Strange Non-recognition Behaviour

[MelissaHA]

Hi there! I have a bit of an odd situation with my two cats. We have a 6 year old cat, and a 2 year old cat who we adopted 6 months ago. We introduced the cats successfully and they've been getting along ever since.
This morning, we put one of those little kitty ties on our 2 year old cat; our 6 year old cat watched him for a while, and then when he went to walk towards her she puffed up, and started yelling and chasing after him all around the house. We separated them for a couple of hours and then let them together; when they are resting or nappingthey are fine, but the moment the 2 year old approaches the other cat she instantly puffs up and yells and tries to attack him.
We think it's because the tie made him look different, plus (we weren't even thinking and feel terrible), it had been stored with some items that had belonged to a previous cat of ours, and so we think the smell has caused her to become aggressive.
Does anyone have any thoughts or advice? I'm thinking we have to reintroduce them all over again..

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Hopefully things will get better on its own. If not, yes, a re-introduction might be necessary.

Here's a few TCS articles with more info. Good luck. Let us know how things work out.

How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats
Re-directed Aggression In Cats
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction

 

[duckpond]

I would imagine the tie is the problem. Cats notice everything different, i would bet the tie itself, and the smell from the other cats caused the problem. I would think in the next 24 to 48 hours without the tie things will go back to normal.

If we go to my moms and pet her cats or dogs my cats spend hours sniffing us, even though we washed hands well, and even changed clothes when we get home, they can still smell the other animals, and you can tell they are not really happy about it.

 

[MelissaHA]

Thanks guys!
Since our older cat went after our younger cat again in the evening (about 8 hours after the initial incident) we've decided to do a short reintroduction; we kept them in separate rooms overnight and will probably do so for a day before letting them see each other through a crack in the door, then maybe the next day well see how they do together for a short time.

 

[catlover73]

Try wiping down the 2 year old cat with a piece of dirty laundry. It will help the cat smell more like you. When I had this issue we wiped down the cat that had been hospitalized with a dirty t-shirt. It helped reset the scent issue.

 

[MelissaHA]

Great suggestion- thank you!