Sudden change in behaviour.

[wildwinds]

We have two cats in our house, one is Male and the other is female, both have been "fixed". Both cats are strictly housecats, neither of them are allowed out for fear of them getting hurt or lost.

Recently the female cat somehow got out and was outside all night, she came back in the morning no problem but now for some reason the male won't accept her, he constantly screams in her face and chases her around and occasionally attacks her. This seems to have made her depressed, now she hides around the house and doesnt want any attention from anyone, she cries when she's picked up and runs away as soon as she can, she has also taken to hissing and spitting at the male cat when ever she sees him and runs away from him and hides on top of tall cupboards or shelves.

This behaviour is very uncharacteristic for both of them and we are very worried that something may be wrong. Any help or advice on the situation would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mybabyphx]

Originally Posted by wildwinds

We have two cats in our house, one is Male and the other is female, both have been "fixed". Both cats are strictly housecats, neither of them are allowed out for fear of them getting hurt or lost.

Recently the female cat somehow got out and was outside all night, she came back in the morning no problem but now for some reason the male won't accept her, he constantly screams in her face and chases her around and occasionally attacks her. This seems to have made her depressed, now she hides around the house and doesnt want any attention from anyone, she cries when she's picked up and runs away as soon as she can, she has also taken to hissing and spitting at the male cat when ever she sees him and runs away from him and hides on top of tall cupboards or shelves.

This behaviour is very uncharacteristic for both of them and we are very worried that something may be wrong. Any help or advice on the situation would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, Welcome to TCS! You definetely came to the right place for answers!

I, personally, don't have any experience with this. I understand how frustrating it could be for you though.

Have you tried to sort of 're-introduce' them? Try feliway in the house? Try to get them to bond again. Something like this may work. I would definetly keep a close eye on them both for the time being.

Good luck!

Vibes your way that things settle down and back to normal- soon!

 

[larke]

You have to make her smell like her old self (without the outside smells) and him, and the quickest way to do it is to wipe him with a towel, then her and then him again, etc. with the same towel. Also put a drop of vanilla near the base of both of their tails and shoulders. Good luck. Also as soon as she starts smelling like the house again it should help.

 

[coaster]

Maybe she had an encounter with another cat overnight and that's what he smells, making him react to her like she's an unfamiliar cat. Eventually she should reestablish her own scent through grooming, but if you want to speed up the process of getting rid of any scent on her that's causing this behavior, just give her a bath.

 

[luvmy2cats]

Well at least you know she's not pregers so I would try what the others have said. Get them to smell like each other again. Best of luck.

 

[wildwinds]

Thank you all for your responses, they seem to be getting over it now, they've stopped being aggressive to each other and Isis (our female cat) has come down from the tall cupboards.