Non recognition aggression

Aasp1981

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
May 25, 2022
Messages
3
Purraise
2
Help!! I have 2 girls. Willow is 5 and Kate is 2. Yesterday Willow had a bladder stone and had to be flushed, which resulted in am6 hour vet stay. She’s doing great- except for the fact that everytime her best friend sees her, she hisses and is very angry. I have them separated which is not an easy task. letting them just see each other from a distance. Any encouraging words out there? I feel so defeated..
 

Furballsmom

Cat Devotee
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jan 9, 2018
Messages
39,271
Purraise
53,931
Location
Colorado US
Hi
Hang in there with this. You could try using a cloth and wiping first the one, and then the other back and forth between the two to get their scents on each other, plus you could try this;

From valanhb valanhb
You put a dab of vanilla extract under the chins, at the base of their neck (by the spine) and at the base of the tail (again, on the spine not the underside of the tail!) of all of the cats to make them smell the same. Cats recognize each other by scent, so if that kitty smells the same as "me", the he must be a friend. Kitty logic at it's finest.

This trick works when introducing cats into the household, and also when one of them has been to the vet and therefore smells different to the others who didn't go.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

Aasp1981

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
May 25, 2022
Messages
3
Purraise
2
Hi
Hang in there with this. You could try using a cloth and wiping first the one, and then the other back and forth between the two to get their scents on each other, plus you could try this;

From valanhb valanhb
You put a dab of vanilla extract under the chins, at the base of their neck (by the spine) and at the base of the tail (again, on the spine not the underside of the tail!) of all of the cats to make them smell the same. Cats recognize each other by scent, so if that kitty smells the same as "me", the he must be a friend. Kitty logic at it's finest.

This trick works when introducing cats into the household, and also when one of them has been to the vet and therefore smells different to the others who didn't go.
I’m willing to try anything- thank you!!
 

PawprintsOnMyHeart

Mom to Jasper (3yrs) & Jade (2yrs)
Young Cat
Joined
Dec 2, 2018
Messages
47
Purraise
48
Any time my boy cat goes to the vet for anywhere from an hour to a 5-night stay, my girl cat will, without fail, hiss and run from him for a day or more (after the 5-night visit, I was worried they'd never be friends again because it went on so long, maybe a week or more). I kept petting him, rubbing blankets on him, basically trying to make him smell like himself again, and I think eventually my girl made the connection that he was a cat she knew and not some strange-smelling intruder.

You can try introduction techniques, as if they're meeting for the first time, like feeding them somewhat nearby one another for positive association and swapping blankets between them. It might just take a little time for everyone to smell like themselves again. :)
 

D_H

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 1, 2022
Messages
106
Purraise
198
It is hard, sorry you have to go through this.
The first thing I'll say is don't try to rush it - patience is the key here.

First time it took us about 5 days to go back to "normal", second time we thought we were smart and tried to rush it and it took us 3 weeks.

(The Vanilla extract thing, BTW, didn't worked well for us - but please let us know if it helped in your case!)

There's a lot of information online, and of course here as well - How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats

Good luck!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

Aasp1981

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
May 25, 2022
Messages
3
Purraise
2
Day 3 here and ready to cry. Ha
They are fine laying on opposite ends of couch sleeping or one on nightstand and one on bed… but let one start moving and the one that stayed home goes nuts. Like she’s so threatened. It’s just crazy. They were BEST FRIENDS. Hope it doesn’t last too long. I may be growling with them. Hahahah


It is hard, sorry you have to go through this.
The first thing I'll say is don't try to rush it - patience is the key here.

First time it took us about 5 days to go back to "normal", second time we thought we were smart and tried to rush it and it took us 3 weeks.

(The Vanilla extract thing, BTW, didn't worked well for us - but please let us know if it helped in your case!)

There's a lot of information online, and of course here as well - How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats

Good luck!
 

D_H

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Jan 1, 2022
Messages
106
Purraise
198
Like she’s so threatened.
That's exactly what they feel.

"There's a new cat over there, and although she looks like my sister, the intruder doesn't smell like her"

That's cat logic for you..
 

Robyn5678

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Mar 8, 2022
Messages
617
Purraise
964
I used to rub mine with dryer sheets. I had one that always hissed at the other for several days when I took only one to the vet.
 

mjw

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
May 29, 2022
Messages
15
Purraise
16
I’m desperate. I’ve been trying to reintroduce my cats for nearly 6 months now. I can’t bear the thought of rehoming the aggressor but I don’t know what else to do. After six months she is still trying to go after my other cat’s neck. I can’t believe this is still not working because of one visit to the vet in December. They’ve been living with each other for more than 4 years and then my Tortie had to go get a dental cleaning. I’ve introduced them successfully before but back then the little one was a kitten. I just couldn’t live with the guilt giving either one away but this is unbearable. My husband and I have been sleeping in two different rooms because of this.
 

Furballsmom

Cat Devotee
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jan 9, 2018
Messages
39,271
Purraise
53,931
Location
Colorado US
M mjw , you will want to start a new thread and a copy/paste if your text above, just for your situation, that way you'll get responses specific to you :)
 

MsKat

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
May 23, 2022
Messages
30
Purraise
39
I’m desperate. I’ve been trying to reintroduce my cats for nearly 6 months now. I can’t bear the thought of rehoming the aggressor but I don’t know what else to do. After six months she is still trying to go after my other cat’s neck. I can’t believe this is still not working because of one visit to the vet in December. They’ve been living with each other for more than 4 years and then my Tortie had to go get a dental cleaning. I’ve introduced them successfully before but back then the little one was a kitten. I just couldn’t live with the guilt giving either one away but this is unbearable. My husband and I have been sleeping in two different rooms because of this.
Have faith you are not alone! I have three 11 y/o feral rescues. We had an intruder cat outside the patio. This caused one to attack her sister due to what I have learned is redirected aggression. I now have the two who get along separated in a large room upstairs. The one who attacked out of frustration and redirection is downstairs. I tried reintroduction after purchasing Feliway diffusers and spray and letting them work for a few days. Sadly both times I tried to reintroduce failed and a fight broke out. Yesterday I cracked the door so they could smell each other. NO luck. After about 15 seconds the growling and hissing started. The aggressor no longer recognizes her sister which is so sad. I am trying to adjust my life to spending time with both rooms. I have read a lot about this and it is no ones fault except irresponsible cat owners who let their pets run loose. I will treat my cats as I would any other family member who had an untreatable disease or poor prognosis disease. This disease is not a medical one but a cat being a cat...namely called redirected aggression. I hope one day maybe they can reunite but not at the expense of another fight that frightens all of us. Take care,
 

mjw

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
May 29, 2022
Messages
15
Purraise
16
I guess I’ll just keep trying. It’s easier with more space. I hope you will get to a point where you have them at least tolerate each other. That would awesome.
 
Top