My 8 month old cat seems to lose his mind when I get out the bleach/water mixture to clean my white kitchen counters. He jumps onto the counter, rolls around on it and licks it. Then we get into a cycle of him jumping up and my removing him until one of us gets tired of it. I've never seen a cat act like this except with catnip. What's up with this weird behavior?

koriani

Hello,

I have never heard of this in my 10 years as a vet tech, although, I know cats can like things such as hairspray and lotion, so bleach isn't too much of a stretch.

Bleach isn't really as bad as one might think. The most you might see is vomitting which is really the worst thing because the reflux of bleach could cause damage to the esophogus. One would have to ingest a glassfull to have serious side effects.

Still, try to keep the cat away as much as possible to avoid any complications. Maybe you could shut the cat in a bathroom while you clean?

Hope this helps.

Regards,

charry244

I have four young cats that do the exact same thing when I bleach my kitchen counters. The behavior is as if I gave them a scoop of catnip. I have never heard of this and I am an advance cat owner--have dealt with several in my life. I can't find any information that explains this behavior or even others who have cats who do this.

Kim

I have 4 cats. Only 1 of them has the bleach/chlorine thing. She goes nuts in a basket of clean whites and rolls around on top of the washer while its in use with a bleach product. If I've cleaned using a chlorine product..she rubs, licks and then attacks my hands. She will chatter to me while I still have the scent on me. I'd love to investigate this phenomenon and see why this happens.

BengalFan

I have been searching for MONTHS for the answer to this exact question (or find other cats who share the same fetish)!!!

I have 4 little savages but only one (the only female - she's 8) goes bonkers over the smell of chlorine! I thought it might be a female/kitten thing. She's very 'maternal' to the other cats (and my balls of knitting yarn -- they all end up under the bed during a storm), so I thought the smell might mimic the scent of a baby kitten.

I first noticed it when I got a new hot tub and changed from bromine to chlorine. Whenever I come back in the house from a soak, she follows me around nipping at anything she can sink her pointy little teeth into. She will smoosh her face (and teeth) into my cotton terry robe to get at the scent (flavor?)! It's quite embarassing when I have company over as she will nip at their calves and ankles, too!

The funny thing is that she is quite persistent and I have to keep an eye on her otherwise she will sneak up and pounce on me . Of course, it has since become our little game. ;D

I'm so very curious to know why this is.

Sabacat

I didn't ask those who replied but were your cats who went nuts for chlorine kittens? My cat just turned one year old and suddenly he could care less about the chlorine smell. I think that BengalFan is on the right track about it being a kitten thing (under 1 yr old) and something they seem to grow out of. Still wonder why some of them are crazy for it, though!

BengalFan

My cat is 8 and not a kitten! She is, however, very maternal to the other cats which is why I thought it might be a kitten smell thing -- chlorine on my skin smells like a kitten to her that she feels needs to nuzzled around. She doesn't out and out bite, but rather she 'sneaks' nips.

They are all such odd little critters! Good thing they are so darn cute!

gcr

I have 3 cats and 2 of them love the bleach smell. They are 13 and 14 years old and one has always been this way and the other just more recently. When I clean the bathrooms they immediately pick up on it no matter where they are in the house and come strolling in there and wallow on the floor the entire time I'm cleaning!

orange

My cat also likes the smell of bleach and anything that contains bleach - comet, draino, etc. I have to keep him away from the kitchen and bathroom when I'm cleaning, or else he will attempt to lick up the cleaner! He is almost 10 years old and has always behaved this way.

Steevo

Our two 18 month Chinchilla persians usually go completely nuts when we come home from the pool and toss our swimming clothes on the floor.. They roll, smooch and bite (in a playful manner) at anything that smells of chlorine as well they make little chirping/chortleing sounds while they are under the 'spell'..

I'm going to get the handicam out each night when I get home from the pool this week and next.. if I capture something worthy, I'll post it.

Cheers

Steve