What Your Pets Are Secretly Doing At Home While You're At Work

As a pet parent, it's natural to wonder what your fur babies are doing while you're out of the house. This curiosity has led many owners to set up cameras in the rooms where their pets spend most of their time, or on the animals themselves. One cat parent shared a TikTok of a kitten sitting on a bed with a sad expression on her face, as if longing for her human's return from work. The video, along with many others from pet owners, serves as a reminder that many pets miss us when we're gone. However, other social media posts show dogs and cats misbehaving in a not-so-secretive fashion while their owners are away.

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Many pets become very attached to their owners, and some breeds tend to be more affectionate than others. Cats can also be very affectionate. Perhaps your pet is one of them. Both dogs and cats that form a strong connection to their owners are known to follow their humans around the house, just to be near them. This is one of the signs that a cat or dog has bonded with you. It's also why so many pets miss their owners when they're not home. However, some pets embrace the alone time as an opportunity for complete freedom and a little rule-breaking.

Cats sleep an average of 13-16 hours a day while dogs sleep about 8-14, so it's likely that when you're at work, your canine or feline friend is catching some Z's for at least part of your shift. When they're wide awake, though, there's a chance they're lying around or peering out the front window, missing you and wondering when you'll be back – or if you'll be back.

Unfortunately, some cats also experience separation anxiety and will do more than just lie in bed, awaiting their owners' return. In YouTuber @Sho Ko's home camera footage, his cat, Kodi, meows and stares at the front door moments after his owner leaves him home alone. He plays with a toy, as if to distract himself from his sorrow, only to return to his meowing as he longs to be reunited with his pet parent.

Dogs can also have separation anxiety when they're home alone or when their favorite human is away, characterized by whining, excessive barking, pacing, panting, or other behaviors, per PetMD. Some dogs whine incessantly when their primary owners are gone, even when other people are home. Others engage in destructive behaviors like chewing on furniture or scratching doors.

While some pets show signs of sadness or anxiety while their owners are away at work, others use the absence to their advantage. One pet parent shared a video of his dog jumping on an off-limits sofa topped with newspaper less than two minutes after his owner left the house. Another attached a GoPro camera to each of his dogs and later discovered that they attempted to open the external doors by jumping on the handles. The footage also revealed that one of the dogs knocked over a glass bowl filled with cereal – and broke it.

Other cat and dog owners have come home to weird things like gutted pillows, broken window blinds, spilled potted plants, and additional mischief-related messes. One intelligent beagle even managed to move a piece of furniture and open an appliance. In the owner's kitchen camera footage, the beagle scoots a chair a couple feet across the floor to use as a step. It then jumps on the chair and onto the counter. The beagle walks across the counter, opens the toaster oven, and snatches a piece of food out of it.

If you're concerned about your dog's or cat's behavior while you're away, talk to your veterinarian. In some cases, simply adding another pet to your home can help them feel less lonely when you're at work (though this can also make the situation worse depending on your pet). Your vet can also give you tips on what to do if your cat or dog has separation anxiety.