Cat owners -- Is this normal?

[FergieTCat]

Has this ever happened to you?

I used that smelly BenGay type cream on my shoulder last night and my cats went nuts!! Both of them got very hyper and would come over to me, smell my shoulder and start hitting me -- even Diana, who is the world's sweetest girl-cat. They were acting like they were possessed.

Is this normal?

 

[DaisyDebbie]

Maybe they were trying to tell you something Donna

 

[MerryPoppins]

I think dogs and cats are much more sensitive to smells than humans. That probably explains the weird behavior of your cats. My dog react oddly to fingernail polish remover. She sniffs and curls back all her lips in a strange sneer. It is hysterical.

 

[Robinrs]

I saw a documentary on cats on PBS which explained visually how smells are to a cat. The "smell" showed as a vapor on the screen and the impact it had on the cat once it reached her. A cat's smell sensors are similar to our sight, it is how they recognize, determine fight or flight or delight.

I recoil when I smell BenGay... I can only imagine how a cat would react to it!

 

[CookieGVB]

Tell me - is it TIGER BALM you're using?

 

[FergieTCat]

Shut up Gail!! And thanks alot Debbie!

Robin and Merry (the only nice people around here!) -- I guess the cats were upset because the odor hurt their eyes, but they really went crazy for a while. I thought they were going to attack me. After it wore off, Fergie came to bed with me, but she wouldn't go near my shoulder. Diana refused to come in the bedroom.

I think they make this cream in an odorless version, so I'll have to go find some.

 

[FOJMO]

Originally posted by FergieTCat
They were acting like they were possessed.

Heck, I act like that myself from smelling Ben Gay -- eeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww!!!!!

 

[smileybrat]

cats do seem to have a stronger sense of smell then we do. sometimes they like weird smells too. my cat goes crazy when she smells cleaning products, especially those containing bleach. it almost seems like it makes her high.

 

[Rajah]

There are some scents that set cats off just as catnip does. Is that how your cats were acting? A lot of mint smells I know do that, as do some lotions. And if you have any perfume that contains any musk scents (some men's fragrances do), it's sure to set off a cat somewhere.

So yes, I'd say what you experienced was entirely normal.

 

[Muffin]

Originally posted by MerryPoppins
My dog react oddly to fingernail polish remover. She sniffs and curls back all her lips in a strange sneer. It is hysterical.

My dog reacts like this when she smells tape--scotch, masking, duct, any kind of tape.

 

[grinningghost]

My cat (and dog) both LOVE BenGay. They lick it off of you. I have a hard time getting away from them if I use it. So I think your cat is more normal than mine.