Cats are incredibly sensitive creatures with advanced sensory capabilities. Their senses of smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing are all much more powerful than humans’. This heightened sensory perception is crucial for cats to survive in the wild. However, it also means that cats can be easily overwhelmed or irritated by certain sensations that humans may not even notice.
Understanding what cats hate in terms of sensations can help cat owners create a comfortable environment for their feline friends. Some common stimuli that cats dislike involve their senses of smell, touch, sight, and hearing. Being aware of these sensitivities allows owners to make adjustments to their homes and routines.
Smells
Cats have a far superior sense of smell compared to humans. Their small, wedge-shaped noses contain around 200 million odor sensors, while humans only have about 5 million. This means cats experience scents on an entirely different level. Smells we might find pleasant or barely notice at all can be overpowering for cats.
Strong perfumes and household chemicals top the list of smells cats hate. The powerful fragrances found in perfumes, air fresheners, laundry detergents, and cleaning products can cause irritation or even nausea in cats. It’s best to avoid using these items, especially around a cat’s food, water, and litter boxes.
Citrus scents are also unpleasant for many cats. The strong citrusy smells of lemon, orange, lime, and grapefruit are often overwhelming. Cats also dislike the smell of ripe bananas or apples. Rotting or fermented smells may indicate spoiled food to them.
Pungent spices like chili powder, black pepper, cayenne, cinnamon, or mint tend to repel cats. Herbs like lavender, basil, and rosemary can also be too strong. Even though humans enjoy these spice smells, they irritate cats’ sensitive noses.
Surprisingly, cats are typically repelled by the scent of citronella. Many cat repellent sprays contain this odor. The smell of tobacco and cigarettes can also deter cats.
On the other hand, there are certain smells that appeal to cats. Catnip is famous for attracting and stimulating cats. Valerian is another herb that intrigues them. The scents of certain foods, like tuna or salmon, can pique their interest as well.
How to Avoid Bothersome Smells
- Open windows regularly to circulate fresh air.
- Avoid using strong-scented cleaners and air fresheners.
- Store human perfumes and colognes in closed dresser drawers.
- Wash bedding in unscented laundry detergent.
- Keep litter boxes clean and free of strong ammonia smells.
- Place citrus peels and other unpleasant fragrances out of reach.
Sounds
Cats have excellent hearing designed to detect high-frequency sounds. Their outer ears can rotate up to 180 degrees to precisely pinpoint sound sources. While humans can hear sound frequencies up to around 20 kHz, cats can hear frequencies up to 64 kHz.
With ears tuned for picking up tiny scurrying sounds of prey, sudden loud noises are extremely irritating and even painful for cats. Vacuums, blenders, lawnmowers, and other loud appliances disturb cats. Construction sounds like hammering, sawing, and drilling can also upset them.
Even the normal sounds of busy households, like TVs or music, can become bothersome when they are too loud. Rambunctious children yelling and stomping around tend to frazzle cats. The jangling sound of bells on their collars can ring painfully in their ears.
Cats are often startled by abrupt, unpredictable sounds like objects crashing to the floor. Slamming doors and cabinet drawers disturb them too. Even loud human voices, footsteps, or snoring can irritate them, especially at night.
However, not all sounds upset cats. They seem soothed by certain gentle, rhythmic sounds. Purring and crackingling fireplaces appeal to them and help them relax. Some cats are calmed by the soft ticking of clocks or a ceiling fan’s whirring.
How to Minimize Annoying Noises
- Provide background white noise like a fan or radio static.
- Use rugs, curtains, and furniture to absorb louder sounds.
- Avoid abrupt loud voices, stomping feet, and slammed doors.
- Muffle appliance sounds by running at quieter times.
- Close windows and doors to decrease outside construction noise.
- Remove bells from collars.
Touch
Cats have sensitive skin and coat nerve endings that detect touch, pressure, vibration, and texture. Their touch receptors, called tactile hairs, are concentrated heavily around the face and ears. Cats use these hairs to explore objects and the environment.
Touch that cats dislike tends to fall into two categories: threatening pressure and unwanted contact. Deep pressure that restricts movement or puts cats in vulnerable positions stresses them out. Likewise, tight squeezing or restraint triggers panic and the urge to escape.
Cats also dislike human handling that invades their space. Pat pats or pokes in sensitive spots like their belly, back, and base of their tail are unappreciated. They are not fond of rough petting that pulls at their fur or skin either. Younger children tend to pet too forcefully.
Excessive unwanted petting and holding is a common complaint, even if gentle. Cats prefer to approach people themselves for attention instead of being approached. Grabbing out of nowhere or hovering nearby can make cats wary.
Cats are often picky about where and how much they are touched. Most cats do not enjoy belly rubs or scratches near their paws. Stroking near their ears or under their chin is preferred. Letting cats rub up against ankles or wrists respects their boundaries.
Tactile discomfort can also arise from surfaces and fabrics. Sticky adhesives and clumping litter make cats miserable. Pointy sequins or beads sewn on beds and collars annoy. Even soft materials like wool or velvet can be overstimulating.
How to Avoid Unpleasant Textures and Touch
- Trim nails to prevent accidental scratches.
- Work in brief, gentle handling sessions to build trust.
- Learn your cat’s signals for overstimulation.
- Pet in preferred areas like under the chin, cheeks, and back.
- Brush cats to remove loose fur they shed.
- Provide appropriate scratching posts and pads.
- Use soft, washable fabrics for beds and blankets.
Sight
Cats have excellent vision adapted for hunting small, quick prey even in low light. Their eyes have a visual field of 200 degrees compared to humans’ 180 degrees. Peripheral vision is their strength, while humans see straight ahead better.
Bright lights are uncomfortable for cats as their eyes are extremely light-sensitive. They have reflective eye tissue to enhance night vision, so glare from lamps, spotlights, camera flashes and sunlight is painful. Light reflecting off white walls or floors dazzles them too.
Fast-moving objects also alarm cats visually. Spinning ceiling fan blades appear to be looming threats. Cars or people zipping by windows can make cats startle. Even pets chasing each other may incite panic.
Disorienting situations like being carried upside down distress cats. Taking stairs or being lifted onto high surfaces makes them dizzy. Placing cats in front of mirrors is also upsetting because they do not understand their reflection.
However, there are also visual experiences cats enjoy. Watching birds, squirrels, and other wildlife outside engages them. Some cats are mesmerized observing aquariums. Cat video entertainment with birds, mice, and balls captivates them too.
How to Avoid Disturbing Sights
- Provide shady spots to retreat from the sun.
- Use dimmers on lights when possible.
- Keep lamps and ceiling fans off when not needed.
- Close curtains at night to buffer indoor and outdoor lights.
- Face a cat away from dizzying motions like spinning fans.
- Carry cats facing your chest, not dangling upside down.
Taste
Cats experience tastes similarly to humans in terms of flavor categories like sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory (umami). However, cats have only around 500 taste buds compared to humans’ 9,000. Their sense of taste is 14 times weaker than ours.
So there are not too many tastes cats react negatively to unless they conflict with what their bodies need. Most cat taste aversions relate to smelly foods that do not seem fresh or have unfamiliar textures.
Citrus fruits and juices are typically unappealing to cats as the tart, sour taste is too intense. They dislike sweet sugary foods since they cannot properly digest and metabolize sugars. Heavily salted foods make cats gag or drool. Too much salt interrupts electrolyte balance in the body.
Spicy hot seasonings containing capsaicin burn cats’ mouths, causing distress. Pungent spices like black pepper, chili powder, cayenne, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, curry, and mustard completely repulse cats.
Bitter medicinal flavors found in antibiotic pills or ear and eye drops make medication dosing a battle. Anything tasting rotten or spoiled indicates the food has gone bad. Unpleasant meat or fish with a fishy or gamey flavor is rejected.
Most human sweets like cake, cookies, and candy are uninteresting to cats at best. But there are several flavors cats love. Foods with rich glutamate tastes like meats, fish, seafood, and broths entice them. Catnip has a unique, pleasant smell and flavor.
How to Avoid Offensive Tastes
- Do not feed cats citrus, salty snacks, sugar, or spice seasonings.
- Give medications in soft treats to mask the flavor.
- Use pill pocket treats designed to hide pills.
- Look for vet-approved `fish or meat flavored` medication options.
- Coat pills in butter, tuna juice, or parmesan cheese.
Conclusion
Cats have sensory abilities far beyond humans in terms of smell, hearing, sight, touch, and taste. But their heightened sensitivity comes with some downsides in terms of stimuli they dislike. Being aware of things that bother cats involving these senses allows owners to make their homes cat-friendly.
Eliminating or reducing intense smells, loud abrupt sounds, uncomfortable textures, visually disturbing motions, and unappealing flavors improves cats’ quality of life. Creating a soothing environment cats feel secure in prevents stress and anxiety. Knowing what senses cats hate gives owners the knowledge to protect their comfort.