Although not very famous, your cat has a wonderful sense of smell. Their sensitivity is 14 times greater than that of humans, and they have twice as many receptor cells in their noses, so it is no wonder that they can sense scents that, to us, are just air. However, there are certain smells that cats don’t like and people don’t notice.

Since your cat is a creature that is easily stressed daily, you need to be cautious regarding the odors your pet is exposed to in the long term. Here are some examples of scents cats can’t tolerate:

Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits refer to the fruits of trees in the genus Citrus. Among them, limes, lemons, oranges, and tangerines stand out. Although citrus fruits make great treats for humans, cats dislike the aroma that citrus fruits have.

Bananas

While bananas are excellent for humans, they may produce an odor that cats hate. This reaction is thought to be due to chemicals released from the banana peel, as they have been reported to be toxic in the feline world.

Cinnamon

This is the same case as the previous one. Whether sour or sweet, cats usually reject herbs with a strong aroma. Therefore, when cooking at home, it is always advisable to feed without spices.

Pine

Some granules for litter box have scents like fresh wood or pine. Be careful when handling this scent. In general, cats prefer to defecate in unscented litter boxes.

Cleaning Agents

Many of these smells that cats dislike are associated with cleanliness and freshness in the human world. For example, think of the scents of citrus, pine, eucalyptus, and mint. These scents are standard in most household cleaning products because they give people a refreshing feeling.

Rotten Food

Cats are far more capable of detecting rotten food than humans. Also, being carnivores, they will reject food that has been left out for more than a few hours. Be careful to keep garbage bags closed, as the smell can stress your cat.

Other Cats

The smell of other cats is another smell that house cats dislike, especially if they have not been properly socialized in the kitten stage. It’s not that the other cat’s scent itself is unpleasant. However, cats may perceive the smell as an attack on their territory. Therefore, they may refuse to contact the new family member.

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a term used to describe a variety of trees and shrubs in the Pterocarpus family. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), this plant not only makes cats uncomfortable with its scent but can also cause poisoning if the leaves are accidentally swallowed.

Mustard

Mustard is a spice with a powerful aroma and flavor, whether in source or seed form. As mentioned in the previous lines, cats can sense the smell much more pronouncedly than humans, so it is not surprising that they avoid it.

Menthol

Menthol is a saturated secondary alcohol found in the oil of some peppermint varieties (especially Mentha arvensis). This, fortunately for owners, is also a scent that cats dislike. They are mostly found in products such as air fresheners or cleaning products.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are highly concentrated chemicals extracted from plants with a high aromatic index. Naturally, this is also one of the scents cats hate, because it gives them even more organoleptic power (aspects of food or other substances as experienced by the senses)

As you can see, there are many scents that cats do not like. This does not mean that you should get rid of all the aromatic elements in your house so that your pet can be comfortable, but it does mean that you should be careful about the chemicals and scents you use to clean your pet’s things.