Enemies After Sterilization

[TheAxolotl]

Hello,

I really hope someone can give me advise with this problem me and my girlfriend have at home.

We live in an apartment without a garden. We got 2 house cats who have never been outside. They are used to this and seem to be okay with that for now (plans to move to another house in a couple of months).

We started here with 1 cat he is called 'Tiger'. We got him while he was already sterilized and now he is 1 year and a half. We decided it was time for a new friend for him since he was feeling a bit alone.
We came across a little kitty and we got him and named him 'Flinn'.

Tiger and Flinn where best friends and did everything together..... Sleeping, cuddling, laying in a basket, eating even cleaning themselves.
Flinn was always really hyper and has a lot of energy. We decided to get him sterilized, since he began marking some stuff.

When we got back from the vet, they are not friends anymore and Flinn is dominating Tiger all the time. Tiger is afraid and litterly shits himself because he is so afraid.

They live in separate parts of the appartement now with enough space to live.
We have tried a lot of things to let them be friends again..... Feliway.....Calmax.....slowly showing faces.
The smell is fine with both of them, but the appearance is just a problem for Tiger. When he sees Flinn he always starts hissing, running away, hiding in the litterbox and starts growling.

We really have no idea what to do anymore and it seems like all hope is lost. They where so good together and after the sterilization not anymore.
Is there still hope? We love both of them so much and don't want to give away any of them.

Thank you so much for your time to read this and your reply!
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will provide you the info.

 

[Yanaka]

Following! Same thing is happening to my close friend. The kitten was fixed and now that he grew up some more they seem to fight.

How long has it been since the kitten was fixed? Tiger releases his anal glands, maybe? It's not quite pooping but more like a skunk, you can google it! I'm sure it smells awful. It's strange that he'd be *That* scared of Flinn, though. How many litter boxes do you have? Do you have vertical spaces for each cat to use to hide or climb out of reach? Is it a big apartment?

There's still hope! It's very complex with cats, they are subtle and particular creatures. Anything different or bothering in their territory, even the slightest detail, will make them (and you) miserable!

 

[Furballsmom]

I read that if you wipe down one cat with a rag, then take that rag and wipe down the other, and back and forth, it might work.
Can you hiss at the domineering cat when its behavior is bad?
Can you play more with the victim cat to help it feel more confident?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

This is called Non-recognition Aggression, and if it helps, yes, it is VERY common. Common enough to have a name. It almost always happens when one cat goes to the vet, comes home smelling different, and all of a sudden, you have strangers where there were buddies.

How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats

You may need to reintroduce your guys, just as if they are total strangers. That happens a lot, but it is doable.

As for wiping them down and swapping the scents, I've seen that work as well. I've also seen people wipe down both cats with a rag dampened with REAL vanilla extract. Yep, you're gonna have to bite the bullet and pay for the good stuff, but if it works, it's well worth it!

 

[TheAxolotl]

Hello,

Thank you for your replies!

It's not the scent. It's the appearance. When we cuddle one of them and go to the other one there is nothing to be worried about. While showing them each other from a distance, the hissing and panic start with Tiger.
Tiger litterly shits himself.... We know, because it's not only a bad smell...
We have 2 litterboxes and the apartment is 65 square meters. They live separately now and have a lot of places to hide. Underneath bed, behind a closet. Some blankets. Cats house.
The kitten has been fixed since he turned 1 year. Right after bringing him home it's was a problem. Flinn starts meowing loud and Tiger is afraid of the appearance of Flinn. Flinn is acting really dominate towards Tiger.

 

[catlover73]

How long have Tiger and Flinn been living together before this behavior started? How long has it been since Flinn was neutered? Is there anything else that could have happened to startle Tiger when him and Flynn were hanging out together? I am asking these questions because I am trying to determine for sure if you are dealing with re-directed aggression versus non-recognition aggression. I am going to give examples of both types of aggression based on a personal experience I had.

My Sonny was hospitalized for 3 days due to a blockage. When he came home Casey my normally laid back young adult kept hissing at him. This is non-recognition aggression. In my household this never went further then hissing and Sonny ignored the hissing and was not scared of Apollo. I took dirty laundry and kept rubbing Sonny down with it. In about 3 days things went back to normal between Casey and Sonny. Apollo is bonded with Sonny and grooms him. Casey kept hissing at Apollo. Casey also hissed at us. He hissed at me after I interacted with Sonny. Casey hissed at my hubby when he went to pet him after work before he interacted with Sonny. The hissing Casey was doing at us and Apollo was re-directed aggression. This issue also resolved in three days.

It is good you are keeping them separated for now because your issue is much worse than what I was dealing with.

I am going to post an article on re-directed aggression for you to take a look at.
Re-directed Aggression In Cats

 

[TheAxolotl]

They have been together in peace for 1 year. Right after the visit of the vet the problems started. Nothing was different. Maybe the smell of Flinn was different, because he came from the vet. But besides that nothing.
Right after the visit he was also meowing loud for like 5 minutes. After that Tiger was afraid and got scared everytime.
Now Flinn is dominating Tiger all the time and his tail is getting big (tail of Flinn). When Flinn starts dominating with his meowing and big tail, Tiger will hiss and growl when Flinn comes into the 50cm zone.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Sorry one of your cats are now enemies. It does sound non-recognition aggression. Are you able to separate them and try a re-introduction?

How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction