Dogs with separation anxiety can be a very hard thing to deal with. It is especially difficult if you have a busy work schedule that doesn’t allow you to spend a lot of time with your dog. The first step to helping a dog with separation anxiety is recognizing the signs.

Symptoms of Separation Anxiety in Dogs

The most common signs of separation anxiety in dogs are:

• excessively scratching doors, walls, or gates
• chewing on anything it can get its mouth on
• non stop whining or barking
• peeing or pooping in the house even if he/she is already potty trained.

What to do if your dog has separation anxiety?

There are various ways to treat separation anxiety in dogs, from medication, changing your schedule, introducing new toys, etc.. However, none of these methods are 100% guaranteed to fix your dog’s separation anxiety. Today we are going to answer a question we are often asked in regard to helping a dog with separation anxiety by the introduction of a new cat. 

Will getting a cat help a dog with separation anxiety?

There is definitely a chance that getting a cat will help a dog with separation anxiety. While separation anxiety is most caused by the dog missing the human, the introduction of a cat can serve as the perfect distraction. If the dog has a new playmate, it can take its mind off the owner and also give him a new friend. 

If you are going to get a cat to help with your dog’s separation anxiety, we recommend getting a cat that has a grace period (meaning you can return it in a certain amount of time if it doesn’t work out). This is very important, because there is a chance that the cat doesn’t help your dog’s separation anxiety, or that the dog and cat don’t get along. If you can’t return the cat, you could have even more problems on hand. 

All in all, getting a cat to help a dog with separation anxiety is a great tactic. If you find a cat breeder or foster facility near you that offers cats with a grace period, we definitely recommend it!