Non recognition aggression

[Mbonvicini]

My two cats have been together since they were kittens. Going on two years now. Never had a problem until yesterday. I took one of them to the vet and a soon as we got back, 1 hour later, I let him out of his carrier and the other one immediately got aggressive. Hissing, growling and then a full out fight. I had to separate them. And still today the one that stayed home is still hissing at the other one. Poor guy. Doesn't understand what is gong on. I need some guidance as to how to get them to accept each other again!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

 

[silent meowlook]

Keep separate for now and do slow introduction like with a new cat.

 

[LTS3]

It's called non recognition aggression. The one cat smells of the vet and other strange scents so the other cat thinks you brought home a completely new stranger cat. There are tips here on how to solve this: How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Mbonvicini]

I have Googled so many articles but would like to know if anyone has had personal experience and what they did to resolve it

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Here is a link (see below) to a ton of previous posts regarding this issue - you can search through them to see if you find some that are similar in nature. But tbh, usually the first thing to do is to wait it out for at least a couple of days. In many cases, that seems to be successful.
Search Results for Query: non recognition | TheCatSite

 

[D_H]

I have Googled so many articles but would like to know if anyone has had personal experience and what they did to resolve it

Hi, sorry to hear about the situation

You'll find here lots of threads about the subject and the basic steps are always the same: separation, scent swap, gradual exposure, feeding in both sides of the door, playing together without getting off them agitated.

My advice? Patience, follow the steps and don't try to rush things, and keep us posted if you need more help

It's not an easy period, especially when you're not sure what you're dealing with, and if you'll follow the steps ( and don't be afraid to back a few steps if needed!) it'll be over in a matter of days (rather than weeks)

Goodluck!

 

[TommoLB]

I had a small element of this with my female cat avoiding the male cat and getting a bit aggro with him when he returned from the vets. Thankfully the male cat is "the boss" so the female knew better than to attack or start a scrap. There was a bit of growling though and bushed up tail from the female.

I ended up wiping both cats down with pet wipes, so both had the same smell about them. This also helped remove the "vet smell" from the male cat. It seemed to help. Both cats also bonded in mutual "hatred" of me for wiping them both down!

 

[Mbonvicini]

They seem to be doing better today. Treats are a huge motivator. Still have to separate them. The one that got aggressive send to be able to only take the other one in doses

 

[Mbonvicini]

Sixx went over to Nikki and groomed him for a second. Now eating together. Looks like we may be back to normal. Fingers crossed

 

[D_H]

That's amazing!
Personally I'd still keep them separated for a while, just to be sure all is good, but I guess it also depends on how they are interacting with each other right now

 

[Mbonvicini]

I have been keeping them separated when I'm not home. I think it's still too early. But, supervised, they are fine.