Why is my cat refusing to come downstairs?

by Lola
(West Middlesex, PA, USA)

Last year (November 2017), I took in three kittens and they grew up in my home. One of them, Tuck, would wait for me to come home next to the door. Then she would walk upstairs with me and do our routine together as it seemed she had separation anxiety from me.

About May 2018, however, I noticed she stopped meeting me at the door and she would often cry at the top of the stairs. I tried different ways to get her to come down, from using treats and enticing her down slowly, to using calming devices to sooth what seems to be anxiety.

Since August (it is now November), I've been letting her do her own thing. Rarely, but more than before, she'll come downstairs, but she'll only go to the living room and sneak around in there and no where else.

Other than that, she seems absolutely fine and healthy so I don't worry as much about her not coming down, but I still want to understand why she seems to get anxiety with being downstairs at the main level.