Train Your Cat - Does He Smell Different?

Kelly Braid has come out with a new ebook called "Purrfectly Trained Cat". Over the next few days she will share with us some or her secrets.

Today, I'm going to talk about a multi-cat household where one cat has been gone from the house for a period of time, usually to the vet, and the possible negative interaction between your cats upon his return.

This is an issue for many cat owners and they have no idea why the cat who has remained at home is behaving the way he is. The home cat will usually hiss, growl and sometimes try to fight with the cat that has been gone. He will treat the away cat as he would any strange cat that has entered his domain, not like his fellow housemate who he has lived with in harmony for years. The away cat will then hiss and growl to defend himself, and possibly start a fight.

As you know, cats rely more on their sense of smell than anything else. When the away cat returns, she smells different. The home cat will take one sniff and know without a doubt that this new cat does not belong in his territory. Then he will start hissing and fighting to defend his territory.

Now what do you do? You start from the beginning. If you allow them to fight at this point, their relationship may never fully recover. It is imperative that you separate the two cats.

When they are in separate rooms, take a towel or small stuffed animal and rub it on the small triangular, bald patch between the eye and ear of away cat and put it where home cat sleeps. Do the same rubbing with home cat and put the object with the away cat's sleeping area. The reason for this is because each cat's pheromones are exceptionally strong on this area of the cat. Both cats can then become used to the scent of the other. Try putting one cat in a room with a closed door, and allow the cats to acknowledge and smell the other through the opening at the bottom of the door.

When away cat has had a chance to clean himself and remove some of the vet smell, try reintroducing them, slowly. If there is still tension, separate them again. Sometimes this smell will take a few days to dissipate. Also, if away cat is wearing a cone, the smell will continue to be on her as she can't clean herself and remove the scent.

If the aggression is still evident after a week or more, the best option is to buy a facial pheromone like Feliway. This can be sprayed on a towel and after it has dried, wipe the towel on each. This synthetic facial pheromone will end the anger and have a calming affect on both cats.

Kelly Braid

Kelly is a cat lover. She lives in Vancouver, Canada and spends much of her spare time helping others to live more harmoniously with their cats. Her book "Purrfectly Trained Cat-Teach Your Cat to Do What YOU Want" teaches cat owners everything they need to know to live happily and harmoniously with their cat.