I saw in another thread that a lady rubbed her cats with it? I think? I haven't had a response, so maybe someone else can answer it for me? I've never heard of such?
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What does vanilla extract do?
- Thread starter taurus77
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Actually, it works best to use real vanilla and not the extract because the alcohol will evaporate too quickly.
The "Vanilla Trick" as we call it here is when you dab a small amount of vanilla on two kitties' chins and at the base of their tails on their backs. You do this during introductions, when one has been/is sick, or when one has been to the vet and the other kitty is VERY unhappy. Cats recognize each other by scent, so if one smells different (vet smell or illness) they will see each other as invading their territory. The vanilla makes them smell alike, which they view as being friendly.
I'll move this to Behavior.
The "Vanilla Trick" as we call it here is when you dab a small amount of vanilla on two kitties' chins and at the base of their tails on their backs. You do this during introductions, when one has been/is sick, or when one has been to the vet and the other kitty is VERY unhappy. Cats recognize each other by scent, so if one smells different (vet smell or illness) they will see each other as invading their territory. The vanilla makes them smell alike, which they view as being friendly.
I'll move this to Behavior.
I think the idea is that if cat A smells different (new or has been to the vets), cat B will react aggressively. By rubbing them both with vanilla extract they will smell the same and cat B won't react badly to cat A.
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I'll be darned!! Didn't know that! Wish I knew that a long time ago. Thanks for answering me.
Oh wow...that's an EXCELLENT idea!! I never thought of that! I'm going to do that the next time one of my baby's has to go to the vet. Every time one or the other of them goes, for like the week after, Sunny growls, hisses, etc. at Hobbes (no matter which one of them went, mind you) because of the difference in smell. I just separated them for the week, but now I'm going to adopt that idea next time...Originally Posted by valanhb
Actually, it works best to use real vanilla and not the extract because the alcohol will evaporate too quickly.
The "Vanilla Trick" as we call it here is when you dab a small amount of vanilla on two kitties' chins and at the base of their tails on their backs. You do this during introductions, when one has been/is sick, or when one has been to the vet and the other kitty is VERY unhappy. Cats recognize each other by scent, so if one smells different (vet smell or illness) they will see each other as invading their territory. The vanilla makes them smell alike, which they view as being friendly.
I'll move this to Behavior.
I use a little vanilla on our cats chins at the cat shows if the smell of the other cats seems to be bothering them. It works to some extent by masking the smell of the other cats. The real vanilla does work best.
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Why vanilla though? Could you use anything else?
