An Extremely Anxious Pet Owner

[LittleRedBrunette]

Hi,
Long time reader - first time poster!
I have a big problem with anxiety and intrusive thoughts which I have battled for a very long time.
I live with a big ginger rescue cat whom I love to bits. He is my first ever cat (I will have owned him for a year in September).
I love him so much yet I worry incessantly about him. I jump onto Google at the first sign that everything is not 100% (and usually end up worrying more). I am anxious every time I receive a message on my phone in case it is some kind of news from the vet. I wonder if he is not happy and thinks about going to live somewhere else and I get frantic about the "Missing Cat" notices on social media. (And let us not start on cats and road traffic accidents - aaargh!)
I would not be without my cat for a nanosecond. He is completely adorable and it means the absolute galaxy to me to think that he comes back to me and that he trusts me. (My boy has a very sad back story, too.)
I am 40, single and do not have any children. I take 100mg Sertraline and have been doing so for a while.
I guess... Does anyone else feel like this?
Thank you to anyone who has read this.

Hi there,

I think it's very normal for people with anxiety to have a person/pet that they catastrophise about (no pun intended).

For me it's my eldest child as he travels to and from school alone. For my sister it's her cats , me and my mum!

Try and rationalise each over anxious thought. So when you panic over a text because it might be from the vets think instead "the vets would call and ask me to go in, not text so this must be from one of my friends".

When he goes out to play repeat to yourself "nothing is going to happen, he will be back meowing for food soon"

Have you ever had CBT? It can be really good for rationalising over anxious thoughts. There's a few places that offer online CBT too that could help in the meantime.

Sorry also - if you are going to post about a big fluffy cat there needs to be pics for us to coo over. It's like the law of mumsnet

Hi cricketmum84 - thank you so much for the reply!

I have had CBT but not for a long time. I will definitely look at the online resources. (I have various self help books on my Kindle, on my bedroom floor, etc.) There are days when the anxiety and thoughts are not so bad (like a temperamental dog) and other times hideous (a great big dragon).

Hehe, I will have to learn to post a picture... ;) My beautiful boy (Leo) is curled up at my feet as I type!

Thank you again :) xx

Click the little paperclip button at the bottom to add pics :)

This is my beautiful rescue Ivy 😍

Ivy is beautiful :)

Actually I came over here to start a thread about my little cat dying and not handling it well but then saw this thread, I can't get used to coming home and she's not there so I can understand your cat anxiety LittleRedBrunette.

I'm sure he's far too happy to leave :)

@LanguidLobster I'm so sorry

Thank you, that's sweet of you :)

@LittleRedBrunette you have a lovely cat who you adore, make the most of playing with him and hugging him and enjoying him.

He loves you.

hugs @LanguidLobster! I am so, so sorry to hear of your loss

@cricketmum84, Ivy is absolutely beautiful! 🤩🤩

Much love to you both (my apologies for such a late reply) and here is Leo to send his love too.

aww, hello lovely Leo!

I meant to say my situation was the same as yours, nearly same age and no kids and single, so it meant the world to come home to her.

Leo loves a little prowl then he'll come back home to you :)

Ah hello little fluffball! He is so handsome! X