# Cat suddenly hissing at family members



## santoinette410 (Mar 15, 2011)

Hello!
A little backround first... I have a 6 year old cat, she is part tabby and part Siberian. She was spayed at about 8 weeks old.
Generally, she is a very loving cat, she purrs constantly. She is generally "my" cat, she follows me everywhere, sleeps with me and always within eyesight. She also is very responsive to my son (17 years) and moreso my daughter (19 years), however this past year, she started acting a little differently which concerns me.
The only things that have changed in my household is my daughter going off to college. She is only 1/2 hour away and visits frequently. But when she does, my cat will fold her ears back, hiss and run. I dont quite understand it. This is very unlike her normal behavior. She isnt sick to my knowledge and she only acts that way when my son/daughter is around. 
Any suggestions?rcat


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

About the only thing I can suggest is when your daughter comes to visit, she should ignore your cat...not look at her, not attempt to interact with her...but wait for the cat to approach her first. As for why your cat is doing this, I can't really say. It might be she detects something different about your daughter's scent, and therefore no longer recognizes her, but that's just a guess on my part.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Susan said:


> ... daughter ... should ignore your cat...not look at her, not attempt to interact with her...but wait for the cat to approach her first.
> ... might be she detects something different about your daughter's scent, and therefore no longer recognizes her ...


Exactly what I was going to suggest.

Direct stares = aggression to cats. If your daughter comes home smelling very different and looks kitty right in the eyes, kitty will feel challenged and threatened; hence the hissing and running/hiding.

Something you can try for the next visit, is place the kitty in a closed room before daughter arrives. When daughter arrives, place an article of clothing daughter is (or recently) wearing and put it in w/ the kitty so kitty can familiarize herself with daughter's scent. Maybe rub that garment on the skin of other household members so all scents are intermingled and kitty gets the idea that this new scent is 'acceptable' to the other members and it could help her be more laid back regarding the visits. 
After kitty has had some time to check out the garment on her own, then open the door and allow kitty to do as she wishes and have daughter ignore kitty until kitty asks for attention from her when kitty feels comfortable again.


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