What do cats hate the most? Things we do, and smells

Do cats hate baths?

Most do, and most don’t need one. Cats typically spend between 30 and 50 percent of their day grooming themselves, Cornell Feline Health Center says, and Cats Protection says there usually isn’t any need to bathe a cat.

A bath can even do harm. It can strip the coat of the natural oils that keep the skin healthy and add a layer of waterproofing. It’s also stressful for most cats, who don’t like water or having certain parts of their body rubbed and touched. Cats Protection’s advice is to bathe your cat only if your vet has recommended it.

What to do instead: brush the dirt out of the fur. If a dry brush won’t shift it, wipe the fur with a soft, damp cloth.

Not sure your cat needs a wash at all? Do cats need baths? on Lapka Care goes through why most don’t, and who does.

Do cats hate belly rubs?

When your cat rolls onto their back and shows you their belly, take it as a compliment. Cats Protection reads it as a sign that your cat is comfortable around you and trusts you. International Cat Care calls it a social roll: usually a friendly greeting, and not an invitation for a belly rub.

The belly is a vulnerable spot. For most cats a rub there would be a betrayal of trust, Cats Protection says, and they may grab your hand and attack it, or run away. Battersea puts the stomach and the base of the tail in its red zone, where the majority of cats won’t like being stroked.

What to do instead: when your cat rolls over, gently stroke their head or cheeks. Cheeks, head and chin are Battersea’s green zone, the places lots of friendly cats enjoy a stroke.

Do cats hate being picked up?

Many do. Some cats enjoy being picked up and held, but many don’t enjoy being restrained like that, and Cats Protection says that’s completely normal. Vets at PDSA point out that for a cat who isn’t feeling sociable, being picked up can be very frustrating, especially as they don’t have a say over when the hugs end.

You can usually tell. A cat who isn’t a hugger scarpers when you come towards them with open arms, or dashes off the moment you let go. Leave a sleeping or hiding cat where they are. International Cat Care says a cat should never be held when they don’t want to be.

What to do instead: let your cat make the first move. It usually comes as a gentle rub against you. Let them come to you, and PDSA promises what it calls consensual kitty cuddles. A cat’s affection can’t be rushed, and keeping things on their terms is how they learn to trust you.

Do cats hate it when you stare at them?

A long stare can feel like a threat. PDSA says cats can find direct eye contact quite threatening: a cat wouldn’t look another cat straight in the face unless they were up for a fight.

A slow blink says the opposite. The eyes narrow, then close for a moment. University of Sussex researchers found that cats were more likely to slow blink at their owners after the owners had slow blinked at them. In a second test, with a researcher the cats didn’t know, they were more likely to approach the researcher’s outstretched hand after a slow blink. The first experiment had 21 cats from 14 households, the second 24 more.

To try it, Professor Karen McComb suggests narrowing your eyes as you would in a relaxed smile, then closing them for a couple of seconds. If your cat catches your eye, Cats Protection adds, blink slowly and then calmly look away.

Why “puss puss puss” isn’t the best way to call your cat

Most cats have learned that a person kneeling down and calling means fuss is on the way. The problem is the “s”. PDSA says that “s” noise really sounds like hissing to a cat’s ears.

Try meowing at them instead. Adult cats don’t really meow at one another, but they do use meows to talk to us.

Is a laser pointer bad for cats?

Cats love the chase, but a laser dot gives them nothing to catch. Vets at PDSA say this can leave your cat frustrated, still trying to get their paws on a prize that isn’t there. Cats Protection adds that tricking or teasing a cat with toys like lasers can lead to a lack of trust and build behavioural issues.

What to do instead: mix laser games with a game where your cat can catch something. A wand toy is great for this, or you can shine the dot onto a catnip-filled toy for your cat to pounce on. If you’d like those few minutes of play to turn into a trick, a Lapka programme plans the sessions and adjusts them after each one.

What smells do cats hate?

Their eyesight isn’t as strong as ours, so cats rely much more on scent and sound to understand the world around them, Cats Protection says. Its magazine adds they have 200 million scent receptors, more than most breeds of dog, so they are very sensitive to strong smells. A very strong scent can simply be too much for them.

PDSA says most cats really don’t like the smell of lemons and oranges. Any change to the way their home smells can be disorienting too, a bit like someone sneaking in and painting all your walls while you sleep.

What smells do cats hate that are safe?

Cats Protection keeps two lists. The first is its household cat deterrents, for keeping a cat away from one part of your home or garden: citrus fruits such as lemons, limes and oranges (the peel or the juice), cinnamon, bananas or banana peel, a lavender plant, a rosemary plant, a mint plant, including peppermint and spearmint, and paprika, used only a little.

The second is scents cats dislike just as much but that can be harmful to them, so never use these to keep a cat away: onion and garlic, coffee grounds, cayenne, black and white pepper, vinegar, bleach, essential oils, citronella oil or spray, the pennyroyal plant and mustard powder.

A plant and its oil are different things. A lavender or mint plant is on the first list, but Cats Protection says most essential oils are toxic to cats, among them lavender, peppermint, citrus, eucalyptus and tea tree oil. Keep your cat out of rooms with reed or plug-in diffusers, and don’t clean with essential oils. If you think your cat has touched or eaten one, contact your vet straight away, even if they seem fine. Call at once, too, if you see any of these signs: a lot of dribbling, shaking or trembling, being unsteady on their paws, dullness or lethargy, vomiting, trouble breathing or breathing with the mouth open, collapse or seizures.

Scented litter, air fresheners and lemon cleaners

Fragrances that seem mild to us can be overwhelming to a cat, and Cats Protection says a strong scent may even put some cats off using their tray. The RSPCA says the same: don’t use very strong-smelling cleaners, air fresheners or scented litter. Cornell adds that most cats prefer unscented litter.

Keep smells down by cleaning the tray often, with hot soapy water or a cat-safe cleaner. Leave lemon-fresh cleaners out of it: PDSA warns they could put your cat off the tray. And if you’re cleaning up an accident outside it, Cornell says to avoid products with ammonia or vinegar, which smell like urine and can be irritating.

Bleach is the odd one out. Some owners have seen their cat take an interest in it, and Cats Protection explains why: the chlorine in bleach is believed to imitate the smell of certain cat pheromones. So don’t clean up cat pee with bleach, it says, because your cat is likely to pee on the same spot again. Bleach is also highly toxic to cats, so if your cat comes into contact with it, call your vet straight away.

Wash their bedding with a gentle detergent that isn’t full of strong smells, and not all of it at once. Your cat will be happier if at least one blanket still smells familiar.

What do cats love instead?

A box. In a Utrecht University study, 19 newly arrived shelter cats were split at random into two groups: 10 got a hiding box and 9 didn’t. On days 3 and 4 the cats with a box had lower stress scores. Both groups were at the same level by day 14, but the box group got there around day 3. These were shelter cats settling in, not pets at home.

Smells they like. Cats Protection names catnip, valerian, silver vine, honeysuckle and thyme, and says all these plants are safe for cats.

And the gentler version of everything above: a stroke on the cheeks and chin, a slow blink, a toy they can actually catch, and cuddles that start when your cat comes to you.