About Scents That Cats Dislike

Cats can be very curious and interesting creatures. It is intriguing to attempt to understand how they perceive the world. Many objects that seem enjoyable to humans may seem to disgust their feline counterparts. Understanding a cat's sense of smell and the things that are unpleasant to it can go a long way toward explaining many of their strange behaviors.

  1. Features

    • The cat's sense of smell goes hand in hand with its sense of taste. The two work together almost imperceptibly in helping a cat to identify and understand the world around it. Cats posses a special scenting device known as the Jacobson's organ. This organ is connected to the brain center responsible for sexual and aggressive behavior. In addition to this organ, cats also have over 200 million olfactory cells. When a cat sniffs an object, it is able to hold that air in its nose above the subethmoid shelf. This allows the cat to continue breathing normally while still analyzing the interesting scent.

    Function

    • Sense of smell is essential to young kittens. It is the sense of smell which helps the kitten to find its mother's teat and nurse. Kittens with an impaired sense of smell will often be unable to nurse. Cats will use their sense of smell throughout their lifetime to find and distinguish food. Oftentimes, if a cat gets 'cat flu' it will need to be presented with very strong-smelling food, in order to entice it to eat. Smell also plays an important role in the social behaviors of cats. Male cats will scent a female in heat. All cats can mark their territory with their urine, which other cats will scent and recognize.

    Types

    • There are a variety of scents that cats seem to strongly dislike. On of the most commonly known is the smell of citrus. Cayenne pepper and mustard are also suggested to be scents that cats will shy away from. In this same category is vinegar, for its strong, sharp scent. In addition to these food-related odors, many cats are sensitive to chemical smells such as those in cleaning products, and even in treated water. Some strong deodorants often used in litter boxes can actually repel the cat. Cedar chips, as well, are a poor choice for the litter box, as cats will try to avoid this smell. Aggressive cats will naturally avoid any area that has been marked with the scent of another cat.

    Effects

    • It is important to note that any scent that a cat dislikes may discourage it from certain behaviors that become associated with that scent. This can be helpful in some cases. For example, some people use the smell of citrus or cayenne pepper to keep cats away from their yards and gardens. However, an unpleasant smell in the litter box could result in significant problems with litter training. Another problem that some cat owners experience occurs with their cat's water. Some cats will turn their noses up at their clean, fresh water dish and instead opt to drink from dirty puddles. This is likely due to the cat's strong sense of smell. It can smell the detergent used to clean the water dish, as well as some chemicals that may be present in the water. For these reasons, many cats prefer slightly stale water.

    Significance

    • A cat's sense of smell is extremely important in all day to day activities. Scent memories can become imprinted on a cat for life. Therefore, some cats may have aversions to certain smells for no discernible reason. A previous frightening experience may have become associated with a strong scent that was present at the time. All cats will exhibit unique preferences for smells as well as tastes. What one cat strongly detests, another may not mind. Each cat's personality and life experiences can go a long way toward defining their preferences.