Subjects were evaluated during home visits.

PROCEDURE
Medical records of pet cats evaluated for behavior problems during a 10-year period were reviewed. Medical records of cats that displayed behaviors typical of dogs with SAS (eg, inappropriate elimination, excessive vocalization, destructiveness, or self-mutilation) were more extensively examined, and cats that displayed these behaviors only when separated from an apparent attachment figure were included in the study.

RESULTS
Behavior problems triggered by separation anxiety included inappropriate urination (96 cats), inappropriate defecation (48), excessive vocalization (16), destructiveness (12), and psychogenic grooming (8). Inappropriate defecation was identified in a significantly higher percentage of the neutered females in the study than in the neutered males. Seventy-five percent of the cats that urinated inappropriately urinated exclusively on the owner's bed. Psychogenic grooming was identified in 8 of the 40 neutered females but in none of the neutered males, whereas destructiveness was observed in 12 of the 92 neutered males but in none of the neutered females.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Results suggest that cats can develop SAS. Sex and breed differences in the frequency of particular signs of SAS in cats may exist. Feline SAS should be considered in the differential diagnosis of anxiety-related misbehavior in cats.