by Alicia Player

Hi,

I left my cat for vacation for a week. My parents and siblings came home after that week, but I stayed 2 more weeks. They said she was meowing and missing me, but ever since I got home, she has been aggressively trying to bite me and is hissing at me.

She lets my brother pet her but hisses and bats aggressively at me. Do you think she is mad at me or has forgotten who I am? What should i do?

Hi, Alicia,

She could not possibly have forgotten who you are in such a short time. She could have missed you, but cats generally don't act like that just from missing you.

Cats are very sensitive to smell. It's possible you smelled very differently when you came back and that could be a factor. Another thought that comes to mind is that something happened while you were gone to frighten her although it's still not clear why she would allow your brother to pet her, but not you.

My best recommendation would be to have a veterinarian examine her to make sure there's nothing physically wrong with her.

Other than that, I would basically ignore her and give her time to re-adjust to you. Don't force yourself on her. Just be patient. Special treats can help as can playtime with a new toy or catnip if in the past that is something that relaxes her.

Thanks for writing, Hope things are improving.

Dr. Neely