Maybe you should crate her when you leave the house. At least she wouldn't be able to destroy anything that way, and she might be less anxious.
Jen

I'm not sure a cat would help diminish your dog's separation anxiety and might even make matters worse. You might want to consult with an animal behaviorist before making this decision. In her current fragile emotional state, your girl may not be as accepting of a new animal in her territory as you are assuming she will be. Additionally, bringing a cat into an unfamiliar environment with an emotionally unstable dog may promote stress-related behaviors in the cat such as soiling outside of the litterbox or aggression.

If, however, you do decide that a feline companion would be a good thing in your situation, be sure to adopt an adult with a known history of companionability with dogs. Do not adopt a kitten who will not be savvy or agile enough to handle an unstable dog. Gender of the cat doesn't matter as long as the cat's friendly relationship with dogs is well known. In the history of my large dog-cat family, I have had both male and female cats develop strong, loving relationships with certain dogs.

Laurie

How long ago did you move? I would think that she is insecure in her new environment, it isn't 'home' yet to her. And when you leave she is nervous, frightened that you are not coming back. Has she ever been crated? You might want to work on that a little at a time rather than doing it and leaving her alone right away.

I crated her for about 3 months when I first got her, during which time she stressed herself to the point of messing up her crate every single time. Once I gave up on that, she's spent the last 11 years almost fine. We've moved 3 times during the years--this time a bigger problem than the last time when she simply wanted to be right up under us for hours upon our return. Since moving, we decided to contain her only when we leave & at night in the kitchen & office whice are open to the rest of the downstairs. At night she'll go straight to her bed, no problem, but when we leave is when the problem starts. She's managed to almost tear up three wire/wood baby gates and carry on the entire time (video-taped). When she managed to tear out, she would wet the carpet in any of the rooms. And she KNEW she'd done something wrong--head down, tail tucked between her legs! Last week, We tried reverse psychology. No gate, no fuss from us, just 'Bye, see you when we get back.' At least it's much better. At her age, I'm afraid that's just too much stress on her.

I think you're right about the stress. The behaviors you described sound like typical stress reactions from a dog - and since your dog is a senior citizen, these changes are even more stressful for her. If she won't tolerate crating, is there a seperate room you can keep her in while you're gone for the day? If she scratches up the door, the door can be replaced eventually - a small price to pay for helping her adjust. I think adding a cat to the mix would just increase her stress level.

I've had both. To tell the truth, I don't see a difference. Every cat has its own temperment. Some are friendly, and others are more "aloof." Cats make great pets, they reward minimal care and expense with tons of companionship and joy.

I'm not sure the dog's behavior should be the reason to get a cat. That's your call.
We do have a vet friend who recommends getting an "orange male cat" when you aren't sure of the feline's temperament. It seems this type of cat has regularly proven to be fairly adaptable and mellow... Go figure.

I have two orange male cats, and their personalities couldn't be any more different. One is extremely friendly and self-assured, and the other is very timid and nervous. You just can't make accurate blanket statements about a particular gender or color. You have to evaluate individual personalities.

If you think a cat is going to help her and not make things worse then go ahead and get a cat. As far as male vs. female I would have to say its all up to you. You can look at it several different ways. Lets say you get a male cat I am not sure about your area but here you can't fix them until they are 6 months old. I myself just got a male cat him and the dog get along great it took a while but now you find them sleeping together on the dogs bed. But before he was 6 months old he was spraying in the house and there was nothing I could do about it. I didn't want to let him outside for fear he would be out tomin and never be back or be back in need of a trip to the vet. So I had to get more bleach and that get the cat smell out stuff. Female cats I guess are cleaner but if they come into heat early or you can't get them right to vet you have to deal with the loud near non stop meow they have. Then if she does get out she might come home and you will have deal with kittens in about 60 days. So its really all up to you. I wouldn;t go and see if you can find a adult cat. Don't get me wrong I think getting them from the pound is great but with a cat I always think what is wrong with the cat. Are they dirty, loud, rip the house up. Or it could just be the owners where moving and couldn't take the cat and they are the best cat ever. Its really like rolling dice you never know what you are going to get. I know you can find free kittens, just by driving around this time of year. Between my house and the center of town I think there are two or three signs.(apox 5 miles) Barn cats have a better knowledge of outside life but may come with alot of medical problems and are not litter trained. House rasied cats should be litter trained and may come with less health problems. So if you are looking for price vs. sex of the animal females cost more to fix then the males. But if I had to do it all over again. I think I would go with a female cat. But I have never been much of a cat person, I was a sucker and co workers had them and the condition they where in I could just leave him here. I am a sucker for a lost cause!
Just my two cents.

Essft. You don't know what you're getting with a kitten either. Adopt an adult cat. What's 'wrong' with cats is usually nothing. It's the owners that have the problems.

I wasn't going to respond to this thread because frankly when you're talking about different species, sex has nothing to do with how the two species will get along. I also think it's usually a bad idea to adopt any animal for the single purpose of attempting to solve another animal's problems. You could end up with two animals with issues.

Geebee, you said you are not working. The dog is now used to you being around and senior dogs may be more insecure as they get older (sense of hearing, sight can be impaired, and they may not be feeling well), your dog now has separation anxiety. Which can be challenging to work with an older animal, but you need to work that with alone training, and perhaps speak with your vet about meds (clomicalm is one) to use while you are retraining her to deal with your absence. A good booklet on alone training is 'I'll be Home Soon' by Patricia McConnell.