Another Obie thread sorry... help!

[MedusaIsHavingaBadHairday]

So he's back (and stayng in tonight) He is traumatised.. usually he is a very independent cat..not particularly cuddly , swans in and out again. Tonight he is following me round the house, crying if he can't see me and wanting lots of reassurance.. not surprisingly! We are doing our best to always be visible to him!

Portia is fine.. 'oh you're back' ignoring him as usual!

But Ophie.. it looks like in 5 days she has totally forgotten who her brother is! She is terrified of him (she is a timid cat anyway.. stays in our garden and cowers at other cats) and growling and hissing at him if he comes near :( He is totally puzzled by her behaviour as he obviously knows her .

I've never experienced this before? Do I assume Ophie will realise, get over it, or do I assume she thinks it's a new cat and hope it will settle over time. I feel sorry for them both! I have never seen a reaction like hers.. she loved him and used to wash him, and after 5 days she is growling, hissing and swatting at him :(

He's only just back today though and he probably smells differently after his escapade. Do they normally sleep together or does it look like a night in bed for Obie on his own? (I do hope you're not in the hot part of the country - having a furry blanket would be quite welcome here even though it's June.)

PS - and you're probably still emotionally at sixes and sevens so maybe not acting completely normally yourself. That communicates.

Keep doing what you're doing for Obie; he's the one who has had the traumatic few days.

I can't really see a difference in what you can do, whether sister thinks he's a new cat or not.

They will sort it out. Good idea to keep him in for a while.

Have a glass of wine and breathe

They don't sleep together but lurk a few feet apart. Obie looks bewildered poor boy and Ophie is obviously terrified of him.. growling , hissing if he comes near. It's horrible :(

I suppose I just have to hope that she will chill out :(

yy its the smell - he will smell of wherever he has been which is what is freaking the other cat :)

Not an expert view at all, but is Ophie maybe suffering from non-recognition aggression, as per link consciouscat.net/2013/07/08/non-recognition-agression-in-cats-a-case-of-forgotten-identity/

Although the article is about a problem after one cat has been to the vets, Obie probably does smell very different to Ophie after being away for so many days, and cats 'see' more by smell than sight, so hopefully some of the advice might help.

I'm sure things will be back to normal soon

xpost with stare...

See what it's like tomorrow morning - and try if you can to stick rigidly to the normal morning routine.

Good luck with them.

:) sliding

we always try to act calm and normal if pets are stressed - sounds obvious i know but i think a calm atmosphere really helps.so try not to show how worried you are.

Do you have a Feliway? I'd rub him with all their blankets to make sure he smells normal again. She might be picking up on his changed mood too, it sounds as though he's had a fright and behaving differently from his usual confident self. It might be making her feel anxious too.

It's the smell.

Get a felliway diffuser.

Get a tea towel and rub o cat A then on cat B then on cat C, repeat - it will get the smells mixed up.

When I had mice I used to put a tiny bit of olive oil on them when I inttroduced a new one - so they all smelled the same.

Poor Medusa, what a time you are all having. Still, the worst is over - this is just the final throes. Deep breaths and all that.

I would stay in as much as possible, maybe issue a few extra Dreamies to both of them, but focus firmly on pottering - normality will calm them down.

When Mr C gets traumatised I plant myself on the sofa and watch a shit film, allowing plenty of room for company and cuddles. Does the trick after 48 hours.