Non Recognition Aggression Or Redirected Aggression? Need Help Please

[SleepySillyKitty]

So after a trip to the vet I’m pretty sure my youngest has either non recognition aggression or redirected aggression. Depending on which type of aggression is going on will let me know how to handle future vet visits which is why I’m posting here for input. As concise as possible I’m going to give a quick background of the cats and then I’ll go through the vet visit that started it all.


Background on my cats: I have three cats. Oliver and Alphie are the same age and I adopted them pretty much at the same time. They are now 5. My youngest, Lorenzo, is two and we found him living off the street at 4 months old and took him in. My older cats took to him really well, but Oliver in particular was especially nurturing and Lorenzo and Oliver have had a special bond ever since. Lorenzo has anxiety (not enough to be medicated but he is absolutely terrified of strangers. When it’s just my husband and myself he is the most mischievous little kitty I’ve ever met and very affectionate, the anxiety is only around strangers) and hides/cowers in our bedroom when people come over. Oliver loves greeting guests, before Lorenzo he would stay around company the entire time because he enjoys it. Now with Lorenzo he greets people and then puts aside what he likes to do to go comfort Lorenzo by cuddling with him until everyone leaves. Oliver loves to take care of Lorenzo.


The trigger: So Oliver and Lorenzo go to the vet together. Oliver had to get a steroid shot (eosinophilic granuloma complex issue, not really relevant) and Lorenzo had to get his yearly vaccinations. We did both cats in the same appointment cause one trip to the vet is easier than two. Oliver is a pro at the vet cause he goes so often for EGC issues and is totally calm, vets love him. Lorenzo is the gets scared stiff kind of cat, not a gets scared and the claws come out kind of cat so although we knew Lorenzo wasn’t happy he didn’t seem traumatized or anything like that. We come home, let the cats out of the carrier and we thought all was well but… an hour or so later my husband and I hear growling and angry cat noises. We go investigate and Lorenzo is growling and tensing up at Oliver. It looked like Lorenzo was about to attack Oliver but then Alphie sprints over and tackles Lorenzo (Alphie gets along amazingly with both cats, he’ll play and sleep with either, but he doesn’t like misbehavior. Like when we brought Lorenzo home as a 4 month kitty, Lorenzo growled at my two older boys, Alphie wanted to maintain order and growled back. Alphie doesn’t have a mean bone in his body, he just likes order. Meanwhile Oliver ignores Lorenzo’s “scary” noises and started grooming him. That’s just Oliver, he’s a nurturer) this was like a back alley feral cat fight though. Fur went flying cats were screaming it lasted all of five seconds because I immediately went in and grabbed the first cat I could get my hands on to break it up (which happened to be Alphie and just so people don’t think my Alphie is a wild cat as soon as I was in the picture he stopped, I did not get a single scratch or bite. I think Alphie just saw that Lornezo was about to attack Oliver and knew Oliver wouldn’t defend himself against Lornezo so he stepped in to maintain order and protect his brother but oh my goodness that fight was scary). Oliver looked so confused and completely heartbroken at the situation.

We put Lornezo in the cattery (we have a spare bedroom so we made it into a cattery) to let him cool off. A couple hours later we let him out and supervise cat interactions. Lornezo and Alphie groom eachother like nothing ever happened and they’re still the best of friends. However when Lorenzo comes upon Oliver again he throws a hissy fit. That was Friday night. We isolate Lorenzo over night, gave Oliver a paper towel bath and did scent exchanges with a towel. We also put a baby gate up so cats can see each other but there is still a barrier ( we boarded up the rest of the doorway with cardboard so cats couldn’t get in or out). The next day Lorenzo still has a hissy fit around Oliver (and Alphie trots in the room ready to tackle Lornenzo again if a line gets crossed but we always separate the cats before that happens). Fast forward to Sunday and I can see a glimmer of progress. Lorenzo will sniff Oliver’s butt and walk away without hissing. Progress, right? But when he sniff’s Oliver’s face he makes an unhappy meow and walks away with this certain posture but doesn’t hiss. Here’s the other thing, Lorenzo will sleep on my bed (with me in the room) with Oliver on the same bed now. It’s like his subconscious knows he’s safe with Oliver but when he’s awake his brain takes over and overrides his thoughts. And twice now Lorenzo has tried to initiate play with Alphie, Alphie wasn’t feeling it, saw Oliver and playfully attacked him to initiate play. Oliver was a little weary of Lorenzo so he didn't play fight back but instead licked his forehead. He gets like two or three licks in and then Lorenzo’s thinking brain kicks in and then he remembers that he doesn’t like Oliver anymore and trots away. But for those few seconds when it was pure playful instinct things were normal! And just to be clear, anytime Lornezo had hissed/growled/whatever at Oliver, Oliver is always a gentle soul and just sits calmly, he never reacts badly. He lets Lornezo sniff for however long he wants and you can tell he's really trying to work with Lornezo to get past this.


So after research we think one of two things happened and I see argument for both. Here are the possibilities.

1. Non recognition aggression – this happens when a cat comes back from the vet, smells off and another cat is thrown off by the smell and “doesn’t recognize” his friend and is aggressive/attacks the vet cat. Now mind you, Oliver goes to the vet by himself like 3-6 times a year for his EGC issues and everytime he’s come home in the past the other cats greet Oliver and welcome him home so I’m not entirely sure this fits but I do see an argument for it.

2. Redirected aggression – the argument for this being Lorenzo got stabbed at the vet with Oliver nearby. He’s probably in pain when he comes home and a little disoriented from the trip/vaccines, sees Oliver and takes his anger/confusion from the pain of the shots out on him.

So here’s my question: which type of aggression do you think it is, what’s the best way to get them back to best friends, and how do I prevent this in the future?


I’m thinking if it’s the redirected aggression just make sure all future Lorenzo vet visits are done solo and put him in the cattery for a couple hours after to lick his wounds and not have a brother in sight to redirect his anger towards? And if it’s the non recognition aggression I’m not quite sure what to do since he went to the vet with Oliver and it still happened. Thoughts?

 

[Espalia]

I am also leaning towards redirected aggression. Although there are plenty of stories of people whose cats got along for years and then that one fateful trip the vet (exactly the same as the many before) and both cats are at each others throats.

Usually its a great idea to bring cats to the vet together so that nonrecognition doesn't happen. However, in this case I think you're right - Lorenzo was scared and got poked at the vet while in close proximity to Oliver (and further, he usually relies on Oliver to protect him from stressful situations, but Oliver could obviously not keep the vet from administering a shot. Even though that is tenuous cat phycology at best, it could also be playing a role).

Cats, unfortunately, are great at associating bad experiences with all the other factors that were going on at the time. Perhaps he now associates Oliver with all the bad feelings of going to the vet, which sounds to be particularly traumatic for him with his anxiety. Then he had more negative associations with Oliver upon coming home and fighting, possibly while feeling slightly off because of his steroid shot.

If it were me, I likely wouldn't take them together in the future but unfortunately do not have much advice beyond that. I am also trying to deal with some redirected aggression weirdness with my cats. Cats are really funny aren't they? My cat also does the whole 'everything is okay for a few seconds until my brain kicks in and I realize I hate you' thing.

 

[lavishsqualor]

I'd never heard of non recognition aggression until Atticus went to the vet several months ago without Thirteen. When Atticus came back he was thrilled to see Thirteen but Thirteen wasn't having it. She hissed and growled and swatted at him, and poor Atticus looked so shocked and freaked out. It went on for two full days. I swore then that I would never take one of them to the vet without the other. It's too upsetting to the cats and to me.

 

[margd]

I am going back and forth just like you are between non-recognition aggression and redirected aggression. As you pointed out, there are reasons that support either one being the problem. I agree with Espalia about not taking them together in the future, though. In a way, it doesn't matter what type of aggression it is (although I also lean toward redirected aggression). The solution seems to be to not repeat what caused it in the first place, i.e. the vet visit with Lorenzo and Oliver together.

I think what you proposed (below) is an excellent plan of action.

I’m thinking if it’s the redirected aggression just make sure all future Lorenzo vet visits are done solo and put him in the cattery for a couple hours after to lick his wounds and not have a brother in sight to redirect his anger towards?

It's extremely fortunate that Oliver is such a gentle and patient cat because this will help things return to normal faster than they might otherwise. Since there have already been some improvements within the last 2½ days, it may just be a matter of waiting while time gradually erases Lorenzo's negative feelings about Oliver (who sounds like a saint).

I guess I'm answering your three questions like so:

1. I suspect it's a form of redirected aggression but there is no way to know for sure.
2. Take Lorenzo to the vet by himself in the future and follow the after-vet plan that you described.
3. It will take time but I think the prospects look promising for things to return to normal. Just continue doing what you are already.

I wanted to add that you are doing a really fine job in caring for Alphie, Oliver and Lorenzo and in taking each one's needs and personalities into consideration. Also, the detailed information you provided was very helpful.

And finally, one last thing. Welcome to TCS! I'm glad you found our site and hope you will take the time to explore it a bit. There is a lot of information available in the threads and the articles, and we are always delighted to have a new member.

 

[SleepySillyKitty]

Thanks for all the input, it has really made me feel better during this bizarre aggressive episode and reading y'alls comments have really helped I've seen some slight progress today and thankfully no steps backwards so I'm hopeful that it'll just be a waiting game like y'all said. Oliver seems to be doing a good job all on his own at building trust with Lorenzo so I guess I just need to sit back and be patient (easier said than done, lol). Thanks again