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- Mar 2, 2019
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I have 2 male cats that have gotten along very well for the last few years. They groom each other and play often and sleep next to each other, etc. Nova is slightly older (~5 years), and Mochi is around 3 years old. A few weeks ago Mochi got sick with a bacterial infection and I took him to the vet. He spent several hours there before I was able to pick him up and when he came home there was instant aggression from Nova (growling, hissing, and chasing). After some research I found out it was because of non-recognition aggression and that Mochi must have smelled like the vet, and also like a sick cat, so I put them in separate rooms to give them time to get used to each other again. Fast forward and it has now been almost 3 weeks, I flip flop the rooms they're in every few days so they can smell each other, I've got a feliway diffuser plugged in to make them calm, I've rubbed them each with the same towel to transfer the smell further, and I've put catnip and treats near both sides of the door that separates them so that they get close to interact. They are calm in their separate rooms and are behaving mostly normally otherwise, though Mochi is less playful than usual. They have batted at each other's paws under the door, and don't growl or hiss when that happens, but every time I try to reintroduce them Nova is immediately aggressive. I'm wondering if there's anything else I can be doing or if it will just take more time? Mochi must smell like himself by now but Nova still clearly views him as a stranger. Any other tips people have are very much appreciated! They were best friends before and I'd hate to think it's all been ruined by one vet visit .