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About Dear Tabbi
Expertise
My expertise is in helping people understand their cat (or cats) and their behavior. Questions are welcome even if you don't have a cat....just a question about them. Hopefully my experience, suggestions, and comments will be of help to you...and your cat (or cats). Looking through my past responses to questions will give you additional information and/or answers too.
Domestic Cats = cats (no matter what breed) who are tame or not wild, or abandoned cats who were pets that became wild, but can be tamed again.
Ferals = cats who are born with one or more parents who were wild stray cats. They usually have had no interactions with people. They have an inbred distrust of humans and are difficult to socialize. They are skittish, hide, and are afraid of people. They take a lot of time and patience to work with them. A lot of kittens from shelters had a feral parent.
Experience
Since I was a child, over 45 years, I have been owned by a LOT of cats and kittens of almost every temperament, behavior, and personality. I have had experience with neurotic, disabled (including blind), stray, and 'problem child' cats and kittens. (A few normal cats too!) Plus all the things a lifetime of owning cats and research has taught me. I also have experience in feral cat behavior (which is different from domestic cats), and some experience with feral colonies that includes colony feeding and feral cat TNR (trap/neuter/release).
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* One of the top 50 Experts Of 2008 *
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You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Cats > Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral) > behaviour change after spaying
Expert: Dear Tabbi - 10/28/2009
Question
Hi,
I already have a ten year old male cat (neutered) and 4 months ago I got two new cats, both female. They are either mother/daughter or half sisters (the elder of the two and her mother both gave birth within a week and raised the 2 litters together). The elder female was already spayed when we got them and the two females have been extremely close, the problems were all with the introduction to my male cat. I recently had the younger female spayed and it is the behaviour of the elder female that has changed. Relations with the male are a lot calmer but the elder female hisses and swipes at the younger, not enough to cause any harm but a definite change in behaviour.
I was wondering if this was normal and whether it would be improve or possibly escalate with time? the females are now 16 months and 6 months old.
Many Thanks
Sarah
Answer
Sarah,
That is normal behavior for alot of cats after one gets spayed or neutered. Cats go by smell and not by sight in recognizing other cats (with humans, they go by voice...not by sight). Your spayed cat brought home MANY different smells from the vet: anesthetic, medicinal smells, and smells of other cats...all clinging to her fur and skin. The other cat thinks she's another cat because she doesn't smell the same!
When the spayed cat grooms herself she will be replacing her regular scent. You can also rub the cats who did not go to the vet with a towel, then rub the cat who did go to the vet with the same towel to transfer familiar smells but do not do it the opposite way because you will then be transferring the vet's office smells to the other cat.
A trick that I've heard a lot of people use in that situation (though I have never tried it) is to put a drop of vanilla on each cats forehead so they smell the same.
Things will go back to normal when the smells are gone from the spayed female.
Tabbi
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