Pet Project: Here are what scents to avoid if you don't want to trigger your cat
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There's nothing worse than walking into a room that has a commanding candle fragrance. Or, when you're walking down the street and you catch a big whiff of a musky perfume on a passerby.
Just like humans, cats can be finnicky when it comes to smells. But here's the kicker, a lot of the scents we prefer our homes to smell like, can actually trigger our felines.
A cat's sense of smell is stronger than you think. What humans can smell from 10 feet away, a cat can smell 140 feet away -- that's half the length of a football field.
Pennsylvania SPCA advocate, Carol Erickson shows in this week's edition of CBS3 Pet Project how and why a cat's sense of smell is significant to their emotional comfort.
Cats can be triggered by spices, strong seasonings, citrus and even some fruits. More specifically, cats strongly dislike the smell of overripe bananas and essential oils, like tea tree, peppermint, cinnamon, pine and wintergreen.
Erickson said pet owners should avoid putting any of those scents in, or near their cat's litter box.
Try to use unscented cat litter instead. Also, avoid using scented cleaning products around the house to keep the peace with your pet.
You can watch the full interview with Erickson in the video player above.