My 6 month old Cats hate each other now (Post Spay)!

[dthor68]

So my kittans who loved each other just 2 weeks ago hate each other since they were spayed. Today we tried the vanilla extract and it did not work, they are still hissing at each other. How do we fix this? God, I thought cats were easy.

Thanks for any help,
Derek

 

[sivyaleah]

If the spay was done in the past day or so I'm not surprised to hear this. When my younger one was a kitten, the two surgeries she had (spay and had minor foot surgery) both led to her older sister not recognizing her for a few days.

Being at the vet for that many hours along with the scent of the anesthesia combined with acting a bit "off" can lead to this. We just let it play out and didn't do much of anything about it other than keeping an eye on their interactions. Thankfully there was no actual aggression from the older one - just some hissing and posturing.

Sometimes you need to separate them for a day or so and kind of do introductions from scratch with scent exchanges etc. But most likely as long as there's no fighting, they will both start to smell similar to each other and the home within a few days.

BTW the vanilla trick didn't work for me either. I think it's an old wives tale at this point.

 

[vince]

With my cats, the non-recognition aggression from a typical vet visit lasts the rest of the day. When they were spayed, it took a bit longer--about 72 hours. I didn't do any scent swapping or vanilla extract. They came around on their own.

I think your kitties will most likely be okay in a few more days. They're just telling each other "You smell funny! Go away!" Nothing more than that. As soon as they lose the vet scent, they'll be buddies again.

 

[dthor68]

Thanks for the responses.

So the spay happened almost 3 weeks ago. After the spay we put them in different rooms that were pretty much emptied out so that they would not jump or play rough. My cat Mea did very well and 10 days later we got to remove her post surgey recovery suit. The other cat Suki did not do so well. She had some infection going on so they used staples and gave us 10 days of antibiotics. Mea was then put in the master bed room free to play. Suki was returned to her room o recover. 10 days later Suki was cleared and got to ditch the post op suit as well. So we put them together for the first time on Friday and they were hissing at one another, no fighting.

When we put Mea in Suki's room, Mea is all quite and scared. When we put Suki in the master BR she is all quite and scared. So we figured today we would let them out together in a neutral area, the family room. We will give that a try and see how it goes. Meanwhile if anyone has any other helpful tips we would love to hear them.

Thanks

 

[LTS3]

Here's a TCS article with tips: How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats – TheCatSite Articles

 

[vince]

Maybe the smell of their medications is the problem with this long-playing non-recognition aggression. I didn't realize it had been going on for so long.

Hissing without fighting isn't great, but it's not all that bad, either. Give them a scent-swap with a towel and see if that helps.

 

[dthor68]

Here's a TCS article with tips: How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats – TheCatSite Articles
[/QUOTE

After reading this article decided to give tuna water a try. So far it is working.

 

[Morpheus1967]

Maybe the smell of their medications is the problem with this long-playing non-recognition aggression. I didn't realize it had been going on for so long.

Hissing without fighting isn't great, but it's not all that bad, either. Give them a scent-swap with a towel and see if that helps.

I don't think it's been going on that long. If I understand correctly, Friday was their first day together after nearly 3 weeks of separation?

 

[dthor68]

I don't think it's been going on that long. If I understand correctly, Friday was their first day together after nearly 3 weeks of separation?

You are correct Morpheus.

 

[cheeseburger]

Keep reintroducing them for short supervised periods a few times a day, and giving them high-reward treats like tuna water and churu when they are around each other. Initiate group play if possible. Hissing without fighting is okay. They are just redrawing boundaries with each other. It sounds like they are acclimating okay so far. Try to stay relaxed and playful because they will feel your vibe.

 

[vince]

Oh, I misunderstood. I thought the behavior had been going on for three weeks after they'd been put back together.