took one cat to get a lions cut, other cat doesnt recognize her anymore WTH???

So I'm back
finally I got my 2 cats to be civil towards each other .
After many bedwetting incidents from the older cat, shes no longer allowed on the bed, period. solved that problem.

They tolerated each other, will eat together, will be in the same room, etc etc.

Today I took my Persian mix to get a Lion's cut due to her knots/matts on her body (that she somehow generated, i swear, I brush her and they still come up)

I brought her back

and immediately my 1 yr old started YOWLING, HIGH pitched Meow, god awful sounding!
and of course Coco hissed
-- (extra info) -- when I FIRST got Alex, coco had a lion's cut, so technically he's seen her like this?? I dunno...

Alex (younger cat) didn't hiss but puffed up and kept YOWLING.

and his position is just awkward

I dont know if its because she looks funny and smells funny??

Did this happen to anyone else???

I hope this isnt making me start from ONE again!?!?!?

oh god someone please give me some peace of mind ><;

She doesn't smell the same after the cut. Put a dab of vanilla extract on their chins, base of neck and base of tail (for both cats). This will make the 2 of them smell like each other and they should relax pretty quickly.

I don't have cats with hair long enough to be cut, but this happens to my friends cat every year when he goes in for his annual shave.

o dear dear i gotta go to ralphs tmrw to buy some vanilla extract ><

Originally Posted by DiDi86

o dear dear i gotta go to ralphs tmrw to buy some vanilla extract ><

Click to expand...

If you don't have any on hand, think of something else with a strong scent that won't hurt them if they happen to lick it off. You just want to overpower any smell that she got while at the groomers today.

I ran out a few weeks ago on the day that Muddy came home from the vets. I sent DH over to the neighbors to borrow some. It needs to be part of everyone's home medicine cabinet for cats!

well for now I will just keep them separated it makes me so depressed to not be able to have both my kitties with me. hopefully the vanilla works tomorrow. thank you for the peace of mind at least _ I thought i just made a terrible irreversible mistake ><;;; I'ev never heard my boycat make that noise.

make sure you buy the real vanilla, not the imitation extract that won't work. it is common because the bath has wiped out the regular scent of one cat. plus groomed kitty was stressed during the procedure and this changes the body chemisty as well.

I was just going to post about this same problem.

Galahad was neutered yesterday. When I brought him home Sebastian acted as though he'd never seen him before. They were cuddling that morning. I tried the vanilla (imitation) but didn't help. Will need to pick up the real stuff today.

Poor Galahad is so confused. He remembers Seb, but Seb just hisses and swats at him

I think we forget what a strong roll scent plays in cat's recognition. We expect it with dogs but don't so much with cats. Thankfully, it's a problem that usually corrects itself quickly.

DiDi, one of my long haired cats gets matts like that too. It happens when they're shedding that the undercoat will loosen but they've so much fur it doesn't fall off. He'd probably die if I took him to a groomer so I just spot cut the matts. He has so much fur you can't tell! A Furminator or other shedding blade can be a useful tool to help cut down on some of the matting.

I purchased Trader Joe's Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract yesterday. Worked like a charm! An hour after dabbing them, Seb and Galahad were playing again and Daphne stopped acting like there was a new intruder. She now knows he's just the same old intruder Definitely worth the $6!

Mine just did the same thing! The male got a bath and the lion cut. The female is freaking out as if I traded him in for another cat!!!