Your dog and cat is a part of your life. So how do you make them feel happy, secure and comfortable in their surroundings when you are away. Even though cats can sleep 18 hours a day they too can do some damage to the house. It is important to give them things to occupy their time, in between naps of course, like antlers for a long lasting chew toy, interactive battery operated toys that come on every so often. Maybe put a shirt with your smell on it in their favorite sleeping area as well.

A friend for Fido or Kitty, can help alleviate the boredom and give them someone to snuggle and play with through out the day. Schedule time periods where you play and interact with your pet, know your pets schedule of sleeping and activity habits. Possibly even take your dog for a walk before you leave.  A happy, well -exercised pet will usually sleep contently during the day while you are away. Schedule the play time before you leave and also make sure you leave time in there for them to settle down before you go and dont make a big deal of your departure. Also, do little outings or just go outside for 5 minutes at a time and increase it, little training sessions to let them know you will return.

Scheduling a pet sitter to come in mid day for a potty break, play time or walk can help as well if you are leaving for 6 or more hours. They will get them tired again for a nap and ready to go again when mom or dad get home. Leave a radio or TV on for the noise, sometimes dogs and cats will watch TV too.

Crate training is also a good way to help them feel secure and save your house from destruction. But you have to start the crate training young, sometimes older dogs cant handle the crate and it makes the anxiety worse and they can hurt themselves in the crate if they dont like it. Also, like locking kitty up in a designated room with cat friendly items and beds to keep then safe.

Stay calm, assertive and patient while helping your dog and cat get over their anxiety. It wont happen overnight but the routine of it will eventually win their heart over and they will learn to realize that you will come home and all is good in their world.

For additional tips on how to treat your pet’s separation anxiety, check out this article: https://www.dogdesires.co.uk/dog-separation-anxiety/