Stressed out mutts.
Children often suffer when their parents separate. But according to Sainsbury’s Bank, so do pets. The bank claims cats and dogs can suffer from “master separation syndrome”, or mental trauma caused by their owners separating.
The bank reports a 28% increase in the number of claims linked to pets’ behavioural problems in the past year.
It believes master separation syndrome is one of the reasons.
Neal Devine, pet insurance manager at Sainsbury’s, sympathises: “If a couple separating have pets, their animals can suffer from the anguish caused by the breakdown. Cats and dogs can be very susceptible to their owners’ feelings and if they sense they are unhappy they can easily become agitated and depressed.”
