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If your cat is straining in the litter box, crying while urinating, or has produced no urine in 12 to 24 hours, that is not anxiety. Go to a vet today; a blocked urethra, especially in a male cat, is fatal within a day or two. "Peeing outside the box when I leave" is the most common separation-anxiety complaint in cats and the one most often confused with a urinary emergency, so the urinary check comes first, every time.
The short answer: yes, cats get separation anxiety, and it looks almost nothing like the dog version. Dogs howl and break doors; cats urinate on your bed, shred things, yowl at the door, stop eating, or go flat and withdrawn, often hours after you leave, and the only study that has measured it put the rate at about 13% of pet cats. Because the signs are quiet and delayed, most owners never connect them to being left. This page gives the sign list with the real percentages, the three things it gets confused with (one of them an emergency), the camera test, why single indoor cats are over-represented, what actually eases it, which medications vets use and which one is now FDA-approved for cats, and where a calming supplement does and does not fit.
Written by Marc Brannigan, Co-Founder & CEO of HempMy Pet. Last updated 16 October 2026.
Does My Cat Have Separation Anxiety? The Signs, With Numbers
From the one published study that set out to measure this: 223 cats, 130 households, Machado et al., PLOS ONE 2020. Thirty cats (13.45%) met the criteria. Among those thirty, the signs broke down like this.
| Sign | % of affected cats | What it looks like at home |
|---|---|---|
| Destructive behaviour | 67% | Shredded furniture, curtains, door frames, paper; knocked-off shelves. Often concentrated near the door you left through or on things that smell of you. |
| Excessive vocalisation | 63% | Yowling or crying after you leave, reported by neighbours, or heard on a camera. Distinct from the demand-meow at the food cupboard. |
| Urinating outside the box | 60% | Classically on your bed, your clothes or the sofa, in a cat who uses the box perfectly when you are home. This is the sign that sends most owners searching. |
| Depression and apathy | 53% | Flat, withdrawn, hiding, not greeting you, not playing. The quiet sign most owners read as "independent." |
| Aggression | 37% | Swatting or biting on your return, or redirected onto another pet. |
| Agitation and anxiety | 37% | Pacing, following you room to room before you leave, blocking the door, overgrooming (bald patches on the belly and inner thighs). |
| Defecating outside the box | 23% | Less common than urine; same locations. |
Source: Machado et al., "Identification of separation-related problems in domestic cats," PLOS ONE 2020. The authors call these owner-reported signs rather than confirmed diagnoses, which is the honest framing; it is still the best data anyone has.
Two things stand out. First, more than half of affected cats were apathetic rather than dramatic. A cat who sleeps all day and ignores you is not necessarily fine. Second, the signs overlap heavily with medical problems and with plain boredom, which is why the next section matters more than the sign list.
The Three Things It Gets Confused With
Cystitis, crystals, infection and blockage all produce urination outside the box, and stress itself triggers feline idiopathic cystitis. Any cat urinating outside the box gets a urinalysis before a behaviour label. Straining, blood, small frequent amounts or crying in the box are a same-day visit.
A young indoor cat with nothing to do will shred the sofa whether you are home or not. The tell: it happens when you are home but busy too, it is aimed at interesting things rather than your things, and the cat is cheerful, not withdrawn.
Hyperthyroidism causes yowling and restlessness; cognitive decline causes night-time crying and box lapses; arthritis makes a high-sided box hard to use. New in a cat over ten means bloodwork before anything else. We cover the night version in cat yowling at night.
The Camera Test
One camera, two or three ordinary departures, and you will know which column you are in.
Set a phone or a cheap camera on the room your cat uses most and on the door you leave by. Leave as you normally would. Then watch for three things:
- Timing. A cat with separation anxiety often shows it at the door within minutes, vocalising or pacing, or goes flat for the whole absence. A bored cat naps, wakes, and starts entertaining itself an hour or two in.
- Target. Anxious cats urinate on your bed, your laundry, the sofa cushion you sit on; they scratch the door frame. Bored cats go for the blinds, the toilet roll, whatever moves.
- Greeting. An over-the-top greeting followed by shadowing you, or a flat non-greeting with hiding, both point to anxiety. A cat who wanders over eventually and asks for dinner does not.
If the box is clean and the bed is wet only on days you were out, you are almost certainly looking at separation anxiety. If the box is clean and the bed is wet on a Saturday you spent at home, you are looking at something else.
Why Cats Get It, and Which Cats
The same PLOS ONE study looked at risk factors, and three held up statistically: cats with no access to toys (27% of affected cats versus 13% of the whole sample), cats who were the only animal in the home (30% versus 15%), and, unexpectedly, homes with two adult women (50% affected). Time spent with the owner was also associated. The picture that emerges is a single, indoor, under-stimulated cat who is intensely bonded to one person and whose day empties out when that person leaves. Rescue cats, cats rehomed more than once, and cats who were hand-reared or weaned early turn up disproportionately in behaviourists' caseloads, though the study did not test for those. An abrupt change in routine, someone who was home all day going back to an office, is the most common trigger owners report.
What does not cause it: affection, letting the cat sleep on the bed, or "spoiling." There is no evidence for any of that, and withdrawing affection makes an anxious cat worse. If your cat follows you from room to room and cries when a door closes between you, that is the same attachment at work, and we look at the line between normal and symptomatic in why is my cat so clingy.
Why Does My Cat Meow When I Leave?
Three reasons, in order of likelihood. Protest and habit: the meow at the door is a learned behaviour that was once rewarded with you coming back or talking, and it fades if departures become boring. Anticipation of food or play: if leaving the house is tied to feeding time, the cat is asking about dinner, not about you. Separation distress: the meow continues for many minutes after the door closes, rises to a yowl, and is paired with one or more of the signs in the table above. The camera settles which one. A single meow as you leave is normal cat conversation; ten minutes of crying is not.
How to Ease Cat Separation Anxiety
In the order that works, which is not the order most owners try.
- Vet check first if there is any urination or defecation outside the box, any weight change, or the cat is over ten. Everything below assumes the medical causes are off the table.
- Fill the day. This is the single biggest lever and the one the risk-factor data points at. A window perch with a bird feeder outside, a food puzzle or scatter-fed breakfast given as you leave, a rotating box of toys (out of sight when not in use, so they stay interesting), a cardboard box, a scratching post by the door you leave through. A cat who is busy for the first hour rarely panics in it.
- Play before you go. Ten minutes of wand-toy hunting that ends in a small meal mimics the hunt-eat-groom-sleep cycle. A cat who has "caught" something and eaten is wired to sleep next.
- Make departures boring. No goodbye ritual, no high-pitched reassurance, no fuss on return. Pick up keys and sit back down, put on a coat and make a coffee, until those cues stop meaning anything.
- Practise short absences. Out of the door for a minute, then five, then twenty, building over a couple of weeks, with the food puzzle going down each time. The same graduated principle as in dogs, and it works, but cats are slower to generalise, so expect weeks rather than days.
- Leave the sounds of a lived-in house. A radio on low in the room they use. Silence is a cue that the house is empty.
- A pheromone diffuser (synthetic facial pheromone) in the room they spend the most time in, plugged in a week ahead. The trial evidence is mixed, the risk is nil, and some cats visibly settle.
- Do not get a second cat to fix it. Separation anxiety is attachment to you; a stranger cat in the house is a new stressor, not a companion, and it can make everything worse. If you were considering a second cat anyway, that is a separate decision.
- Clean urine with an enzymatic cleaner. Ordinary cleaners leave the scent, and the scent invites a repeat. Then make the favourite target unavailable for a few weeks: bedroom door closed, waterproof cover on the sofa.
- Never punish. A cat punished for a wet bed learns that your return is frightening too. It does not learn anything about the bed.
Cat Anxiety Medication: What Vets Actually Use
For a cat who is still urinating on the bed after a month of the above, or who is injuring themselves by overgrooming, or who is simply miserable, medication is the kind thing, not the last resort. Here is the honest map.
| Option | Rx or OTC | Used for | Onset | Honest note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluoxetine | Rx, daily | Separation anxiety, urine marking, generalised anxiety | 4–6 weeks | The most-used daily option in cats, off-label (no feline-licensed version in the US). Compounded into a liquid or a transdermal gel for cats who will not take tablets. Usually continued for months, then tapered. |
| Clomipramine | Rx, daily | Separation anxiety, urine marking | 4–6 weeks | Licensed for cats in some countries, off-label in the US. Can cause sedation and dry mouth; needs a cardiac check in older cats. |
| Gabapentin | Rx, as needed | Vet visits, travel, groomer, firework nights | 90 minutes | The best-evidenced short-acting option: a 2017 randomised, blinded crossover trial in JAVMA gave 100 mg per cat 90 minutes before the visit and found cats measurably less stressed and easier to handle. Temporary wobbliness and the odd vomit, resolving within eight hours. |
| Bonqat (pregabalin oral solution) | Rx, as needed | Transport and vet-visit fear | About 90 minutes | FDA-approved for cats in November 2023, the first feline anxiety drug to be. In the licensing trial 77% of treated cats improved versus 46% on placebo. Schedule V controlled substance; mild sedation and unsteadiness are the common side effects. |
| Trazodone | Rx, as needed | Vet visits, travel, bridging while a daily drug builds | 1–2 hours | Used in cats at lower doses than dogs; sedating. Less feline evidence than gabapentin. |
| Alprazolam | Rx, as needed | Severe acute fear | 30–60 min | Occasionally; some cats become disinhibited rather than calm, so the first dose is given on a quiet day as a test. |
| Alpha-casozepine (Zylkene) | OTC | Mild anxiety, new environments, vet visits | Daily for 1–2 weeks | A milk-protein derivative with a small placebo-controlled cat trial behind it; one of the few OTC options with feline-specific data. Sprinkles on food. More on alpha-casozepine. |
| L-theanine (Anxitane) | OTC | Mild generalised anxiety | Daily for 2–4 weeks | An open-label cat study reported improvement; no placebo group. Low risk. More on L-theanine. |
| Pheromone diffuser (Feliway) | OTC | Household stress, multi-cat tension, new homes | Days for the room | Mixed controlled trials; harmless; worth a month. What it is and is not. |
| Hemp / CBD | OTC | Mild everyday stress | 30–60 min (oil); daily for 1–2 weeks | No feline anxiety trial exists. Cats metabolise cannabinoids differently from dogs and need their own serving range. Covered honestly below. |
| Benadryl (diphenhydramine) | OTC | Not anxiety | — | Not an anti-anxiety drug, often does not sedate cats at all, and can cause agitation. Benadryl for cats explains why it so often does nothing. |
Sources: FDA approval of Bonqat, 17 November 2023; van Haaften et al., JAVMA 2017, summarised here; the Merck Veterinary Manual on feline behaviour problems.
Does my cat need medication? Ask for it if: the urination continues after a month of environmental work and a clean urinalysis; the cat is overgrooming to bald skin or sores; the cat is not eating when alone; or the cat is plainly miserable. For the short-acting group, ask before the next car journey or vet visit rather than after a bad one; it is now routine for practices to send gabapentin home ahead of an appointment. Medication is given alongside the enrichment and departure work, not instead of it; on its own it rarely holds.
Cat Anxiety Symptoms More Generally
Separation is one trigger. These are the signs of an anxious cat whatever the cause, roughly in the order owners notice them.
- Hiding more than usual, especially from visitors or at particular times of day
- Overgrooming: bald patches on the belly, inner thighs or forelegs, with no skin disease underneath
- Urinating or spraying outside the box, on vertical surfaces (marking) or soft ones (anxiety)
- Appetite change, usually down; sometimes eating very fast and vomiting
- Vocalising more, especially at night or at doors
- Freezing, crouching, ears flat, dilated pupils, tail tucked in situations that did not bother them before
- Aggression that is new, toward people or another cat
- Restlessness, pacing, inability to settle
- Excessive scratching of furniture, often near doors and windows
- Physical signs under stress: panting (never normal in a cat at rest; see why is my cat panting), drooling, trembling, diarrhoea
Three or more of these, or any one that is new and persistent, is worth a vet conversation. Most of them also have medical causes, which is why the conversation starts with an exam rather than a product.
Where Hemp Fits for an Anxious Cat, and Where It Doesn't
We make a hemp oil cats take, so read this with that in mind.
Where it does not fit: a cat urinating on the bed, a cat overgrooming to the skin, a cat not eating alone, or any case where a supplement is being asked to replace the vet check, the enrichment work or a prescription. There is no published trial of CBD for anxiety in cats; the feline research that exists is on safety and pharmacokinetics, and it shows cats handle hemp differently from dogs, clearing it more slowly, which is why cats need their own serving range and why we say start lower and go slower than you would with a dog.
Where it can fit: mild everyday stress in a cat whose medical causes are ruled out, given daily on food and judged over one to two weeks; or ahead of a predictable mild stressor, 30 to 60 minutes before. Many cat owners prefer the coconut-oil base because it mixes into wet food without the cat noticing. Our hemp for cat anxiety guide covers how owners use it and what to expect, serving sizes for cats works from body weight, and is CBD safe for cats goes through the safety data, including why anything with THC, xylitol or essential oils is out.
For mild everyday stress in cats, mixed into food
100mg Hemp Coconut Oil
Gentlest option · stirs into wet food
$39
250mg Hemp Seed Oil
Dropper · measure to the drop
$49
500mg Hemp Coconut Oil
Multi-cat households
$89
Grown on our own Colorado farm, third-party tested every batch, under 0.3% THC, no xylitol, no essential oils. Serving sizes for cats →
When to Get Help
Same day: straining or crying in the litter box, no urine for 12 hours, blood in urine, a male cat visiting the box repeatedly and producing nothing.
This week: urination or defecation outside the box for the first time; overgrooming with visible skin; not eating for more than a day; a sudden personality change; any of this in a cat over ten.
Ask for a referral to a veterinary behaviourist if a month of environmental work plus a medication trial has not moved things. Feline behaviour is a speciality, and general practices vary in how confident they are with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I ease my cat's separation anxiety?
Rule out urinary and medical causes first. Then fill the day: a window perch, a food puzzle given as you leave, rotated toys, a scratching post by the door; ten minutes of play ending in a meal before you go; boring departures and returns; short practice absences building over weeks; a radio on low; a pheromone diffuser. Clean accidents with an enzymatic cleaner and make the favourite target unavailable. If a month of that has not worked, ask the vet about medication alongside it.
What medication is used for cat separation anxiety?
For ongoing separation anxiety, daily fluoxetine or clomipramine, both off-label in US cats, taking four to six weeks to work and continued for months. For specific events such as travel and vet visits, gabapentin given 90 minutes ahead has the best trial evidence, and Bonqat (pregabalin) became the first FDA-approved feline anxiety drug in November 2023. Benadryl is not an anxiety medication and often does nothing in cats.
Why does my cat meow when I leave?
Usually protest or habit, because the meow once earned a response; sometimes anticipation of food if leaving coincides with mealtimes. It is separation distress when the crying continues for many minutes after the door closes, rises to a yowl, and is paired with other signs such as urinating on your bed, destruction or withdrawal. A camera at the door settles which it is.
Does my cat need anxiety medication?
Ask for it if urination outside the box continues after a month of environmental work and a clean urinalysis, if the cat is overgrooming to bald or broken skin, if they stop eating when alone, or if they are plainly miserable. For car journeys and vet visits, ask before the next one; sending gabapentin home ahead of an appointment is now routine. Medication works alongside the enrichment and departure work, not instead of it.
How do you know if a cat has separation anxiety?
The signs in the published study were destruction (67% of affected cats), excessive vocalising (63%), urinating outside the box (60%), apathy and withdrawal (53%), aggression (37%), agitation (37%) and defecating outside the box (23%). The tell is that they happen when you are out, are aimed at your things or the exit, and are absent on days you stay home. A camera over two or three departures confirms it, and a urinalysis rules out the medical look-alikes.
What are the symptoms of anxiety in cats generally?
Hiding, overgrooming with bald patches, urinating or spraying outside the box, appetite change, more vocalising, freezing or crouching with flat ears and dilated pupils, new aggression, restlessness, excessive scratching near doors and windows, and under acute stress, panting, drooling or trembling. Three or more, or one that is new and persistent, is worth a vet conversation.
Can I give my cat something over the counter for anxiety?
Alpha-casozepine (Zylkene) has a small placebo-controlled cat trial behind it; L-theanine has an open-label one; a pheromone diffuser is harmless and sometimes helps; hemp has no feline anxiety trial but is used by owners for mild everyday stress at a cat-specific serving. None of these treats true separation anxiety on their own. Never give a cat Benadryl for anxiety, human sleep aids, or anything containing essential oils, xylitol or THC.
Is CBD safe for a cat with anxiety?
The feline safety studies to date found full-spectrum hemp well tolerated at cat-appropriate servings, with occasional lip-licking, drooling or soft stool. Cats clear cannabinoids more slowly than dogs, so the serving range is lower and given less often, and a cat on any medication needs a vet's say-so first. There is no feline anxiety trial, so treat it as a mild everyday-stress supplement, not a treatment.
Should I get a second cat to help with separation anxiety?
No, not as a fix. Separation anxiety is attachment to you, and a new cat is a new stressor that often makes it worse. If you wanted a second cat anyway, that is a separate decision to be made slowly, with a proper introduction over weeks.
The Short Version
Cats get separation anxiety, about one in seven by the only count we have, and it shows as wet beds, shredded things, yowling at the door or a cat who goes flat. Urinary check first, camera second. Then fill the day, play before you leave, make departures boring, practise short absences, and do not get a second cat. If a month of that has not worked, daily fluoxetine or clomipramine with the vet; for travel and vet visits, gabapentin or Bonqat ahead of time.
A calming supplement is for the mild, everyday end, on food, after the vet check. It is a piece of the plan, not the plan.
Shop Hemp for Cats → Serving Sizes for Cats
Hemp for Cat Anxiety · Why Is My Cat So Clingy · Cat Yowling at Night · Benadryl for Cats · Is CBD Safe for Cats · Dog Separation Anxiety
Marc co-founded HempMy Pet in 2016 with his business partner Natalie Mondine, the company's COO. HempMy Pet breeds its own hemp genetics, grows them on its certified-organic Colorado farm, and formulates every batch in-house under human-grade standards — seed to sale, nothing sourced overseas. Every batch is third-party tested and the certificates of analysis are published. More about us.
HempMy Pet ran its own 90-day study of 37 dogs with chronic joint discomfort. Of the 32 that completed it, 30 (93%) showed a benefit, and 94% of owners reported their dog's quality of life had improved. It was overseen by Dr. Robin Downing, DVM, MS of the Downing Center for Animal Pain Management, with Lori Kogan, Ph.D. and Peter W. Hellyer, DVM of Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, and published in the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. Read the methodology.
Why Dr. Downing: in 2005 she became only the third veterinarian in the world credentialed as a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management. She founded the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, is a Diplomate of the ACVSMR, a Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner and a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, and was the AVMA's 2020 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year. Chronic joint pain is her life's work. Read the published paper (PDF).
This article is general information for cat owners, not veterinary advice. It is reviewed and updated as new peer-reviewed evidence is published, and where the evidence is thin or negative we say so.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is general information, not veterinary advice. If your cat is unwell, contact your veterinarian.
