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by Nikkie737 on May 20th, 2005

Nikkie737

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My cat goes nuts whenever I put on vicks vapo rub or carmex. She goes all wacky on me. She's even tried to bite me. Why does the smell of those things do that to her?

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  • by joshbarfield on July 17th, 2010

    joshbarfield

    Menthol is very appealing to some cats. Some try to lick or eat Vicks or Carmex, some get horny as well. Cats bite when they're wanting to EAT something, and when they're horny. Your cat was either trying to eat the Vicks or showing it's, uh, excitement after smelling it. It was NOT attacking you because it somehow deduced that you were responsible for introducing the 'irritating odor', then deciding that if it attacked you, you would clear the air of the offensive smell, because it knew that you, somehow, would know that he was attacking you because of that particular odor, and as a result of that attack, would do exactly what he wanted...I can't believe someone would actually suggest this, then pawn it off as the advice of a vet. If a vet actually said this, I wouldn't trust him for flea meds!

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  • by neoepiphany on May 26th, 2005

    neoepiphany

    A cat's nose is much more sensitive than yours or mine. My cat used to have a similar reaction to Vicks Vapo Rub, and our vet said that it was probably because the strong odor hurt her nose (in the same way a particularly loud sound hurts your ears). She "goes wacky" because she is uncomfortable and confused by the strange odor. While carmex does not have an exceptionally strong smell, it might be enough to affect her.

    If it's a problem, you might try switching from carmex to a product with a more neutral odor (such as the excellent balm from Burt's Bees). Vapo Rub, however, is irreplacable. We compromised by putting the Vapo Rub on a warm, damp flannel rather than directly on the skin. It's equally therapeutic, and it enables you to keep the smell away from Kitty.

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