Litter mates no longer friends

[fuilu]

I have two cats, Louis (Male) and violet (Female). they’re 2 years old and are litter mates, Louis was at the vet for 2 weeks because he had PU surgery, since he has been home, violet won’t stop hissing at louis since he came back from the vet yesterday and today shes still being aggressive to him. ANY ADVICE ON HOW TO MAKE MY KITTIES FRIENDS AGAIN PLEASE!!!

 

[Biomehanika]

For now they should be separated so he can get some rest and recover after his surgery and big ordeal at the vets. Give Louis his own quiet room with a comfy bed, litter box, water, and food so he won’t be stressed by the other cat while he heals.

This reaction is quite normal, especially after being separated for two weeks. Louis does not smell like Violet or your home anymore so that’s why she is reacting aggressively to him. She doesn’t recognize him because he smells different and like the vet. One of my cats gets very upset when she or one of the others comes home from the vet, even if it’s just for a few hours away, it usually passes and she’s back to normal after a day or so. In your case though I would keep them separated for at least a few days to a week or so depending on how he is recovering/she is reacting. He needs as little stress as possible at this time in order to heal and not have complications. Being back in your home, in his own room for awhile, he will naturally start to smell familiar again to her over time, and the behaviour from her should hopefully subside/she will recognize him as a friend again once he’s feeling well enough to be back in the rest of the house.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi and welcome to TCS! This seems to be a classic case of non-recognition aggression - as pretty much said above. One cat goes to the vet and comes back smelling differently. Usually, it will only last a few days, and if you scent swap between the two of them, that might help get to the point that they smell more like one another. This could be a bit more complicated since Louis was away for a while and if he is on any meds, as they can also affect smell.

I'd give it a bit more time to see if Violet comes around.
How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats - TheCatSite

Keep us posted on how they do over some more time.

 

[fuilu]

Louis and Violet update day 3, Violet is no longer hissing at Louis and Louis is definitely getting tired of being locked in my room though. So tomorrow im going to set Louis up in the room next to mine that has a sliding glass door and im going to also build a little cat tower in there too and of course with food/water/litterbox. I was thinking of swapping louis and violet in and out of the room every couple of hours. Thank you sooo much too biomehanika & feebysowner for all the information and advice,these are my first cats so im beyond new to being a cat dad. I did the scent swap with them and it calmed violet down a lot where she wont hiss at Louis anymore, she wants to play with Louis but he is scared of her at the moment. will update again tomorrow after the new cat tower and room!

 

[fuilu]

Louis and Violet update!!! They are friends again!!!! everything is back to normal for the most part, Violet will still hiss at Louis but only if he surprises her for example last night they were both sleeping and Louis went over to Violet and try and clean her but she was asleep and hissed at him but once she realized who it was she went right back to sleep wouldn't let him clean her though but in due time I think everything will go fully back to normal. Louis has a follow up vet appointment in a week should I bring Violet with me so i can avoid non-recognition aggression happening again ?

 

[FeebysOwner]

You can try to prepare by using some towels/blankets with Violet's scent on them to rub on Louis when he returns home. The ssme can be done with brushing Violet and leaving her hair in the brush and then brush Louis. If it doesn't work right away, continue to do so for a day or so. Again, if Louis is on meds, that can change his scent too.

 

[fuilu]

Thank you so much I will do the brush trick because they both love being brushed and Louis isn't on any medication at the moment THANKFULLY!!

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Glad to hear it's all worked out!