We have 2 cats, both 5 years old. They were aquired together and have lived together for the whole 5 years. We took them to the vet on Monday for their annual checkup and rabies shot. Since we came home, the male is hissing and growling - actually frightening the female. We are concerned because he is twice her size. They are (and always have been) put in the laundry room at night(I have severe arthritis and am afraid of tripping over them in the night). We are now concerned for her safety at night. The first night we put them in as usual and just before we let them out for the day we heard a "cat fight" and she was cowering at the door. She runs and hides when he starts to hiss. Last night we put them in separate rooms. He is still aggressive today. He is usually very laid back.
This happened in May when we had to leave them at the vet's overnight because of a urination problem. We had them separated for 4 nights and all of a sudden it was back to normal - shut in the laundry room together at night. No problems from then til now. That could happen again (we hope) but want to speed up the process if possible. Maybe someone has a suggestion. The male is shut in the guest bathroom at night and we are having company for Christmas! Any help appreciated.
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Hissing and growling
Replies (1)
It sounds as if the male is "blaming" the vet trip on the female. Of course she's confused! You should definitely keep them separated for at least two days with no contact with each other. During that time rub one then the other with a towel to exchange scents. Also it will help if you get a Comfort Zone plug-in with Feliway. This will help calm the male. You can gradually re-introduce them, but as soon as the hissing starts, separate them again. It is also helpful to have the cats exchange territories for a while - in other words put the male in the guest bathroom for a while and let the female roam the house then put the female in the guest bathroom and let the male roam the house.
Since you do have company coming soon, you might want to talk to the vet about prescribing some anti-anxiety meds for the male. Usually these are a last resort type thing, but you are up against a time constraint and also the company will stress the cats more.
Usually when anti-anxiety meds are used with cats, the cat "unlearns" the behavior and the meds can be tapered off and gradually completely discontinued.
Good luck!
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