Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello!!

My name is Sharon, and I am the mom to 4 cats--2 kittens and two 10 year-olds. And I need some advise! I just had a kitten spayed, brought her home from the vet (she was very flipped out due to the medications they gave her), and now I am having a major behavioral problem with one of the 10 year-old males. I hear that this is not an uncommon problem, but I'm not sure what to do. This cat is attacking and hissing at the spayed kitten. I have separated them, which is very difficult, but the problem is still occuring after 4 days. The kitten is frightened and very upset as is the older cat. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions about this problem? Thanks for reading and for any ideas you may have.

The older cat doesn't like the smell of the vet on the kitten. Get some of those pet wipes and wipe both all four cats down so they all smell the same. If you can't do that, take a towel and rub the kitten. Then go in the other room and rub it on the grumpy cat. Also, if you pick up some Rescue Remedy at the natural food store you can rub a dab in the 10 yr olds ear tips to help calm him down. Another good thing to buy is a feliway comfort zone plug in. This helps to relax and destress the cats.
Good luck. I am sure others will have more ideas.

>>Hello!!
>>
>>My name is Sharon, and I am the mom to 4 cats--2 kittens and two 10 year-olds. And I need some advise! I just had a kitten spayed, brought her home from the vet (she was very flipped out due to the medications they gave her), and now I am having a major behavioral problem with one of the 10 year-old males. I hear that this is not an uncommon problem, but I'm not sure what to do. This cat is attacking and hissing at the spayed kitten. I have separated them, which is very difficult, but the problem is still occuring after 4 days. The kitten is frightened and very upset as is the older cat. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions about this problem? Thanks for reading and for any ideas you may have.
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

Sounds like your kitten is suffering from what I call "vet stink." The other cats associate that smell with the vet's office and have an automatic aversive reaction. A bath usually cures this problem immediately. However, you're probably not supposed to bathe the kitten yet.

My best advice it to keep the kitten completely separated from the older cat for at least a week, or longer if she's wearing an E-collar and can't groom herself. Just keep them in a separate rooms. It'll be a rough week, but easier than trying to teach your older cat to accept a kitten who smells like vet.

After waiting a week or 10 days, bring the kitten into the same room with the older cat, and have food out and ready to be eaten! Let them associate eating with being in each other's presence. If there's still hissing, remove the kitten immediately and ask your vet if it's safe to bathe the kitten yet. If not, then extend the separation a few more days and try again.

Let us know how it goes.

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PHCurious
Cat Chat Host

What excellant advice!
I say this because last summer when one of my 'inside cats' went missing for 3 and 1/2 weeks (the worst time of my life, he was sorta my 'favorite') I brought him to the vet upon his return and mentioned to her that they all got along so great, but since the cat's return, the others were hissing at him and being mean. She said it was because he 'smells different' now after being away! I don't have this problem on routine vet visits (they all go in different months, 1 at a time) but when I bring the cat back home after it's check-up the others all come 'sniffing around'. They even sniff the carrier.

We had two go to the vet at the same time. One to be spayed the other tutored and the tutored one decided he didn't like the spayed one after that. The ended up getting along fine after about 3 hours. But it was the initial reintroduction. I gues spaying they smell different or something haha.
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker