Help dogs and cats cope with separation anxiety when humans return to work

By Lori M. Teller, Texas A&M University

Updated 1839 GMT (0239 HKT) January 12, 2021

Animals shelters across the United States are emptying out thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, as people stuck at home are fostering or adopting animals. The Hillery family adopted Mase the pit bull from the San Diego Humane Society.
Photos: People are fostering and adopting pets during the pandemic
Animals shelters across the United States are emptying out thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, as people stuck at home are fostering or adopting animals. The Hillery family adopted Mase the pit bull from the San Diego Humane Society.
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Adam Bohn, a junior mechanical engineering student at Iowa State University, plays with Aries, a 1.5-year-old domestic shorthair cat before adopting him."It was getting lonely at home," Bohn said.
Photos: People are fostering and adopting pets during the pandemic
Adam Bohn, a junior mechanical engineering student at Iowa State University, plays with Aries, a 1.5-year-old domestic shorthair cat before adopting him."It was getting lonely at home," Bohn said.
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Dogs awaiting adoption or foster care crowd together together inside a doghouse at a Hong Kong Dog Rescue homing center. Shelters in Hong Kong reported that a higher-than-average number were adopted in March.
Photos: People are fostering and adopting pets during the pandemic
Dogs awaiting adoption or foster care crowd together together inside a doghouse at a Hong Kong Dog Rescue homing center. Shelters in Hong Kong reported that a higher-than-average number were adopted in March.
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Lachlan Vaughan-Taylor (center) and his partner (left) admire Pippa, a blind cat they adopted at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Shelter and Veterinary Hospital in Sydney, Australia.
Photos: People are fostering and adopting pets during the pandemic
Lachlan Vaughan-Taylor (center) and his partner (left) admire Pippa, a blind cat they adopted at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Shelter and Veterinary Hospital in Sydney, Australia.
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Amy Tran (left) and her daughter Serene Ho cuddle their newly adopted dog Pepper in a dog park at Kai Tak Runway Park in Hong Kong.
Photos: People are fostering and adopting pets during the pandemic
Amy Tran (left) and her daughter Serene Ho cuddle their newly adopted dog Pepper in a dog park at Kai Tak Runway Park in Hong Kong.
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The San Diego Humane Society's Nina Thompson holds a kitten at the kitten nursery in San Diego, California.
Photos: People are fostering and adopting pets during the pandemic
The San Diego Humane Society's Nina Thompson holds a kitten at the kitten nursery in San Diego, California.
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Honeysuckle the dog gets ready for a foster home at Animal Rescue New Orleans in Louisiana.
Photos: People are fostering and adopting pets during the pandemic
Honeysuckle the dog gets ready for a foster home at Animal Rescue New Orleans in Louisiana.
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Morgan Miller (left) and Sarah Chan (right) play with Silvia, age 6, in their apartment in San Diego's Pacific Beach neighborhood.
Photos: People are fostering and adopting pets during the pandemic
Morgan Miller (left) and Sarah Chan (right) play with Silvia, age 6, in their apartment in San Diego's Pacific Beach neighborhood.
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A dog that has been adopted but not yet taken to its new home was one of the few animals left at the Humane Society of Westchester in New Rochelle, New York, in late March.
Photos: People are fostering and adopting pets during the pandemic
A dog that has been adopted but not yet taken to its new home was one of the few animals left at the Humane Society of Westchester in New Rochelle, New York, in late March.
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Layla the dog waits at Animal Rescue New Orleans as her paperwork is completed. She's heading to a new foster home.
Photos: People are