Why don't cats like citrus fruits?

The cat family often surprises people with unusual behavior and strange habits. Cats' dislike of citrus fruits often raises many questions among their owners. In fact, there is a scientific explanation for this phenomenon.

Every cat owner has noticed that their pet has an unusual relationship with citrus fruits. As soon as you have an orange, tangerine or any other citrus in your hands, your pet will rush to leave you. This is not a coincidence, since cats do have a difficult relationship with such odors.

Felines are known to have a keen sense of smell. Its sensitivity is 14 times higher than that of humans. And of course, this allows cats to smell different smells much better than humans. But where does this hatred of citrus come from? Let's try to figure this out further.

Why cats can't tolerate citrus fruits

Veterinarians explain this fact as follows. When you press on the fruit peel (zest), a certain amount of essential oils . These same oils have a rather pungent odor that people themselves can smell.

Pets - cats have a more subtle and acute sense of smell. They react to all pungent odors and aromas that are unpleasant to them, which can come not only from citrus fruits, but, for example, from vinegar, onions, garlic; they even cannot smell air fresheners.

What to do if there is a strong odor

To avoid injuring your cat, do not leave foods that smell bad to her near the litter box or bowls.

If there is a strong smell, follow these steps:

Bring your cat food to another room and show it to her.
Ventilate the room.
Return the food to its place and again show that the bowls are in place.

Among the pleasant smells for animals are the smells of meat products, fish, and broth.

Cats also like the smell of valerian, but if you want to use it to attract an animal, make a weak solution. Valerian is a kind of drug for animals.

Help from citrus fruits

Cats' dislike for citrus fruits, of course, is an unpleasant moment in a cat's life for the animals themselves. However, such a nuisance can serve as an excellent way for a person to get rid of the so-called cat marks. The fact is that cats love to mark the boundaries of their personal habitat with their urine. Owners who love their mustachioed pets so much sometimes rack their brains on how to wean their cat from marking territory within their living space. A cat can only crap in one place, it is unknown for what reasons when choosing it, it will constantly mark only this place. But animals can also leave their marks in several places, this happens if there are several cats in the house. But not only do cats upset their owners with their marks, they can also spoil, leaving piles of excrement in places that are difficult for the owner to reach.

Also, cats can often sharpen their claws not on a skillfully made scratching post by the owner, but on upholstered furniture; chairs and sofas are suitable for this. Also, some cats simply love to chew on wires: telephone, Internet - they chew through these wires in a fairly short time.

What to do in this case? How can I get my beloved pet to stop marking his territory and damaging furniture and equipment? A way to solve this problem is to use citrus fruits in the fight against cat marks and their other pranks. You can scare a cat away by using his least favorite smells.

Many owners share on forums their methods of dealing with naughty cats. Some of them advise lubricating the wires using a product such as lemon essential oil . The animal only needs to smell it once, and he will completely lose the desire to chew on the wires in the oiled place, and maybe he will decide not to encroach on the wire anymore. In those places where the cat leaves marks, you can also drip a few drops of citrus essential oil, or spread orange or tangerine zest there.

Lemon essential oil

The most important thing in this method of struggle is not to overdo it . Owners should not forget that citrus fruits can cause an allergic reaction in animals. Veterinarians, however, note that the pungent odors emitted by citrus fruits can disrupt the activity of the glands located on the cat’s nose, which in turn are responsible for the sense of smell.

Folk recipes for mixed (multicomponent) odors to repel cats

It is better to have already prepared mixed odors in stock, which will quickly solve the problem of furniture damage. The most effective are the following:

A mixture of essential oils of citronella, lavender, mint, orange, lemongrass. Other compositions are also possible, for example, cinnamon, citronella, lemongrass and rosemary oils. To prepare a homemade repellent, you need to take 1 part of a mixture of essential oils and 3 parts of water. After this, the mixture can be sprayed on furniture or carpet, or cotton swabs soaked in this liquid can be placed in places where the cat is not allowed to appear.
Herbal tincture. A mixture of lavender, cayenne pepper, and rosemary is effective. These herbs should be added to boiling water, and after 5 minutes, strain the liquid. You can use the liquid after it has cooled. It should be sprayed on furniture, clothes or flowers.

Are citrus fruits really dangerous for cats?

There are exceptions among cats that do not like the smell of citrus fruits. Some animals can eat oranges and tangerines with great pleasure. Despite this fact, these food products will not bring any benefit to mustachios, so there is no need to feed them to pets. Cats do not eat citrus fruits, this is due to the fact that they have a more pronounced sense of smell, but males do not mind eating exotic fruits.

Most often, according to statistics, lovers of citrus fruits are cats with a red color.

How much can you give?

Based on the above, scientists recommend not pampering your pets and giving no more than 1-2 slices of sweet tangerines per day. The norm for consumption of citrus fruits and other treats for pets is considered to be no more than 10% of the daily amount of calories “eaten”.

As for vitamin C, the dog is not at risk of overvitaminosis. Veterinarians believe that since ascorbic acid is a water-soluble vitamin, its excess does not accumulate in the body, but is excreted in the urine. Some dogs may become deficient in vitamin C if they experience increased physical activity, particularly service dogs working in extreme conditions. But tangerines and oranges are not the source of replenishing the deficiency that the animal requires. In this case, experts recommend using special vitamin supplements, and leaving tangerines as a treat.

The maximum consumption rate, even as a treat, depends on the age of the pet. It is better not to give citrus fruits to puppies under 7 months of age - their digestive system has not yet fully formed. At an older age, you can give your pet one slice for the first time to check if an allergic reaction suddenly appears, then citrus fruits should be taboo, replacing them with apples and other fruits and berries.

Important!

Tangerines and oranges should not be given to older animals, since even a minimal amount of acid can cause irritation of the intestinal mucosa and problems with stool.

Tangerines should not be fed to pregnant or lactating females, as citrus fruits can cause allergic reactions in puppies.

The cat is not afraid of citrus fruits

There are cases when cats that previously reacted to the smell of citrus fruits do not run away in panic at the sight of an orange, grapefruit or tangerine being peeled, as they did before. This happens for the following reasons:

The cat may have an infectious disease, as a result of which his nose is simply clogged.
Animals may experience disturbances in the functioning of the glands responsible for the sense of smell.
Modern stores are simply flooded with fruits and vegetables treated with paraffin, which gives the fruit a more attractive and at the same time aesthetic appearance, so necessary for the sale of goods. This very paraffin can muffle the smell of essential oils released by the zest of citrus fruits.

Special deterrents

At the pet store you can purchase special cat repellents that can help get rid of persistent cat odors in the house. The following commercial sprays have a negative impact on cats:

NM JFC Pet Block Cat Repellent Spray. The solution has a high concentration of strong-smelling substances, which allows the unpleasant aroma to persist for a long time.
"Beafar" STOP IT CAT. Cat repellent spray that smells like acetone.
Mr. Fresh "Protection from scratches". Inexpensive pet repellent with low cost.
Repeller spray “True Friend 4 in 1”. With its help, it is possible to wean the cat from scratching upholstered furniture and shitting in unauthorized areas of the apartment/house.
"Stop problem." Cats and dogs cannot tolerate the smell of the solution, and the treatment is carried out until the pet loses the habit of relieving itself where it is not supposed to.

Since cats do not like purchased products, they will quickly stop damaging the furniture and empty themselves outside the tray. Such protective solutions are produced in the form of sprays that are easy to spray. Such a measure is educational for the cat and can be carried out until the cat improves. The effectiveness is much higher if you use repellents indoors. It is not recommended to use a spray on the area, since this measure is not effective. Unlike folk remedies, purchased products not only drive away the cat, but also help eliminate unpleasant cat stains that have already appeared on furniture and in corners.

Mysterious nature

You can easily scare your pet away from the place of harm, but he will find something new. Therefore, it is important to understand the reasons for the animal’s bad behavior.

The animal must have its own pot with suitable filler.
Place for claw point.
Toys that can be chewed.

The cause of unwanted behavior may be the pet’s poor health. Take care of his health so that you can live together.

Useful tips

The cat sharpens its claws on upholstered furniture/wallpaper, etc. Treat these areas with citrus scents. Provide him with a special scratching post and isolate him until the animal gets used to it.
Marks. The best option is castration; it is very difficult to fight physiology.
Shit. Choose a convenient tray and filler. Treat the places where the cat went to the toilet and limit access to them until the cat “forgets the way there.”
Chews wires. This not only causes damage to the owner, but is also very dangerous for the animal, as electric shock is possible. All wires in the house should be hidden; now there are convenient baseboards, plastic boxes and other design solutions for this.

What are the reasons

A cat is a graceful animal, whose distinguishing feature is considered to be an excellent sense of smell. The vomeronasal organ (Jacobson's tube), which is located at the base of the oral cavity, smoothly passing behind the front teeth, is responsible for the animal's excellent sense of smell. Such a tube is capable of perceiving any odors and transmitting impulses to the olfactory areas of the brain.

Despite the fact that a furry pet is a kind and affectionate friend for its owner, it remains a predator whose genetic ability is to track and capture prey. Therefore, smells are very important information for such an animal. With the help of such information, animals are able to get used to their surroundings, communicate and delimit territory.

And sometimes this may not seem entirely clear to the potential owner of the animal; many cat behaviors can be controlled by addressing the pet in the language of smell. Such “words” can be divided into the following points :

smells that repel pets;
scents that attract them.

But, first of all, it is important for the owner to instill in the pet respect for prohibitions, therefore repellent aromas are most relevant.