Not sure what’s going on with my cat. So family life sucks. Husband moved out going on three weeks tomorrow. About two days after he left I noticed my cat will not sleep in my room anymore. It’s like she’s scared to be in there. In fact most nights she would rather stay downstairs in the living room somewhere with our dog who annoys her daily. She also won’t use her litter box upstairs either. She now uses our main floor bathtub. Also, for no reason at all she gets startled, jumps and runs off.
Firstly sincere apology to hear about your current family life Diane, this is an awfully tough time for you, be kind to yourself!
Sounds like your cat is additionally finding it challenging and may be enduring separation related problems https://staging.cats.com/cat-separation-anxiety or suffering behavioral depression since your husband’s departure, particularly if they had a really close bond.
Elimination outside the litter box and hyper-vigilance (if it’s a new behavior) is indicative that something isn’t right in her world. She can also be feeling distressed, not coping well with the household change communicating her negative emotions through peeing or marking. Lastly, she may well be spending time downstairs where the scent of your husband remains pungent despite the dog annoyance.
A visit to your veterinarian should be first on the list to rule out a health issue combined with a behavioral evaluation. To help your vet, keep a diary of behavioral changes while in the interim provide your kitty extra TLC and playtime.
Hope this helps a bit and you’ll be able to get some help and support from relatives or close friends.
Please keep us posted, sending love & healing Melina