cats not getting on

Fri.Day

Hi All
Just wondering if anyone had any suggestions about how to get my 2 cats friendly again since 1 been neutered!!
Black cat is 7.5 months and Tabby cat is 5.5 months, they were the best of buddies, both female, but since I got black cat done on monday tabby cat hides or hisses at her when their paths cross, thought it was the "lampshade" she has on her since but even when I took it off momentarily tabby still hissed...
Now Tabby is getting done next monday so don`t know how to handle it or leave them to work it out...
God I feel so bad for the black cat she has no one to play with now

The Sweeper

Give them a bit of time. Tabby will be responding badly to blackie because blackie's been away for a period of time and returned, smelling very strange, with a lampshade on her head. A cat that's been at the vet for neutering will always smell strongly of 'vet' - a pervading antiseptic odour.

Where are your cats' stitches? Has the neutering been done by an incision in the side or in the stomach? I've never put an elizabethan collar on a cat after a neutering procedure, but usually my cats have small incisions in their bellies, closed with just a few stitches. Because the hair there is already minimal, regrowth is not itchy and unless the wound is hurting, they won't lick at or pull at the stitches. They usually ignore them completely.

Try leave off the elizabethan collar completely but keep a close eye to see if your cat is at her stitches at all.

Work on getting her to smell 'normal' again by using blankets or bedding the cats have slept on. I know it sounds mental, but dig into your laundry basket and start with something like a smelly t-shirt belonged to you - rub the cat all over with it (gently if she's just been operated on!), rubbing with and against the grain of her fur. Then try another smelly clothing item - the idea is to get as much of the odd vet smell off as possible, and replace it with familiar household scents.

Then use a blanket or bedding the cats sleep on, and rub that gently over the cat the same way. You can also try rubbing a light cotton cloth all over your tabby and then rubbing the same cloth over blackie - pay close attention to the head and the paws, rubbing your tabby's head and feet with the cotton cloth (these are where the scent glands are) and paying particular attention to blackie's head when rubbing this cloth on her.

Once blackie has been returned to a near-normal household smell, tabby may relax. Try feeding both of them treats near each other, stroking each in turn with the same hand so you're transferring scent again.

Look at buying a Feliway diffuser (a synthetically manufactured feline feel-good hormone that's dispensed by means of a plug-in air freshener) and plugging it in, in whatever room they spend the most time. You won't be able to smell anything - the Feliway diffuses a sort of kitty-calming scent into the air in the room. They last a month.

Set up the same system for tabby for when she returns from the vet. It can be an idea to keep them separate initially on returning home because cats can feel totally out of it as they recover from sedation. First night, put her in your room in her bed or something, and start the gentle 'rubbing off' of the vet scent (which is upsetting to the cat themselves). She should be over the sedation in 24 hours and you can then work on more de-scenting before reintroducing the kitties.

Basically it's not unusual and can resolve in a few days, but sometimes the spats that happen in the meantime can create bad feeling among your kitties that takes longer to get over, so the scent-mixing process can assist a smoother reintegration into the house.

Fri.Day

Thank you for your very detailed reply.
The lampshade has to stay on cos she went straight for the stitches on her side.
Ive tried petting both at the same time and we`ll presevere with the rubbing of scents and see how we get on.
We kept black cat in our bedroom at night just in case anything escalates and tabby can eat without looking over her shoulder!
We might swap them tonight and see how that goes

planetX

Why not just keep them apart for a while? It's better for the recovering cat anyway, it's normal for the other cat to react badly to the collar and vet smell. I'd give her a quiet warm spot and let her heal.

ameliejane

When Tabby gets home from the vet, she will probably be smelling the same as Blackie. She will see that they are both recovering and will be happy to see that the other cat is sharing the same situation. It could bring them closer. Tabby doesn't know what to make of Blackie's situation and is puzzled. She will be wiser and more understanding having been through the op herself. Best of luck.