Cat depressed?

I'm wondering if the fact that my kitten was adopted from a shelter has anything to do with the fact that he doesn't like being alone for a few hours.  If my husband and I are gone for let's say 3 or 4 hours, our kitten goes coo coo and gets into things that he normally doesn't get into if one of us is home while the other is gone.  He acts like we're going to leave him forever!  Any suggestions as to what to do?

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

If you have only had your kitten for a short period than give him time.  It may take several months for a cat or kitten to adjust to a new environment, especially if he had lots of other cats in his previous environment.  

If you have had him more than several months he may have separation anxiety.  This is a very difficult problem to treat and may require medication.  If he gets into things especially things that may cause him harm when not supervised it might be best to place him in a kitty condo when you are out.  A kitty condo is the cat equivalent of crate training for a dog.  As he matures he may require the condo less and less.