@ericstene You may or may not be acutely aware of how you react to things now, versus before starting to address your anxiety. To reward yourself, think of some things that you find pleasurable. Celebrate your positive steps forward, it's okay to congratulate yourself. Look in the mirror and tell yourself how proud you are at the positive steps; write a letter to yourself. Don't berate yourself if there is a backslide, because we all have that happen.

Our minds often slow down or wander off at night, and we feel more relaxed. Having the cat jump up brings a sudden stop to that calmness, and your mind hasn't yet relearned to just let that go and keep on being relaxed. That is my guess.
Ginger