# Cat Hissing at Sister Cat After Vet Visit



## Reina465 (Aug 10, 2009)

I have two cats. Pepper and Maggie. Pepper and Maggie have been living together since they were born - litter mates.

Maggie needed to go to the vet for stomach issues and upon return Pepper is hissing, spitting and otherwise being hostile towards Maggie. Is this permanent? What is going on?? Any tips? Just concerned because I do not want a fight starting when I have a sick kitty on my hands.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Welcome to Cat Forum. 
What has happened is Maggie went to the vet and came home SMELLING like the vet. According to Pepper, Maggie does *not* _smell like Maggie_ and she is hissing and telling this "strange-smelling" cat to keep her distance. This should resolve when both smell the same again. I would isolate Maggie, to prevent stress for both cats, until the vet-smell has worn off. You can hasten this along by rubbing both cats with a towel, back/forth, back/forth to exchange their scents and get them both smelling the same. However, usually the kitty left at home is *still* going to be reactive over *anything* that smells different. You can sometimes *hide* the vet-smells by putting a dab of cooking Vanilla on the back of both their necks, it is supposed to sort of 'overpower' the cat's sense of smell...but again, if they think they smell anything 'different' they may remain reactive until the strange smells wear off and everyone smells the same. 
Please don't hold this against Pepper, she just doesn't understand why her friend/sister doesn't smell the same and is reacting instinctively. Everything should calm down in a couple days.
heidi =^..^=


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## Reina465 (Aug 10, 2009)

I figured as much. I have made two different food and water spots for them so Maggie isn't discouraged by Pepper's behavior. Truth be told once Maggie got in the crate to go to the vet, which actually belongs to my mom's cat, Pepper went crazy. As soon as Mags comes out of hiding its towel time :lol: 

Thanks so much for the tip.


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