Cat aggressive after other’s vet visit

[andys1988]

Our older cat has been hissing and swatting at our younger cat, who was at the vet yesterday for a checkup. I know this is a scent issue. So, I’ve been rubbing them with the towels and blankets that they like to dilute the scents and all that fun stuff. We also kept them separated overnight, but that’s not easy since we live in a small NYC apartment.

The older cat can be in the same room as the younger cat, but issues pop up when either goes in for a good sniff. Obviously it’s a bit awkward since the younger cat also doesn’t realize what’s going on and keeps trying to cuddle and play with the other. We separate them for about an hour each time the older one gets aggressive. Is this the right approach? Does anyone know how long this lasts? Should we keep them apart another night? When will we know when it’s OK to leave them alone together again for a few hours?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. How long it lasts kind of really depends on the cats involved. Usually no more than a few days. You can also do some more scent swapping with a brush. I wouldn't leave them along together until you see more positive behavior from your older cat. I doubt there would be a fight, but you never know. It is more likely it would just add more stress and that is really what you want to avoid as much as possible.

Also, it has been suggested on this site to use vanilla - Ode to vanilla extract

 

[ArtNJ]

It seems that it more or less always gets better, and usually quickly, PROVIDED they don't actually fight. Its like if a human couple fight and one says something hateful, then the original cause of the fight doesn't necessarily matter anymore and things can linger because of what happened afterwards. So you can let them work it out, that will speed things up, but if they look like they are going to fight, then a separation to cool down is needed.

 

[rubysmama]

How are things going today?

BTW, it's not uncommon for one cat to be aggressive towards a cat that's been to the vet. It's called non-recognition aggression, and TCS has this article with more info: How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats – TheCatSite Articles

 

[andys1988]

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I really appreciate it.

Good news! I think they're mostly back to normal. The turning point came yesterday afternoon when we spent about an hour brushing Ralph, our older cat, and then brushing Rabbit, our younger cat, and then repeating the process a few times. After that, Ralph went in for a few big sniffs and seemed to be back to normal. We let them wander around like normal last night without an incident and they're back to sharing a litter box (I bought a second one to keep on hand just in case we run into this again, though).

This morning, they were back to bathing each other and wrestling. I did notice Ralph spending a bit more time biting Rabbit on the nape of his neck. He does it about once a day, I assume as a sign of dominance. Rabbit doesn't mind so we never tried to dissuade him.

I'm a bit traumatized by it, though. So, I postponed Ralph's checkup for a bit so I don't have to deal with the reverse scenario this week, too. I think I may try taking them both to the vet when possible so that they both have that scent on them.

Thank you all again!

 

[rubysmama]

Glad things are pretty much back to normal.

As I mentioned, it's a quite common occurrence. In fact, we've had some members who will take both cats to the vet whenever one needs to go, just so that they both come home smelling the same. That may not be as easy to do these days, with the changes in vet procedures due to the virus, but something to keep in the back of your mind for when things get back to the way they used to be.

 

[ArtNJ]

If you take them both, its better if they are together in a 2 cat sized carrier. Or at least face the single cat carriers towards each other during the car ride.

 

[AriSocks]

Andys1988 - did everything resolve itself with your kitties after the scent had gotten back to normal? I was searching threads for stories like this as I had the same thing happen to me today, my girl kitty suddenly HISSED at Ari after he'd come home from an overnight vet stay but hes such a sweet boy he didn't get the hint, went in for a sniff and got booped on the nose... it massively came out of nowhere and he had actually been home for about 3 hours without incident before it happened so it was extra shocking!

 

[andys1988]

Andys1988 - did everything resolve itself with your kitties after the scent had gotten back to normal? I was searching threads for stories like this as I had the same thing happen to me today, my girl kitty suddenly HISSED at Ari after he'd come home from an overnight vet stay but hes such a sweet boy he didn't get the hint, went in for a sniff and got booped on the nose... it massively came out of nowhere and he had actually been home for about 3 hours without incident before it happened so it was extra shocking!

Yes, it went away after about two days after the first incident but it took a few more for them to get completely back to normal. We got very aggressive about scent swapping. So, we would use their grooming brush on one and then use it on the other without cleaning it. We did that for about two hours. That’s when things really calmed down. Fortunately we didn’t have to keep them separated another night. I’d suggest grooming them with a brush back and forth to see if that helps. Good luck!

 

[AriSocks]

Yes, it went away after about two days after the first incident but it took a few more for them to get completely back to normal. We got very aggressive about scent swapping. So, we would use their grooming brush on one and then use it on the other without cleaning it. We did that for about two hours. That’s when things really calmed down. Fortunately we didn’t have to keep them separated another night. I’d suggest grooming them with a brush back and forth to see if that helps. Good luck!

Thats a good suggestion, thank you - I've been using their blankets but brushes makes a lot of sense! Wish us luck haha