best friends -- no more?

Hi there! I've lurked through the forums for quite a while, but didn't really have any problems until just recently.

I have two cats, male and female (both fixed) about three years old. They've been together since day one and have been inseperable friends. Smokey (the male) recently got lost outside. He was gone for ten days until I finally found him and brought him home. Billie, of course, immediately started hissing and hasn't stopped yet. She seems to be the instigator of the hissing matches. It's been two days now with no change that I can see.

I read in another post that putting a few drops of vanilla on a paper towel and rubbing them both down with it might help solve the problem. Any comments on this, or any other advice how to get these two back to their normal, licking-each-other-in-ecstacy state?

Thanks in advance!

Welcome
Give it time.It took my two a week to adjust

Hello and welcome to you, Billie and Smokey!

Smokey doesn't smell like he used to. The vanilla may work. It wouldn't hurt to try
If you post your question on the "behavior" forum more people will see it who may not see the New Cats on the Block forum.

Best of luck, please let us know how it works out.

I'll move this to the behaviour forum for you so more folks with knowledge of this will be able to help you.

It's probably a good idea to get Smokey checked by a vet to make sure he's okay after being gone for 10 days.

You can put a dab of vanilla at the base of their tails and under the chin so they smell the same. You may need to separate them completely and reintroduce them, if they are not adjusting.

I agree with these guys. Give them time to re-adjust , having gotten out he may have picked up some foreign scents that are unsettling to her. The vanilla couldn't hurt. Give it a try. I strongly agree with getting him to a vet. If he picked something up out there you don't want her exposed. Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

Thanks for your support! Time was all that was needed. I did use the vanilla trick. I don't know if it helped, but it sure didn't hurt. They're not back to licking each other clean yet, but they'll get nose to nose, eat out of the same bowl, etc, and I haven't heard a hiss for about three days.

Smokey got a clean bill of health from the vet. I sure wish he could write a book, something about his adventures in a totally alien landscape. Heck, the poor guy had never even felt grass under his feet before he shot out of the garage and became instantly lost!!

Thanks again.

Cats are so smell-oriented that when either Bijou or Mika have a vet appointment we take them both just so they don't smell different when they get home and it avoids any problems. Our vet has been very good about us bringing them both in. They seem to help keep each other calmer during the examination as well.