New member with a Question:

Would like to start off by saying Hi! My very first post is going to have a question though...
I own 2-1/2 cats. Two are my house cats, and one (the 1/2) is a stray that I brought in that comes and goes as she pleases.
Anyhow, I had a problem with my 4 yr old female in the past month. Her stools were VERY runny and she would do the ButtDragg all over the basement floor. Anyhow...My wife and I took her to the Vet today to get her oil changed and when we returned, our 6yr old male acted like she was a strange cat and keeps hissing & growling at her. We have no idea why, but he doesn't want any part of her whatsoever, as where they were best buds before the trip.

Any help/suggestion(s) is greatly appreciated!

To your boy she *is* a stranger because she smells like the vet office. Because cats recognize each other by scent, if one smells different (because of a trip to the vet or an illness) they think it's another cat trying to invade their territory. One thing I've seen suggested here is to dab a bit of pure vanilla extract on their chins, and at the base of their tails. This will make them both smell alike, and should curb the aggressiveness.

Welcome to TCS! Linda has given you wonderful advice!

WOW! Vanilla Extract?? Never heard of that, but I'll definately make a trip to the store in the morning to get some!
Should I do this to both cats?

Thank you for the advice

Yes, so they both smell alike. Please let us know how they respond!

I just had to comment of you saying she had her oil changed it made me laugh.

I posted earlier in the week that my older cat was rejecting the younger one right after the Doctor's visit. I tried the Vanilla Extract trick, and it really didn't work too well. It took about 5 days and now things seem to be slowly getting back to normal. I just caught them playing in the livingroom, and they just knocked the Tulips over...again! The wife is going to have a FIT if she see's it when she gets up in the morning, so I have to be the Janitor after I'm done writing this....again.

I do infact have another question; How do the members here post those pictures at the bottom of their posts with multiple cats? I still can't figure out how to edit my darn avatar! I have many pictures of my cats, but cannot figure out how to post them like that.

I think I got this to work. I'll give it a shot.
Puddles enjoying the Sun
KittyGirl in her usual position
Lilly in the Guest Bedroom

They are adoreable! Sweet little things.

Here is the thread about how to post pictures, and if you scroll down there is info about signatures and stuff. I think if you post to the Newbies part of the forums there are wonderful people there who will make your signature for you!

Another idea...if you have pictures on your computer already, you can go to http://tinypic.com/ and they will give you a URL that you can post in your signature. Just be sure to read the size requirements for your signature. I'm not sure what the width requirements are, but I know your signature can be no more then 15 pixels in height.

Hope that helps!

Originally Posted by maherwoman

Another idea...if you have pictures on your computer already, you can go to http://tinypic.com/ and they will give you a URL that you can post in your signature. Just be sure to read the size requirements for your signature. I'm not sure what the width requirements are, but I know your signature can be no more then 15 pixels in height.

Hope that helps!

Click to expand...

I think she meant 150 pixels.

Can I possibly chime in her and ask a related question? Just curious why if a cat is smelling different it's like a whole new cat but when I come home from work, restaurants, the bar or whatever and I have all those other scents on me, my cats still recognize me? When you bring your cat home from the vet, the cats best cat buddy doesn't recognize him... Why does it matter if it is a human or a fellow cat? If they recognize by scent then why is it different?

Maybe it is just the atmosphere at the vet of several different types of animals. It is just a guess.

Originally Posted by Jen

Can I possibly chime in her and ask a related question? Just curious why if a cat is smelling different it's like a whole new cat but when I come home from work, restaurants, the bar or whatever and I have all those other scents on me, my cats still recognize me? When you bring your cat home from the vet, the cats best cat buddy doesn't recognize him... Why does it matter if it is a human or a fellow cat? If they recognize by scent then why is it different?

Click to expand...

My only thought is that maybe it's because you're not anything close to competition to them. Meaning, us smelling different just means we get closely sniffed for up to ten minutes (at least I know mine insnifftegate me that long...lol), whereas when another cat is in their territory, it could be viewed as competition or a threat. I notice that my cats sniff each other for reassurance every now and then, and I think it's related. Plus...when you come home from where you work, its generally the same smell, so they're probably used to it.

Does that make sense? That's my thought on it, anyway...

I have no idea why the older cat rejected her when she came home
I know this is going to sound weird, but... She actually DOES smell different. Before the visit she had a ~strong~ odor, and my wife and I thought that it was her butt. The vet said she had to drain her Anal Glands (I cringe when saying that!), and she doesn't have that pungent odor anymore. Maybe that's what different to the older cat...?

Oh definitely...I mean, she doesn't smell like she normally would to your older cat, so she's now a bit of a "stranger" to him/her. I would give them maybe a couple weeks. If they seem like they're going to fight, separate them a couple days, and they'll quickly learn they WANT to be out with each other. Lol. They'll get used to each other again...just takes time and patience.