The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Feline Non-Recognition Aggression: 4 Tips for Reintroducing Your Cats After One Returns From the Vet The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Feline Non-Recognition Aggression: 4 Tips for Reintroducing Your Cats After One Returns From the Vet

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Feline Non-Recognition Aggression: 4 Tips for Reintroducing Your Cats After One Returns From the Vet


I had no idea my older cat would hiss when my little one got back from the vet. It's called feline non-recognition aggression and here's what to do.

Of all the potential problems I worried about when it came time for my kitten’s spay surgery, bringing her home to my older cat never even crossed my mind.

Ever since Specter was a wee kitten, she and Ghost Cat have behaved like peanut butter and jelly — they stick together. Ghost Cat even lets the little one pretend to nurse on her.

That’s why I was so surprised by what happened when my husband brought Specter home from her spay surgery last week.

I had expected Ghosty to greet Specter with open paws and loving licks, but instead I heard the kind of hissing sound Ghost Cat hadn’t made since the first day she met Specter. It was like suddenly Ghost Cat didn’t even recognize her little buddy — because, I guess, she didn’t.

After a little Googling I learned that what Ghosty experienced is called “feline non-recognition aggression,” and it can make the best of kitty friends turn on each other. Feline non-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 point 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 plenty I would do differently after bringing Specter home from her spay. Going forward as a cat mom, I plan to use the following tips whenever one of my kitties is returning home from the vet.

To read more on this story, click here:  Feline Non-Recognition Aggression: 4 Tips for Reintroducing Your Cats After One Returns From the Vet


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