Interesting Thing I Noticed About My Cat Rose's Behavior.

[macyaji]

She can easily tell humans apart from each other. She always runs away from my mom because of the fact she gives her a bath every two months. She always jumps on my friend's lap whenever he comes to visit because he always brings treats. Always follows me around the house in the morning because she knows I am the person who feeds her every morning. I, however, noticed that she has a problem telling cats apart from each other. I adopted a new kitten 3 months ago and they bonded after two weeks. Two days ago, I took the new kitten to the vet to get him neutered. After I took the new kitten back home, Rose started hissing at him and doesn't recognize him at all.

 

[ArtNJ]

Normal thing. Cats recognize people and especially other cats partly by scent. So when a cat comes back from the vet or groomer, they often smell just different enough that there are problems. Its called non-recognition aggression, and there is an article on it in the article section on top of the site, but its really pretty simple. If the kitten has a favorite blanket, use it to wipe the kitten down to get the familiar scent back on him. I've heard some people wash the cat first, but am not sure its necessary unless, for example, a groomer uses some shampoo or scented oil that might linger. Non-recognition aggression usually resolves on its own within a few days, unless the cats actually fight, which can lead to lingering problems. With the unrecognized cat being a kitten, that isn't much of a risk, so it should be fine shortly.

The main takeaway is to plan for the next time some of your cats go to the vet or groomer, since you now know you have a cat that is prone to this. That mainly means have a blanket ready to rescent the cat before you even get back in the house.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I can't add a single thing to what A ArtNJ has told you. This is just so very normal. They should be back to normal soon.

 

[She's a witch]

I'll just add one thing not connected to the main topic, but I think important: rarely there's a need to bathe a cat. They are perfectly good taking care of their fur themselves. So maybe your mom doesn't need to scare her away.