Warning pets could suffer with separation anxiety as owners go back to work
The RSPCA in North Yorkshire say pets could struggle when owners head back to work
The RSPCA in North Yorkshire have warned pets could suffer with separation anxiety when owners head back to work.
Most owners have spent the last year with their furry friends firmly by their sides, but with restrictions easing and people making their way back to the world of working, there's fears it could have a huge impact on a pet's mental wellbeing.
Peter Golbert is a Branch Manager for the RSPCA in North Yorkshire. He told Greatest Hits Radio pets get lonely "just like humans do".
He said: "They have no concept of work so when you leave the house for eight hours they don't know where you are or if you're going to come back and that can be very distressing.
"Pets will do lots of things to show they're stressed. They'll bark and yowl when you try and leave, destroying furniture or unwanted toileting around the house. All this happens because they're trying to cope with a situation they just don't understand.
"They're acting out because they're stressed and scared. The worst thing you can do in that situation is to scold a pet. If you put yourself in that mindset where you're upset and worried about something, the last thing you want is someone shouting at you.
"Their owner tends to be their whole world, so when that person is not around it's as if their world is crumbling around them. It's going to be very distressing. We're conditioned to want to know where the people we care about are and if they're safe and pets are exactly the same."
One of the main differentiating features between separation-related behaviour and other behavioural disorders with similar signs is that the behaviour is in response to the owner leaving and is displayed soon after their departure. Normally starting within 30 minutes, and often, within the first few minutes.
It's important to prepare pets for being home alone. You can do this by leaving the home for short periods of time and then rewarding a pet when you return.
You can read more about how to prepare your pets so they don't suffer with separation anxiety here.