I had my adult cat and kitten spayed. Now they are hissing and growling at each other

[Lucy2019]

Hello, everyone. My adult cat (2.4 years old) and kitten (5 months) both got spayed yesterday. Today, i've noticed my kitten started hissing and growling at the adult cat. Later on, the adult cat started hissing at her as well.

Is this normal?

 

[Antonio65]

Hi, yes, it can be normal.
They have strange and foreign smells on them, moreover they could be still not too well from the surgery and anesthesia, a little disoriented. So I think it can be normal.

I don't know whether dividing them in two separate rooms until they are feeling better can be a solution.
I may think that keeping to hiss at each other might ruin their relationship to a point of no return.

 

[vince]

This non recognition aggression always happens whenever one of my cats goes to the vet. It's harmless and the behavior stops in a day or two when the smell of the vet goes away. I think that's what's going on with your cats. Basically, it's a case of the cats thinking, "You smell funny! Get away!"

It did take a little longer (three or four days in my case) for things to get back to normal after a spay. I attributed that to stronger smells of surgery and a longer stay at the vet.

 

[di and bob]

Yes, they are confused because the other cat doesn't smell the same. Be careful they don't fight, but this will go away in a couple of days. You might speed things up by taking a barely damp towel, rubbing one cat down with it, rubbing the other cat, and then returning and rubbing the first cat down. This exchanges smells. This is also why when I bring one cat in for shots, I bring them all for their shots.