fear of sugar?

When I'm in the kitchen Nismo is always on the counter fussing around me to see what I'm doing. The last few times I've made a cup of tea, when I've been measuring my tea spoon of sugar, she has jumped from the counter and ran away. I didn't really think much about it, until tonight when I heard a noise outside as I was opening the sugar jar and paused for a second, then I noticed Nismo had this terrified look on her face so I poured some sugar back into the jar to see what she would do, and she ran away!! When I went after her she just ran away again!
She's obviously scared of the sugar but seriously, what on earth? Is anybody else's cat afraid of sugar?

It makes sort of a hissing noise if you listen very closely, maybe like a snake or a big scary bug.

It is weird though! See if she reacts the same way to salt or sand. They make similar noises.

I don't have any sugar, or I would find out if Zissou is afraid of it too. That's weird that Nismo is suddenly afraid of it just now though.

Maybe Nismo's just very conscious of her girlish figure.

I remember reading about a year ago that felines had just been found to have no way of tasting sugar. I don't remember if they don't smell it either, but I think that's true.

Honestly, I'd go with the sound before anything else (I doubt flour smells like food either), but this is a possiblity.

It could be the sound by itself, or she could have had something happen that was connected to pouring sugar (i.e. while pouring sugar, someone accidentally stepped on her tail, etc). Odo's afraid of bubbles. I have a bottle of catnip bubbles, and if I pick up the bottle, he freezes. If I open it, he runs from the room. He had sniffed a bubble once at it popped, so now he has a negative association with anything bubble related, including their container.

Thanks for the replies. I told OH about it tonight and he said once he was making tea and left the sugar jar open, Nismo went up to it, sniffed it and then sneezed. She must have gotten sugar up her nose and I can imagine that is NOT a nice feeling. Unfortunately he omitted to tell me about this so I guess this explains her fear of sugar and the sugar jar! Pretty similar to the cat nip bubbles. She just associates it with an unpleasant feeling. Aaaw

I hope she didn't sneeze into the sugar bowl.