Did they forget who she is?

Maggie came home yesterday from being spayed & Isaac & Jordan are not happy. Levi knew who she was & started giving her licks right away. The other two keep growling, hissing & smacking her. I knew Jordan would be a problem because of the vet smell, but I was supprised by Isaac. So she spent the night in the bathroom just to be sure she was safe. This morning Jordan did some hissing, but quickly got over her presence, Isaac however is just as ticked as he was when I first brought her home. Did they forget who she is, or is this a pecking order thing?

The smell from the vet has probably confused them. Do what you would if she were a brand new kittie - rub her over with a towel and give it to the others to smell and vice versa. You could also try a few drops of vanilla on all of their necks, then they'll all smell the same

Hmmm. A quick, simple and safe thing to try is to take a used shirt of yours and rub it on Maggie, so she can get a nice, strong scent of you. Once you've done that, stroke Maggie then Isaac, back to Maggie then Jordan, back to Maggie then Levi, and repeat the process often, spread the scents evenly again, restore a balance.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by Rang_27

Did they forget who she?

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Because she smelled different, she is a stranger. So, yeah, you can say that.

No, they didn't forget who she is, don't worry. If anything, they're shocked that you took off their friend, and brought home this complete stranger! Imagine it...she's come home smelling not only like herself, but a MYRIAD of other cats (and perhaps even a bit of dog), so they're pretty confused (despite the fact that she LOOKS like herself), and they think she's not who she APPEARS to be. Does that make sense? They rely much more on scent than on sight, so to them she's not herself. Give her about three or four days of solitude, and opportunity to bathe herself and get her own scent back, and get the three back together. The other two will be a bit suspicious at first, but as soon as they smell HER again, instead of the other cat you brought in, they'll be right back to normal, if not completely happy to see their friend again.

Our Sunny does the same thing to her brother (blood-sibling) Hobbes. When we've had to take him in to the vet, she is just ANGRY when we bring him home. She mopes around the house, missing him, and hisses at him every time he comes around. This continues for about two or three days, and then things are ok again, and she's ecstatic to see him again.

No worries...she just has to smell like her again.

Oh, P.S. Not to mention...she might have a slightly different scent now that she's spayed. They'll be fine, though, in the long run. I promise!

You might try the old vanilla or toel tricks. PLace a towel on each of them so they all share the scent or dab a little vanilla under each of their chins to neutralize the smell.

Cats navigate and ascertain things by their sense of smell so since she was at the vet, she has come home smelling like a new cat! I am sure they will back together soon!

Things are back to the way they were before she went. Friday night Jordan hissed a couple of times then ignored her, Isaac was still grumbling at her all night, but by Saturday morning everything was fine & they were all back to giving her baths & spoiling her rotten. They just love her.

Originally Posted by Rang_27

Things are back to the way they were before she went. Friday night Jordan hissed a couple of times then ignored her, Isaac was still grumbling at her all night, but by Saturday morning everything was fine & they were all back to giving her baths & spoiling her rotten. They just love her.

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Awww...glad to hear it!