Why the Bay Area's pets are behaving strangely

Has your normally stand-offish cat become clingy? Has your dog started barking incessantly at the humans in the house? There’s a reason for that, and it has to do with the coronavirus quarantine.

Lately I’ve had a few readers ask me about unusual behavior they’re seeing in their pets. One woman’s cat has become so needy that he must sit in her lap and meows constantly when there is no lap provided. A co-worker’s dog has started barking at everyone in the house, for seemingly no reason.

Experts say pets are feeling the strain of the pandemic just as their human companions are. We’ve been staying home for months — with no end in sight — and many of us believed our pets were thrilled to have us there with them.

It turns out, however, that we’re starting to get on their nerves.

Most of our pets are creatures of habit and routine. They were accustomed to us waking up early, tending to their needs, then going away for several hours. Sure, they missed us, but that was what happened every day.

Suddenly, we’re in the house all the time, which is confusing to our pets — and it’s robbing them of their personal time and space. Our pets might be social animals, but many like having their “me time,” whether it’s to bask undisturbed in the sun, snooze in a favorite cozy spot or explore areas we really don’t want them exploring.

Our pets also are attuned to our feelings, worries and stresses. They might not be aware of the exact nature of our pandemic angst, but they sense it in us and so they become stressed, too.

Stress in our pets can manifest itself in several different ways. In the case of the clingy cat, the feline may be trying to comfort his human and be comforted in return. He wants to be near her, preferably curled up in her lap being stroked, so when the woman is working around the home, the cat becomes anxious and vocalizes his worries.

Barking is how dogs have learned to communicate with us. In the case of the co-worker’s dog, who used to only bark at front door visitors, the pup may be trying to say he’s kind of over constantly having people in his space.

Stress can show up in other ways — overdoing it with the grooming, pacing the floors, constantly going in and out of the house and even some misplaced aggression.

Experts say we shouldn’t worry too much about the behavior, but try to figure out what our pets need, whether it’s reassurance or alone time. Sticking to regular routines is important. I know we’re housebound, but doing things such as setting feeding and walking schedules can restore some sense of normalcy.

For pets craving too much attention, give them a little at certain times of the day — or reserve most of it for the evening — and otherwise ignore their pleas for attention, which may make some of those Zoom meetings a tad embarrassing. For pets needing space, let them hang out by themselves.

When we’re able to return to our normal lives, we’ll be dealing with another set of pet issues, but we’ll get to those in due time.

Have a question for Joan?

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