Non-recognition aggression and aftermath question

[Fusrohdave]

I have two 6mo old kittens, litter mates, Fitz and Willow. They’ve been bonded since young which is actually why we took both of them. They always have gotten along great. Unfortunately last Wednesday Fitz was vomiting a lot and I took him to the vet. He threw up 9 times in less than 5 minutes so it was an emergency, I didn’t have time to prepare willow, who is usually very skittish as it is.
He stayed for 4 hours to get thoroughly evaluated and aside from a low platelet count which we have since remedied, he was fine. Of course when we got home Willow wanted nothing to do with him. Hissing, swiping, even chasing him down just to hiss at him. It broke our hearts so we had to separate them. We slowly introduced them back and it was going well but of course we had to bring him back to the vet on Friday, the same morning they finally got along, to get another round of bloodwork done. This time I brought Willow too, to try and keep the scents the same.

Theyve more or less been okay, aside from the occasional hiss by willow, but now as of today, Saturday, they go up to each other gently, touch noses, and then she hisses at him. A long sustained hiss. They eat together no problem, they sleep within inches of each other and sometimes will chase each other in play, but whenever they touch noses, she hisses and he slinks away.

how long will this continue? Fitz is acting very sad, he lost his playmate. They used to have cookies all night but now usually avoid each other. I’m worried it’s a permanent problem. Any advice is really appreciated!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome!!

Hang in there with this - it'll take some more time. How did his bloodwork turn out - is he back to healthy? I absolutely don't mean to scare you but cats often can detect when things aren't right.

Try some cat music - there's Cat In My Arms on spotify and elsewhere, and there's RelaxMyCat and MusicForCats. It can be surprisingly helpful in easing stress and getting cats to relax.

 

[Fusrohdave]

Hi! Welcome!!

Hang in there with this - it'll take some more time. How did his bloodwork turn out - is he back to healthy? I absolutely don't mean to scare you but cats often can detect when things aren't right.

Try some cat music - there's Cat In My Arms on spotify and elsewhere, and there's RelaxMyCat and MusicForCats. It can be surprisingly helpful in easing stress and getting cats to relax.

His second bloodwork came back all normal, though because we have him on steroids, he has to go back for another blood test once we are finished with them so we can make sure it stays normal. We got some calming sprays, but its strange that the only time she seems to consistently hiss at him is when they touch noses. Im not sure if shes maybe smelling his medicine, or if more is at play.

 

[Furballsmom]

the only time she seems to consistently hiss at him is when they touch noses.

Hopefully she becomes more calm as time progresses - if you can/as you did, take her along again for the next vet visit. Do try the music, they both might really like it

Let us know how things go