What Smells Do Cats Hate? 16 Smells Your Cat Hates Most of All

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Updated on: 09/20/2021

We humans have a minuscule sense of smell when compared to many animals. Wild cats rely on their sense of smell when hunting prey, but what about domesticated ones? Are their noses still incredibly sensitive?

It turns out that the answer is yes. House cats still have a very strong sense of smell. When they have a nose that is that powerful, they are bound to encounter some smells that are way too overbearing for them.

Photo by @kddesignphoto from Freepik

Understanding a Cat’s Sense of Smell

Just how sensitive is a cat’s sense of smell? Well, it turns out that it is estimated that most cats have up to 200 million scent receptors inside their nose. For reference, humans only have about 5 million.

Cats can use their sense of smell to determine if any other felines have been on their property. They can smell any marked territory, even if it is days old. It is also possible for cats to detect female cats in heat using just their nose. The pheromones that are released can be detected very quickly. ^[1]

Even if a cat isn’t trying to sniff out potential trespassers on their property or finding a mate, they still sniff each other as a greeting.

While cats have much stronger senses of smell than humans, their sense of taste is the opposite. The average human has between 9,000 and 10,000 taste buds. Felines only have about 470 of them!

Felines rely on their robust sense of smell to stimulate their appetite. If a cat gets a respiratory infection or has breathing issues, it will likely stop eating temporarily. ^[1] Since they don’t have many taste receptors on their tongues, they will not be fond of any sort of food if they cannot smell it.

Surprising Smells Cats Hate

Some of these smells may be mild and pleasant to people, but your furry feline friend may think otherwise. So, what smells do cats hate? Here are some examples:

1. Essential Oils

Essential oils can be used in a diffuser, added to homemade cleaning products, or applied topically to the skin (some of them, at least). Almost any flower, herb, or aromatic can be made into an essential oil.

These oils are highly concentrated, so not much is needed to create a strong scent. Imagine what a cat must feel when they smell it!

Many of the other items on this list are often made into essential oils. It is not necessarily unsafe for them to smell many essential oils, but they should never be consumed.

2. Pine and Cedar

These calming outdoor scents make us feel like we’re surrounded by an evergreen forest. To cats, the strong scent feels like an assault on their sensory receptors.

Pine and cedar are common scents used in candles and air fresheners. These may be smells that are a favorite amongst many humans but maybe think about using them less often or in a smaller quantity. Your kitty will thank you.

3. Mint, Wintergreen, and Menthol

Mint, wintergreen, and menthol are all relatively similar scents that can be diffused as an essential oil. They are also common flavors of tobacco products.

Like many scents and odors, there can be varying levels of intensity. Smelling mint leaves that are growing in your garden may be very pleasant to most humans, and some kitties may not even mind. They should not eat them, though.

However, an open can of chewing tobacco that is wintergreen flavored is generally not so nice, to humans or pets. Tobacco products are notorious for having a very strong and distinct smell, so it is no surprise that cats do not like them.

If you are trying to quit using such products, perhaps your kitty can be a motivator!

4. Pepper, Curry, and Cinnamon

Let’s move on to spices. Do you ever feel the need to sneeze after sprinkling ground pepper on something? It is common for the warmth and spice of the pepper to trigger that reaction, even if it is not necessarily a very spicy kind of pepper.

Curry, whether it is in powder or paste form, has an intense scent. A curry powder generally is made up of warm spices such as turmeric, ground coriander, cumin, chili powder, ginger, and black pepper.

Cinnamon is a delightful spice to humans, but cats do not feel the same way. All of these spices are very intense for their sensitive noses and can become irritating.

READ MORE: Why Is My Cat Sneezing?

5. Banana and Mustard

The skin of many fruits, such as bananas, emits ethene during the ripening process. To felines, ethene has a strong chemical scent, so they tend to avoid ripening bananas and other fruits for that reason. However, it is safe to keep bananas on your kitchen counter and eat them around your cat.

Cats do not like the scent of mustard because they think that it has a spicy scent, similar to pepper, cinnamon, and curry. They think that anything with a spicy scent is potentially toxic. ^[2]

Photo by Jelena Senicic on Unsplash

6. Rosemary, Thyme, and Rue

Feline friends are not fond of certain herbs. Rosemary, thyme, and rue are a few examples (for now). They do not like the smell of any of these herbs because they are too pungent. It is also believed that they don’t like rubbing up against rosemary plants due to the rough texture.

Rosemary and thyme are harmless for the most part, but cats should avoid rue whenever possible.

7. Lavender, Geranium, and Eucalyptus

These three plants also give off scents that cats do not like. If you are someone with a garden and trying to keep neighborhood or feral cats at bay, planting some of the herbs and plants on this list may act as a natural repellent.

Lavender, geranium, and eucalyptus can be toxic to cats if a large enough quantity is ingested. ^[3]

8. Citrus Fruits

Cats do not like the scent of citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit. To them, these fruits smell very bitter and acidic. If you use a citrus-scented room spray in a room where you don’t want your cat to be, they will likely avoid that room.

9. Vinegar

Vinegar is a pungent-smelling liquid that many humans do not enjoy sniffing. Think of how cats feel! It is another product with an intense acidic scent which leads cats to believe that it is toxic.

10. Coffee

While cats are not fond of the scent of coffee, brewing a fresh pot will not cause any harm to them. Coffee grounds can also be used to fertilize garden plants and deter any unwanted feline visitors.

Not-So-Surprising Smells Cats Hate

These repulsive scents are unpleasant to most humans, so it is not surprising that cats do not like them either.

1. Skunk or Coleus Canina

Nobody likes the smell of skunk spray. However, Coleus Canina is a plant that can produce a skunky smell, even without the animal present.

This plant’s smell gets worse when friction is rubbed against it. ^[4] It is a very powerful cat repellent and is even known as the “scaredy-cat plant.”

2. Dirty Litter Boxes

Just like skunk smells, the smell of a dirty litter box is also vile. Cat owners should clean their kitty’s litter box often to prevent it from smelling, especially if you have multiple pets.

If your cat gets repulsed by the smell of the litter box, they may choose to relieve themselves elsewhere.

READ MORE: How to Clean a Cat Litter Box?

3. Household Cleaners

Cleaning products often have strong chemical scents that cats avoid. If they resent you for using them, try searching for products that are more natural or have a lighter smell.

4. Old Fish

The smell of any old meat is unpleasant, especially fish. Take out your trash often so the packaging that contained the meat is not festering.

5. Soaps and Deodorants

Cats do not like the smell of certain soaps and deodorants simply because they are too strong. Some soaps and deodorants may even have the scent of something else that they don’t like, such as lavender or pine.

6. Tomatoes and Onions

Like bananas, when tomatoes ripen, their skin emits ethene. Cats don’t like this because they associate it with being toxic. They don’t like the smell of onions either because it is so strong.

Why the Scents Cats Hate Matters to You

Understanding smells that felines hate may help you get to the bottom of some behavioral issues. Have you wondered why your cat runs and hides from you sometimes? It could be because of a certain smell.

You can also use plants, orange peels, and coffee grounds to deter kitties from coming into your garden or roaming your property.

So, What Smells do Cats Like?

Cats love the smell of their food, of course, since being able to smell it is what prompts them to eat. They also adore the smell and feel of catnip. They enjoy rubbing their body up against it, smelling it, or sometimes eating it. It creates a “high” for them.