Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral)/cat fights

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Expert: Dear Tabbi - 9/30/2009


Question
Dear Tabbi,
I have a nine year old male cat tiny.Five months ago i brought home a two month old female cat Carmella who is now seven months. The first two weeks i had them together Tiny would beat up on Carmella.But as time went on Tiny fell in love with Carmella and he would lick her and cuddle with her. Yesterday 9/28/09 i took Carmella to be spayed.I took her at 8:00 am and was there to 5 pm.The whole time Carmella was gone Tiny was upset and was not acting himself. When Carmella was brought back to my house Tiny was licking Carmella ,like where have you been? i thought id lost you. Couple hours later for no reason at all Tiny starting hissing and clawing and attacking Carmella for no reason at all.I am separating at the moment but live in a small apartment so i cant keep them seperated for ever.I just wanted to get some information on why this is occuring and what should i do?
-Concerned cat owner-

Answer
Dear Concerned,

Things between the two cats should be better now. 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 cats 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 settle down when the smells are gone from the spayed female. And thank you for being a responsible pet owner.

Tabbi

Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral)

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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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