Congratulations! Your hard work has paid off, and Kitty no longer fears the carrier and handles the car ride with almost no signs of fear, anxiety or stress. Kitty purrs and cheek-bonks the veterinary technicians and barely notices the doctor’s exam through all the petting and tasty treats. But as soon as you get home, Kitty’s former feline friends snub him, or worse. Why do cats fight after vet visits? What’s up with all the cat bashing?
Creating a fear free experience for cats doesn’t stop after the veterinary visit. Fear, stress and anxiety often develop when a cat leaves home, and then returns. That’s upsetting and hurtful to pet parents and the returning cat, as well as the whole clowder. You can reduce the chance of cat bashing, though, with these tips.
Why Cat Bashing and Cat Fights After Vet Visits Happen
Friendly cats identify each other by sharing a common communal scent. By sleeping together and grooming each other, their individual scent-ID intermingles. That familiar smell acts like a club membership that says, “I belong to the family, I’m safe.”
A long absence, or even brief handling by strangers, changes the scent identification. That can lead to cat friends acting out with aggression. All those technicians and doctor pets leave foreign smells on the fur, and medications also may change the aroma. So when the absent Kitty returns, the other cat-friends don’t recognize him and react to the weird smells as though a strange cat has trespassed into the home turf. So they do their best to chase the interloper away.
Meanwhile, the returning Kitty reacts defensively to the cat bashing. And as long as the former friends remain aggressive, they can’t get close enough to share family scent and return to normal friendly status. The stress, anxiety and fear build and become worse, the longer they’re allowed to continue. Cats being treated for illness that travel back and forth to the vet may repeat this cycle repeatedly. Here’s how to address after vet visit cat bashing.
Stop After Vet Visit Cat Fights Bashing
One easy way to reduce the chance of cat bashing is to take all your cats to the clinic at the same time. That way, they all smell the same when they return home.
If you can’t take all the cats at once, give the returning Kitty some alone time upon returning home. A half day shut in the guest bedroom gives him time to lick-lick-lick away the weird hospital smell, and lets you pet-pet-pet him to reestablish your familiar smell. A time out also lets him calm down from the excitement of the carrier/car/clinic combo, so he’s less defensive.
You can re-share the “family scent” more quickly, using a dry clean hand towel. Rub it over the other cats, especially Kitty’s best-friend companion, and pay particular attention to the cheeks. That picks up the friendly-cat pheromones, which can then be rubbed over the returning Kitty to help reestablish communal family scent.
It also may help to apply a pleasant, strong-smelling scent to all the cats in the home. That makes them smell the same and helps distract them from being aggressive or defensive. Perhaps use a bit of chicken broth or water from the tuna can. Rub it on your hands and then pet each cat’s neck. That also means they can’t reach the spot to groom it off, and need the help of other buddy-kitties to mutually groom—and refresh the communal safe scent they recognize. Find more tips in my book MY CAT HATES THE VET.
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Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE! Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!
Voting is now open for the HERO PETS in the next thriller CUT AND BLEED! Vote for your choice for hero CAT, and hero DOG! Share and vote often–voting closes SEPT 6.
Vote NOW for your favorite for HERO PETS in the next thriller CUT AND BLEED! Share and vote often–voting closes SEPT 6. Who will be the hero CAT, and hero DOG? It’s up to you!
Have you ever considered holistic medicine for your pets? There are many questions about what is holistic pet care. Is it the same thing as what your regular vet offers? There are many names for offering traditional medicine for pets. Some call it alternative medicine or natural healing. But are there specific definitions, and is holistic pet care a good choice for your cats and dogs? August 30 is National Holistic Pet Day, so it’s a good time to revisit asking these questions.
Do you know how to stop dog barking? “Will you please, for the love of doG, stop barking!” When Shadow-Pup joined our family, he and Bravo-Dawg egged each other on. Now that he’s the only dog, he and the cat tease each other and prompt bark-fest and meow-athons.
Here’s what you need to know about barking to help stem the noise.
This disease has been reported worldwide wherever these ticks are found. Most cases in the United States occur in dogs living in the Texas Gulf coast regions and other southern states. All dogs are susceptible, but those with greater exposure to ticks. Outdoor dogs, working dogs and hunting dogs are at highest risk. Here’s what you need to know.
Summer arrived even earlier than expected this year, with temperatures hitting triple digits by mid-June. There’s still plenty of pet camping season left. Even though camping with pets isn’t for me, I know lots of folks who LOVE it, including my brother and his dog. He takes the dog with them camping, boating, skiing, and pretty much everywhere.
Bringing your furry one along camping (or glamping) is a great bonding experience. But before you pack up and hit the road, look over my DOs and DONTs of camping with your dog or cat.
What to do when camping with a pet
First, decide if your pet will enjoy camping. Not all will enjoy it. My Karma-Kat would HATE camping. He’s a homebody, and enjoys watching birds, bunnies, and squirrels through the window, but freezes when his paws hit the grass. Shadow-Pup’s more adventurous and probably would do better…
When I worked as a veterinary technician many years ago, pet parents ask questions all the time, but rarely to the vet. Folks often acted embarrassed, or waited to telephone from home hours or days after the appointment. Perhaps they felt intimidated by the doctor when they take pets to the back, or feared their questions were foolish. Maybe the busy schedule of the clinic offered little opportunity to ask…
With the latest awful weather and more on the way, it’s time to revisit your pet disaster plan. You do have one, right? Everyone should understand the importance of disaster preparation.
I posted this in June for National Pet Preparedness Month. September is Disaster Preparation Month. And May 8 was National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day. Being prepared doesn’t rely on a special date, though. Here’s what you need to know.
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