cats fighting after nuetering

Question
I have two male cats age 7 months.  We had them both neutered at the same time.  When I brought them home in their carrier (together) they were growling and hissing and this has not stopped in the two days since we have been home.  They are fighting, growling, and hissing with each other.  They just loved each other and couldn't bear to be separated before the surgery.  It is breaking our hearts. What could have happened to make such a drastic change???  Also the one was spraying in my bedroom and this has not stopped.  Any suggestions on that?  I am right now trying to clean the area where I think he sprayed really well.  I will never know where all of them are though I am afraid.
Lisa

Answer
Lisa,

There are a number of questions here.  So, let me try to sort this out and answer them one at a time.

1)  Cats fighting after neutering.  Usually, when cats have been to the vets for surgery, they often smell different due to the anaesthesia, disinfectants, and other odors they acquire at the vet operating theatre.  Cats really know each other by smell.  Since they both smell different to each other they do not recognize each other.  This usually subsides after a few days to a week (or two weeks at the longest).

2) Spraying has not subsided.  It often can take as long as 6 weeks after the boys are neutered for the hormone levels to die down.  So, after a couple of weeks, I would expect most spraying to cease.  You might also try a Feliway diffuser in your bedroom (available from most pet supermarkets).

3) Cleaning up spraying.  You need to use an enzyme based product specifically for pet stains and pet odors.  These are usually available form your neighborhood pet supermarket or farm store.

You might also want to look at the series of articles pointed to by the below link which address litter box problems in cats.

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/pointe/9352/litterboxhelp.html


Please let me know how things progress with your two boys.

Best regards... Norm.