Did you know that some cats have a stronger sense of smell than certain dog breeds? Their little, cute noses are more sensitive, and they can experience smells more deeply than us, humans. If you have a feline friend, it would be of great benefit to you to know what smells cats hate, because you can use it to your advantage to protect, for example, your furniture, as well as to protect your kitty.
Felines use their sense of smell to check if the environment is secure, to locate potential mates, to detect danger from predators, and to find food. There is so much more to these interesting creatures than just their cuteness.
What smells do cats hate? How does their sense of smell develop? Are there any smells that are pleasant for us, but unpleasant for your feline friend? To find out, continue reading what our team has written below.
How Cats’ Sense of Smell Develops?
The nose of a cat develops over time. Although it is tiny, the cat’s nose helps with navigation and safety in its surroundings. Felines’ anatomy of processing smells developed very differently than ours, or of other animals. So, how do felines process smell? Simply put, the scent is vacuumed into a cat’s nose, and then particular organs process them as potentially dangerous or as safe.
In relation, if a cat doesn’t like a certain scent, usually it is because it is related to danger. There are certain gases from some products that are released into the air, and they provide a clue that signals felines to avoid certain foods, plants, or substances, thus extending a cat’s lifespan.
Furthermore, cats exhibit certain facial expressions when they are in a smelling mode. When you notice your kitty wrinkle its muzzle, drawback its lip, open its mouth and start sucking in air through its nose, that’s your bundle of love using its sense of smell. Felines don’t just sniff around at things. They use their powerful sense of smell fully when they want to find out what’s going on in their environment.
Moreover, due to their sensitive noses (it is fourteen times better than ours), it is extremely important to choose the best dust-free cat litter that isn’t scented. Because they have up to eighty million scent receptors in their cute noses, cats can recognize their owner’s scent as well.
Furthermore, some smells cats hate are expected, but there are others that may spark a bit of curiosity in you.
What Smells Cats Hate the Most?
Why is it beneficial to know what smells cats hate? If you notice that cats are visiting your garden frequently and you want to keep them out of it, you can use certain plants with a particular odor that will ward felines off. Or, you are trying to decorate your Christmas tree, and the next thing you know it’s down on the floor with an ornament in your cat’s paws. Spraying an area of the tree with a scent that isn’t very pleasant to your cat will ensure your decorated Christmas tree stays decorated during the holidays.
However, you have to be very careful when using certain odors, and especially some essential oils, because they can be toxic to cats.
Furthermore, you may want to keep certain scents away from your cat to prevent it from being irritated by them. Also, some cats may become allergic to some scents and perfumes.
What Smells Cats Hate That Make Us Curious?
You sit and peel your orange, and your cat comes to you, sniffs your hands, makes a face (my cat’s face looks like it’s upset when it does this), and walks away. It is broadly known that the smell of citrus is revolting to cats. You may enjoy the smell of lemon-scented fabric softener, but your cat won’t be so happy about it, which may not be bad if you want to keep it off your furniture. Also, you can put some orange or lemon peels around your garden to keep felines away.
Some herbs and plants can be used to keep away kitties from your garden or certain areas in your home. Herbs and plants like lavender, rue, thyme, rosemary, eucalyptus, geranium, marigold, and lemon thyme, can be helpful. However, be cautious because geranium, lavender, and eucalyptus can be toxic to felines to some extent.
Although you may be a fan of strong spices, are not fun for cats. Cayenne flakes, curry, and pepper are often used by people to deter kitties from certain areas. But, this isn’t an ideal solution because the capsaicin in peppers can be potentially toxic, so if your feline friend is a curious creature, it can become quite sick.
If there is one scent that cats hate and it can be used as a safe deterrent that is the scent of vinegar. You can clean safely with vinegar, and even if you can’t smell the vinegar anymore after a few hours, your kitty can still sense it. Nonetheless, avoid cleaning your cat’s litter box with vinegar because it may not use it due to the strong smell of vinegar.
The smell of pine is another scent that cats may not enjoy, although it is used frequently in cat litter. Felines find the scent of pine to be quite strong, and they usually avoid it. You could try to use pine in your garden if you want to keep other cats away from your home.
What Smells Cats Hate That Aren’t a Surprise?
If you don’t clean your cat’s litter box regularly, you won’t want to smell it, let alone your kitty. A dirty litter box is even a bigger issue if you have more than one cat. They won’t like smelling other cats’ urine, they will be deterred out of the box, and your floor may be used instead of a litter box. Try using a disposable litter box, or clean your cat’s toilet frequently.
Other Ways to Keep Cats Away or Fix Bad Behavior
Besides smells, you can keep cats away or correct their behavior by creating an environment that they find unpleasant.
Felines have sensitive hearing, and loud sounds can deter them from doing something you want them to stop doing. Ultrasonic repellers are a bit expensive, but they are very effective in keeping cats away from your property. Nevertheless, you can use sudden noises like clapping or bells if you want to stop your cat from scratching your furniture. But, this may work only at the moment while you are in the same room with the kitty.
Pheromone collar can be calming to your cat if it keeps marking/spraying inside your house.
Avoid leaving water out, because any open water is like a drinking fountain for felines. But, you could use water sprinklers in your yard to deter cats from the property.
Your trash has to be very well secured. Otherwise, you will attract all strays from the neighborhood.
All in all
Knowing what smells cats hate will help you protect your kitty better. Also, you probably can save your furniture and your garden by deterring your feline friend from chewing or scratching on things you don’t want them to do that.
But, most importantly, become knowledgeable about the things that can be toxic and harmful to cats. This isn’t just for the wellbeing of your little bundle of love, but for the wellbeing of the stray cats as well.
Using more than one method to keep away cats from certain areas and to fix bad behavior is a perfectly good option.
