You must have noticed your cat sniffing around all the time. Why is that? Your cat has a keen sense of smell and it has been researched that cats smell the scents even after days it has been removed. You must have also noticed your cat grooming all the time. Now, why are we mentioning these two particular habits together? Because cats hate being dirty and thus, they also hate certain smells and do not want them anywhere near them or on them.
Now you are wondering about the particular scents that your cat doesn’t like but can’t bring any of them to mind, its because we are quite unaware what our cat likes or doesn’t like. We have been using many scented products which makes our cat go crazy or irritated and maybe even affecting her health. These scents include citrus scents, mint, lavender, cinnamon, some plants, certain fruits and vegetables and even her very own litter box.
Let’s find out why our cats are opposed to these certain scents and how it affects them.
Cats strong sense of smell
Have you ever considered why cats are so bothered by certain scents? It is because they have powerful olfactory organs, not comparable to a dog, but very much higher than a human. Cats have been using their noses even before their eyes are fully open. This is an organ which they highly depend on.
Cats use their strong sense of smell to hunt for food and to look out for predators. This helps them to survive in the wilderness and is one of the reasons why it has passed down to your furry feline friend. They also use their own scents as a way to mark their territory. All in all, it is an essential organ for your cat, and she can’t make do without it.
As cats ae so dependent on their nose to make them survive through a day, think what they might feel if that nose is blocked by scents, this could make your cat extremely anxious and vulnerable. These scents are not always harmful, but they affect your cat in a negative way, nonetheless.
We use many scented products in our home and are completely unaware about the fact that how it affects our cats. Let’s take a look at some of these scents.
Scents that cats don’t like
Citrus
We all love citrusy smells, and buy perfumes and cleaners with scents like orange, lemon, grapefruit etc. well, your cat doesn’t like citrus smells at all, and it is one of the widely used natural repellant for cats nowadays. People even use citrus fruit peels as a way to stop their cat from going to certain places like your indoor garden.
Litter box
Cats our just like us! They don’t like the smell of their litter box as well. And what do they do if you don’t clean out the litter box on a regular basis, they find other spots to make it as their little box. So, if you want to save your rugs or sofas, the best you can do is clean out your cat’s litter box and you and your cat will both be very happy.
Pepper
Cats don’t like the smell of spicy foods, one of the reasons being that they find them extremely overpowering and think of them as toxic to their health, and it could be true too. So, avoid spicy food anywhere near your cat.
Cats also don’t like the scent of cinnamon and it is avoided in household full of cats.
Essential oils
There are certain flowers whose scent cats do not like, and they are actually toxic to cats as well. These include lavender, rosemary and rue. Humans find these scents oddly calming and buy many products with these scents, but you don’t know what they do to a cat if used in high quantity.
These scents are also used as repellents for cats to stop them from using a certain place such as your indoor plants. But too much of these is harmful, so be careful when you use them.
Mint
Mint is one of the plants that is greatly disliked by cats. We are talking about a single sniff turning them into crazy cats and making them run and hide away. People normally grow this in their herb garden and are not unaware that cats find its overpowering smell to be quite frustrating. It is also toxic to cats if they ingest it in very high quantity.
Banana
It is important that we mention this separately. Banana is loved by humans and many other animals as well, but cats generally dislike bananas and owners often use the technique of rubbing banana peels on furniture or other stuff you want your cat to steer clear away from.
Cats
This doesn’t mean your cat doesn’t like the smell of itself. We mean other cats. As you know that cats are highly territorial in nature and they don’t like when another cat is moving on their turf. This could irritate your cat and make it anxious. It is also a reason why your cat will start peeing everywhere in the house to let the other cats know who the boss is.
Conclusion
We use so many products in our everyday life that are scented, and we don’t even realize that how it makes our cat so irritated. Although, these scents are a great way to act as a natural repellent, but we don’t advise you to go crazy on them. Cats have very strong olfactory senses and too much of these scents could affect their health as well. So, be careful whenever you are using such products and make sure no cats are around.