My cat was neutered. How long until his family recognizes his scent?

Yes this is normal. Your cat has different scents now from being at the vet and it can be scary and overwhelming for the other cat, especially with an e collar on! Usually it only take a day or two and they adjust and go back to their normal selves. Your may take until the cone comes off since it can scare them

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your cats. I suspect that the carrier ride and the surgery were stressful experiences for both cats. This can cause a cat to act out aggressively. You may want to keep the cats separate from each other for a few days to let them calm down. Then re-introduce them slowly and only when they can be fully supervised. Things should go back to normal between them, but it may take some time. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! On the whole, I’m not worried about this yet. It can take a couple weeks to feel completely normal after a neuter, especially in adult males. If you have pain medication still, go ahead and give it as even mild pain can cause some cats to be a little crankier than usual. Sometimes, a long trip to the vet or anesthesia seems to disturb cat relations and anxiety is more of a problem. If this behavior is not improving with pain medication, or persists for another week or more, consider these anxiety-reducing home helps. -Feliway- calming cat pheromone- comes in many forms from pet stores or online. 

- Adding a litter box. Studies show that the ideal number of litter boxes for a home is #of cats +1 . This is regardless of how clean you keep his current litter box.

 -making sure he has plenty of “high space”. The safest (and therefore least anxiety-inducing) place for a cat is up. If you don’t already, get a cat tree or put up a shelf or two that he can go perch on. Best wishes to you and Gus!

I would wait a few days before panicking about long-term effects. The stress of being hospitalized, the after-effects of anesthesia, and any medications can cause temporary behavior changes. If the cats weren't prescribed pain medications, then I would talk to your vet about that.

Depends on the anesthetic used, it can take up to 72 hours for a pet to completely recover. Most pets will recover within 24 hours. The e-collar (cone) is necessary to prevent licking of the incision. Don't worry though, Chandler will acclimate. You may be able to remove it for short periods to allow him to eat or drink, but you must watch him carefully to prevent licking. The injection should cover the worst of the post operative discomfort. If not, you can request more from your veterinarian. Monitor for lethargy, decreased appetite, meowing excessively, drooling or panting. These may indicate discomfort.

It likely is just fine to take the cone off now. Cats are quick healers. However make sure you look at the incision site thoroughly for any areas that look troublesome and get them evaluated by your vet if seen. Otherwise enjoy your kitty Ayden and I hope things continue to go well with him : ) Take care

The Ecollar will need to stay on for a couple of days while the wound is initially healing, but as long as Dodger leaves the incision alone, you can take it off after four to seven days. It can take up to 10 days for the incision to fully heal, and if he is licking it excessively when the collar is removed, then it will have to stay on. He won't hurt himself in the collar, a lot of cats are annoyed by them, but it's important to make sure they aren't allowed to lick the incision. Licking in the incision will interrupt the healing process and will introduce infection into the area.