What Your Feline Friend Does When You're Away

by Sharilyn
30 June, 2020
2 min read

If you’ve ever wondered to yourself, “what does my cat do when I’m not home?”, you’re certainly not alone! You’ve probably also asked yourself, do they miss me? Are they mad at me for staying at work a couple extra hours? Read on to find out what yourfeline friend is really up to while you’re out.

Preventing Cat (and Human) Anxiety

As much asus cat lovers may want to stay home and chill with ourfurry friend all day long, sometimes we have to go out into the world and do things like work, or catch up with friends and family– you know, adult stuff. But if you do ever end up leaving home for a little longer than anticipated, consider one of the following tips and tricks from PrettyLitter on preventing cat anxiety and keeping yourkitty entertained while you’re gone.

Keep their normal food, litterand water routine. This one is obvious, but a reminder doesn’t hurt. Cats, like humans, are creatures of habit!
Stimulate the senses. Leave a cozy bed by the window, or maybe even get a second bed or scratching post in a new location going.
Keep the TV on. Who doesn’t love a good nature doc?

The more you’re able to prepare a cozy and fun environment for yourpet before a long day of work or errands, the easier it’ll be for both of you!

Do They Miss Me? A Scientific Study

If you’re worried that while you’re gone yourfeline friend is anxiously pacing in the living room, looking back at the clock and just waiting for your arrival, you can relax. Don’t take it personally, but it’s more than likely yourkitty is doing perfectly fine without you.

One study looked atcat behavior and separation anxietywhile their owners were away. Researchers looked at two groups: in group A, the cat owners were gone for 30 minutes; and in group B, owners were away for four hours. The good news was that thecat behavior in both groups were pretty similar. But one thing researchers did notice, was that the cats would purr and stretch a bit more for thepet owners that were gone longer! So it’s safe to say they probably missed you, but aren’t too distressed over your absence.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0185599#sec013

Staring Out Windows

Unfortunately while you're gone, yourfurry friend isn’t learning to code, or performing musical numbers on your piano. They’re simply gazing out the window. But not because they are feeling melancholy, or waiting for your arrival. Because it’s their version of Netflix and chill, and it’s 24/7. The birds, squirrels, street sounds, garbage trucks, maybe even a raccoon if they’re lucky, are all quality entertainment! So respect the chill time, and don’t be afraid to join in on the qualitywindow watch and chill time when you get back from a long day!

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