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- Mar 2, 2019
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Hello! This is a bit of a long story so bear with me. I have two adult male cats (Nova and Mochi), who are usually very affectionate with each other. They play, groom, and sleep together and are never agressive unless play time gets too rough. For the first few years I would take them to the vet together for check ups, and everything would be normal between them when we got home. Last year Mochi got sick and I took him to the vet alone, which I realized afterwards was a mistake as it resulted in an extreme non-recognition issue. They couldn't be left in the same room with each other or major fighting would break out. I spent months trying to reintroduce them unsuccessfully. I flip flipped rooms every few days, I rubbed them with the same towel, I fed them by the door that separated them, I even put vanilla extract on their fur to mask their scents, but every time I opened the door they'd chase and fight each other until I separated them again. The only thing that eventually worked was installing a screen door INSIDE my apartment so they could see and smell each other without going into a murderous frenzy. Eventually things went back to normal, and have been harmonious for close to a year, but it was a long process, and I vowed to never take them anywhere separately again.
So fast forward to today, when I took them both to the vet together for a check up before getting dental cleanings. They were in side by side carriers and within earshot of each other the whole time, saw the same vet in the same room and spent maybe a maximum of an hour and a half outside of the house. We are now back to square one, and I can't figure out WHY. They are just as agressive as they were a year ago and have to be separated so they won't tear each other apart. It can't be a scent issue because they went through the exact same process together, and it shouldn't be a territorial thing because they were both gone and came back at the same time. Nova is older and seems to be the aggressor. He was also the problem last time, which made sense because Mochi was the one who left and came back (and was also sick so he probably smelled wrong). This time I can only deduce Nova feels territorial even when he's also been out of the house? They will have another vet visit in a couple weeks for bloodwork, and then the actual dental in about a month. I'm hoping for a quicker turn around than I had a year ago, but I may not even try to get them settled until everything's done or we'll just be starting over every few weeks. Has anyone else had this problem?? Everything I read about this form of agression suggests avoiding it by taking them places together but that clearly isn't the issue.
Luckily I never got around to taking the screen door out, so I can try reintroducing them through it again, but is this just going to happen after every vet visit now even if they go together?? Is it possible that once a non-recognition issue comes up it'll happen again with less provocation in the future?
So fast forward to today, when I took them both to the vet together for a check up before getting dental cleanings. They were in side by side carriers and within earshot of each other the whole time, saw the same vet in the same room and spent maybe a maximum of an hour and a half outside of the house. We are now back to square one, and I can't figure out WHY. They are just as agressive as they were a year ago and have to be separated so they won't tear each other apart. It can't be a scent issue because they went through the exact same process together, and it shouldn't be a territorial thing because they were both gone and came back at the same time. Nova is older and seems to be the aggressor. He was also the problem last time, which made sense because Mochi was the one who left and came back (and was also sick so he probably smelled wrong). This time I can only deduce Nova feels territorial even when he's also been out of the house? They will have another vet visit in a couple weeks for bloodwork, and then the actual dental in about a month. I'm hoping for a quicker turn around than I had a year ago, but I may not even try to get them settled until everything's done or we'll just be starting over every few weeks. Has anyone else had this problem?? Everything I read about this form of agression suggests avoiding it by taking them places together but that clearly isn't the issue.
Luckily I never got around to taking the screen door out, so I can try reintroducing them through it again, but is this just going to happen after every vet visit now even if they go together?? Is it possible that once a non-recognition issue comes up it'll happen again with less provocation in the future?