Anyone else expierenced this?

I have 4 cats, all different ages and backrounds. Well 3 of these 4 cats love the smell of bleach, especially when it is on my hand from cleaning something. They treat it like it is cat nip, they roll on top of my hand, lick it and eventually bite it (not hard). When the first one started doing it she was an only cat and I thought it was just her personality (she is a little strange) but now 2 of the younger ones do it. One of the cats at my work dous it too. I was just curious if anyone else had come across this one before.

I did grow up with a cat who loved the smell of Ben-Gay, Vicks vapor rub and soap, but she was always a little off to begin with.

Isn't it dangerous to cats? If they like it, you will need to keep it especially carefully locked up?

I have heard of cats being attracted to bleach. I hate bleach, I don't use it at all, well I have a bleach pen for stains, but thats it. I would worry about them smelling it since it burns my eyes and nose when I smell it and it seems they would be more sensitive.

It is always diluted. The one cat after I do a load of whites (with bleach in it) she buries herself in the laundry till you make her get out. At work we use a bleach and laudry soap mixture to clean out the cages (at a vet's office), after I clean cages I wash my hands, but when I get home it is a race to see who can get to my hand to smell it first. I clean everything with bleach because it kills most everything, especially animal virus's and bacteria that I would not want spread to my pets (feline leukemia, parvo, upper respiratory infections). So maybe it is just what they have grown up with and come to like the smell of.

OK, I was just thinking of posting this question last night. My Jordan LOVES the smell of bleach. I use cleaners with bleach for my toilet & bath tub. (When I clean the bath tub I lock them out of the room until I'm done & have totally rinsed the tub). A couple weeks ago after I had finished cleaning the tub & opend the door, Jordan started rolling around on the floor like maniac & acting like there was cat nip on the floor. Then last night I was cleaning my toilet & he did the same thing. I just thought he was crazy. The vics thing too. The last time I was sick I put on some vics & Jordan kept trying to lick it off. The other two hate the smell, but Jordan doesn't seem to be as sensitive to smells. I've used some bubble bath that the other two won't even come in the room with, but Jordan will sit on the edge of the tub & sniff the water.

I don't know about bleach because I hate the stuff, but my one cat Jessie loves peppermint oil. I bought the essential oil to use on my scalp (because I read it helps to stimulate hair growth), and I used it to massage my feet a few times... well Jessie just goes NUTS when she smells the oil and will lick anywhere the peppermint oil has touched! She goes nuts over that like the other cats go nuts over catnip.

That's funny & it just reminded me the other thing Jordan loves is the soap around my razor blade (I use Shick Intuition).If I don't rinse my legs really well after shaving he follows me around & tries to lick my legs, which tickles something terrible.

I have one that likes to lick your legs when you get out of the shower "to help you dry off", it does tickle

Baylee likes bleach... I was cleaning a bathroom the other day and when I was done I washed my hands repeatedly... but the smell of bleach still lingered. Well that night Baylee came and cuddled with me in bed and started licking my hands like crazy... and then she zonked out. I freaked out, thinking she had ingested some chemicals and it had hurt her, turns out she was just tired!

So that's why Mac likes to supervise my cleaning of the bathroom. . . The other two don't seem to be affected.

Valtteri loves bleach. I use it to clean my shower walls and floor. After I have rinsed it valtteri will come and roll on the floor and lick the walls. He looks absolutely blissful, it's far better than catnip.

If I've forgotten to wear gloves after cleaning the litter boxes with bleach, Merlin will follow me around for hours trying to bury his nose in my hands. I had always thought he was just odd.

Our cat Elmer likes to try to get various creams like neosporin or something that would not be good for him, I cant quite remember what it was. It makes it very tough to use some things when the cat is trying to lick it off your foot or leg or whatever.

I know this is an old thread, but I am so relieved to hear that other people have bleach-huffing cats. Whenever we use Tilex on the mildew in the bathroom, we have to close both doors that lead to the bathroom and blockade the bottom of the outside one so Pandora won't lie there with her nose pressed to the crack. If it's not good for me to inhale, I'm pretty sure it's not good for her tiny lungs, but she will not be civilized about bleach. Unlike 'nip, which she can walk away from after a few minutes and more often than not ignores, the first time we caught her in this ridiculous orgasmic bleach-huffing behavior even the spray bottle couldn't dissuade her! Maybe we can get our cats into a 12 step program for bleach?

Pieces,

Joanne

Spaz goes ape over Irish Spring deodorant soap.