# Cat smell



## Cam (May 6, 2011)

In the past few days my kitten has started smelling perfumed! 

I don't know if it's because he likes to play on the clothes airer when I hang clothes to dry and therefore smells like washing powder, or if he likes playing around flowers when he's out in the garden, but I have noticed he smells different, almost like he's wearing perfume! (Which he clearly is not!)

Do cats' smells often change like this? Why might it be? He's had this flowery smell for a few days now, so I don't think it's just something he's rolled in. Anyone else's cat have a smell?

(He likes to sit on my chest in front of my face while I watch telly, which is how I'm so well acquainted with his smell!)


----------



## Sinatra-Butters (Aug 9, 2010)

Sometimes Sinatra gets too curious and stands too close while I put perfume on. He then gets it on himself and smells pretty for awhile. Maybe he really is wearing perfume.


----------



## Jan Rebecca (Oct 14, 2010)

At least it's not a stinky smell - right??!!


----------



## littlebee (Mar 1, 2011)

Little Bee smells faintly sweet, too. Nobody in my house wears perfume, and she doesn't get baths, so it's just her. My theory is that, since she grooms herself quite a bit more than other cats I've had (her coat is also the softest of any cat I've had), it's her saliva that smells sweet once it's dried on her hair. 

In fact, I just googled it (been meaning to do it for awhile now!) and found this:

_Considering how much grooming your cat does, and how her breath smells after she’s just had a good meal, it’s quite impressive that cat fur smells so sweet. Some people describe the smell of a healthy cat’s fur as being like fresh-cut hay. The reason for this is that cats’ saliva contains a deodorizing component. _
_Grooming is not only a hygiene aid, it’s a survival necessity. After a cat has eaten his prey, he licks himself clean to remove all traces of his last meal. The deodorizers in his saliva keep him from alerting other prey that a predator is nearby and help to keep him from becoming the victim of a bigger predator._


----------



## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Do you use scented hand lotion? I've noticed if I pet the cats after putting on hand lotion, their coats get "perfumed". Maybe someone else is petting him? I have a friend who visits and always has perfumed hands, and I can smell it on the cats' heads for about a day afterwards, until a cat friend licks it off. Cat saliva is very deodorizing---I discovered that when I had a long hair stud cat and sometimes he would get a few drops of urine on his breeches. It would really stink, but after he groomed his breeches....like magic smell was gone. Would be great if cat saliva could be bottled!


----------



## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Scented cat litter?


----------



## raecarrow (Oct 27, 2009)

My kitties have a scent as well. Teddy has more of the "fresh" smell but Leo has more of a "musky" smell (not a bad smell though).


----------



## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

I noticed each of my cats smell slightly different and sometimes the small changes a bit depending on who washed who.. anyway between the smell of the fur and the varying softness of the different furs. I can usually tell who is mashed against my face sleeping in the dark 

Peppers has a sweet smell and fur that feels like silk. Blackjack and a somewhat musky smell and "heavy" somewhat course fur. Sherbert has a wheat smell and very short dense fur.


----------



## Cam (May 6, 2011)

Huh, well glad to know Bertie isn't the only one with a slightly odd smell. But I'm not knocking it, it's actually quite nice! 

In answer to some of the suggestions... I don't use scented hand lotion and don't think anyone who does could have been petting him - he's a bit wary of other people so he hides when we have visitors!
We have unscented cat litter and he's not allowed into the bedroom when I'm not there so don't think he's been bathing in my perfume!

Littlebee's suggestion is the only one that sounds like Bertie - he cleans himself all the time! In fact he's sat on me doing it right now! The only time he smells different is when he's just eaten and smells like catfood, but he quickly grooms that away.

Hmmm, maybe it's just him! I hope so cos it's quite pleasant!


----------



## Cam (May 6, 2011)

O, I just thought, we have some hyacinths flowering in the kitchen right now, but he can't get near them cos he's not big enough to jump onto the counters yet (I've seen him try...)

The whole house smells a bit like hyacinth, so could his fur sort of absorb the smell and make it linger on him?


----------



## faithless (Dec 4, 2009)

my gal usually smells faintly of cardboard, but occasionally she smells sweet


----------



## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

Whats amusing is how many people actually know how their cats smell .. on a normal day.. :cool

Sherbert was sitting on my lap last night and funny enough I found my self with my face buried in the fur at the back of his neck getting a wiff... and his smell is all wrong since he has a ear infection I have been treating, can't wait for that Classic Sherbert smell to return.


----------

