Why Does My Cat Hate Oranges? (feline, smells, foods, furniture)

[JupiterFire]

We bought a case of little cuties from the store and my cat freaks out when she smells them. She takes a whiff of the peels, gets the most intense look of disgust on her face, and then runs off.

Anybody know why?

P.S. I'm a newbie cat owner so forgive me if I have asked a silly question

[bjh]

The smell of some foods that are aromatic to us offend cats. I've always thought of it as the smell of some things is too "sharp" for kitty's awesomely powerful smelling abilities. Remember they have like 5x or more the olfactory receptors we have.

They respond unfavorably to citrus (ie your oranges). The way they wince and bat their eyes, I think it stimulates their tear ducts.

Pickles too. The vinegar in the pickles is too much for them, I think.

Anything with mint in it. Candy, gum, medicines with menthol.

I know there are others. Anyone else think of some?

[Connecticut Pam]

Originally Posted by JupiterFire

We bought a case of little cuties from the store and my cat freaks out when she smells them. She takes a whiff of the peels, gets the most intense look of disgust on her face, and then runs off.Anybody know why?P.S. I'm a newbie cat owner so forgive me if I have asked a silly question

I have two cats and at one time had a cat who use to scratch up my furniture. I bought this spray...Citrus scented...and it use to keep the first cat off my furniture meaning he stopped digging at it. There is something about the citrus smell they absolutely hate so if your kitty starts clawing up your furniture, which they can and will do....get the citrus spray at the pet shop. Not a silly question, by the way, it is a great question because now you found out you can use a citrus spray to keep your kitty from scratching up stuff...Good luck!

[kansas sky]

Interesting topic! My cat actually loves the scent of oranges and mint. He reacts to them much the same way he reacts to catnip. The mint makes sense to me, since I think it's related to catnip, but the oranges? Then again, my cat's a little weird anyway.

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by JupiterFire

P.S. I'm a newbie cat owner so forgive me if I have asked a silly question

No such thing as a silly question, only silly answers.

Orange oil - derived from the peel I think - has an extremely powerful smell. I suspect your cat just finds it unpleasant. Cat's don't do "unpleasant" and just think it's very bad manners of you to have brought it home at all. Now would you please remove said offending article!!

I think it's going to be one of those things: for every owner on here that says "my cat hates the smell of orange or any citrus" you'll probably get another saying they love it.

It's a feline plot to keep us guessing.

[JupiterFire]

Originally Posted by bjh

Anything with mint in it. Candy, gum, medicines with menthol.

Yeah, I noticed she doesn't like the smell of our toothpaste either.

[JupiterFire]

Originally Posted by Connecticut Pam

Not a silly question, by the way, it is a great question because now you found out you can use a citrus spray to keep your kitty from scratching up stuff...Good luck!

It seems like our first kitty picked up on the scratching post transition rather seamlessly. However, our newest kitty has been here for almost a few weeks now and she keeps scratching our chairs and bed. Guess I might have to use this whole citrus thing to my advantage! Kitty kryptonite!

[JupiterFire]

Originally Posted by kansas sky

Interesting topic! My cat actually loves the scent of oranges and mint. He reacts to them much the same way he reacts to catnip. The mint makes sense to me, since I think it's related to catnip, but the oranges? Then again, my cat's a little weird anyway.

Now that's cool! Both of our cats love swimmin' in the tub, so I am learning there are always fun idiosyncrasies to uncover!

[JupiterFire]

Originally Posted by fivehorses

it's a feline plot to keep us guessing.

lol! :d

[ablau]

Yes, it's the citrus that bothers cats. A natural way to keep stray cats out of your garden is to put lemon juice around the perimeter -- they hate the stuff.

Also, garlic. I have a "no scratch" spray that smells strongly of garlic, and my cat absolutely hates it.