Old Cats Can Open Doors but Only Ghost Cats Can Close Them Again

Of all the potential problems I worried near when information technology came time for my kitten's spay surgery, bringing her home to my older cat never even crossed my listen.

E'er since Specter was a wee kitten, she and Ghost Cat have behaved like peanut butter and jelly — they stick together. Ghost True cat fifty-fifty lets the piddling one pretend to nurse on her.

That's why I was so surprised by what happened when my husband brought Specter dwelling house from her spay surgery concluding calendar week.

I had expected Ghosty to greet Specter with open paws and loving licks, merely instead I heard the kind of hissing sound Ghost Cat hadn't made since the beginning day she met Specter. It was like of a sudden Ghost True cat didn't fifty-fifty recognize her little buddy — because, I gauge, she didn't.

Subsequently a picayune Googling I learned that what Ghosty experienced is chosen "feline non-recognition aggression," and information technology tin can make the best of kitty friends plow on each other. Feline not-recognition aggression isn't uncommon and happens when one cat in a household comes home from the vet.

It makes sense when you look at it from the aggressive cat's signal of view. Their buddy smells different, acts different, and maybe even looks a little different. They don't know who this imposter is, and so they feel like they need to defend their territory.

Knowing what I know now, there is enough I would do differently after bringing Specter domicile from her spay. Going forward equally a true cat mom, I plan to use the following tips whenever i of my kitties is returning abode from the vet.

1. Postpone the cat reunion for a while

When my husband brought Specter dwelling from her surgery we opened up the kennel right away, with Ghost Cat watching from the top of the stairs. That's when Ghost Cat started hissing, surprising all of the states — especially poor baby Speck.

I now know that springing Specter from her kennel and then quickly was a total error. According to the American Clan of Feline Practitioners, a returning true cat should be left in their carrier for a few minutes when they get dwelling from the vet. That way the humans can see how other cats in the household are going to react, and proactively prevent conflicts.

If we hadn't let Specter out so fast we would have had the opportunity to see how uncomfortable Ghosty was, and we could take moved Specter to another room while she was still protected in the kennel.

2. Let the odour of other cats and animals dissipate and the medicine vesture off

We never should have brought the cats back together until Specter (who had slept over at our vet's role) stopped smelling like medicine and other animals, and until she was done with the pain medication that made her move slower than normal.

If I had kept Ghost Cat downstairs until Speck started smelling like herself again, perhaps Specter would accept been greeted with kisses instead of hisses. Instead, we let Ghost True cat stick around (at a distance). We thought we were safe to let her hang out across the living room from poor petty Specter, until Ghost Cat suddenly jumped upwards on the couch and took a swat at poor Specter.

3. Prepare a special space for your true cat's recovery after he or she returns from the vet

When Ghost Cat started getting nasty, my husband and I started coming up with a plan B for Specter'southward recovery, as she certainly couldn't be expected to share common areas with this evil-twin version of Ghost Cat.

The American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends placing nutrient, water and a litter box in a dissever room for a minimum of 24 hours while the retuning cat regains the olfactory property of home.

In Specter and Ghost Cat's example, we did not look the 24 hours. While my husband and I made plans to quarantine Specter in an upstairs bedroom overnight, we concluded up scrapping that plan when the ii kitties mended their friendship through a slightly cracked door.

4. Gradually reintroduce the cats through a barrier

This was the 1 matter we did correct — although we did it also belatedly to protect Speck from a traumatic homecoming.

Later disappointment Ghost True cat'due south earlier attempted assault on Specter, the little i and I retreated to my sleeping room for a nap. When we woke up my husband and I decided to meet if Ghost Cat was still freaking out, so we opened the basement door but a crack. Specter, who had followed me from the bedroom to the kitchen, went right upwardly to the door to meet Ghosty.

Maybe some of Specter's vet odour had worn off while we were cuddling in my bed, because Ghost Cat did not react violently to seeing the younger cat this time. It was almost equally if nothing at all had happened. Afterward a couple minutes of both cats peering calmly through the croaky door, nosotros opened it all the fashion and let them love on each other.

This tense period in their relationship started at 9:30 in the morning, and past two o'clock in the afternoon they were upward on the burrow grooming each other and pretending to nurse.

I am then pleased that Specter'due south mail-spay homecoming eventually had a happy catastrophe, and I have certainly learned from my mistakes. The adjacent time either of my girls makes a trip to the vet, they volition be having a full day of separation earlier being brought back together again.

Has i of your cats ever turned on some other who returned from the vet? How exercise you handle feline non-recognition assailment? Let us know in the comments.

Read related stories about cats and vet visits on Catster.com:

• 5 Things I Did Wrong When I Took My Cat to theVet
• Ask a Vet: Should You Bring Your Kids to Your Cat'south Vet Visit?
• Can Vets' Offices Be More than Cat-Friendly?
• Go the Nigh from Vet Visits; Acquire to Better Observe Your Cat
• Have You Ever Felt the Need to Break Up with Your Vet?

About the author: Heather Marcoux is a freelance writer in Alberta, Canada. Her dear Ghost True cat was once her only beast, but Specter the kitten and GhostBuster the dog brand her fur family complete. Heather is also a wife, a bad cook and a former Television receiver announcer. Some of her friends accept subconscious her feed considering of an excess of cat pictures. If you don't heed cat pictures, yous can follow her on Twitter; she also posts pet GIFs on Google +

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Source: https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cat-health-behavior-training-tips-reintroducing-cats-vet

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