Agression Towards Litter Mate

I was hoping to get some advice for my Brother. He has a girl and a boy named Emmy and Isaac that are 2 year old litter mates. They have always been extremely attached and very loving towards each other. My brother has just recently moved to a new house and his two cats have had some understandable issues adjusting. It has been a few days and Emmy is now walking around pretty content, but Isaac is still very timid and scared of his new surroundings. On top of being scared of his new surroundings he suddenly does not want to be anywhere near his sister. He basically hides in the basement and if she comes down he hisses at her and chases her upstairs. We got a comfort zone diffuser to put in the basement to hopefully calm him down a bit, but I'm not sure if there is anything else we should do. I feel horrible that this move seems to have turned these two little kitties against each other.

Originally Posted by celiablue

He basically hides in the basement and if she comes down he hisses at her and chases her upstairs. We got a comfort zone diffuser to put in the basement to hopefully calm him down a bit, but I'm not sure if there is anything else we should do.

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Just one diffuser? If it were my house I'd buy a bunch and put them all over

Originally Posted by celiablue

I feel horrible that this move seems to have turned these two little kitties against each other.

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For some reason I get a vibe/feeling this will be temporary. Let us know of any changes

I only got one since they are so expensive and I already spent a fortunate on putting diffusers all over my house (A couple months ago I rescued a new cat and my other two are still adjusting). I told my brother he should buy some more, but he's not as convinced that they will work since he's a complete skeptic about everything. I figured If I put one in the basement where Isaac is hiding all the time that would help the most. Hopefully this is just temporary until Isaac gets used to the house. I keep thinking that maybe he blames her for losing his old house since she has always been kind of his protector. She was a healthy kitten and he was kind of a sickly kitten (he went to the vet every other week for the first couple months). She always used to hiss at strangers when they would get near him.

I wonder if your brother put Issac in a room closer to the normal house activity and make sure there are things in that room that smell like his old place. It could be furniture that he is familiar with, bedding, a rug, etc. Being isolated in the basement may make it more difficult to get use to the new smells of the living area.

You could print the introduction techniques in the sticky above and give them to your brother. Swapping scents might be helpful.

I hope Issac feels better soon.

i like skimble's advice!