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Expert Cat Care Advice
Why does my cat have a bleach fetish?
Dr Jo Lewis MRCVS | 13 Sep 2021 | 5 min read
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Many cats seem to have a bleach fetish so this isn't as crazy a question as you may think. The chlorine in bleach (and also the ammonia in other cleaning products) can smell rather like the biochemical odour of cat wee. Cats can smell things we can't because of their supersensitive sense of smell too, so what may be an undetectable level of bleach for us may be really potent to a cats nose.
Some cats are so convinced that the bleach smells like cat pee that they may start to urinate on these areas so bear this in mind next time you contemplate breaking out the Domestos! Other kitties seem to be particularly attracted to the smell of bleach and can put on quite a performance when they encounter a surface that it's been used on. It's not unlike the excited rolling and purring and cheek rubbing you see with cat nip actually. Although this response may seem harmless enough, if your cat rubs in bleach and then licks it off they are essentially ingesting an irritant poison (sodium hypochlorite).
Bleach disinfects surfaces because its superpower is breaking down proteins present in viruses, bacteria and fungi. But it's this protein-destroying property that also makes bleach corrosive to proteins in animal tissues. It causes ulceration of eyes, skin, paws pads, the lining of the airways, mouth and rest of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms of exposure to bleach therefore include drooling, difficulty/pain on swallowing, vomiting and abdominal pain or painful eyes (watery red eyes, squinting/closed eye(s), rubbing at eyes).
You should always avoid allowing your cats access to areas of your house where you are using products containing bleach because it's poisonous to cats - the more concentrated the solution, the worse the damage.
Some cats are so convinced that the bleach smells like cat pee that they may start to urinate on these areas so bear this in mind next time you contemplate breaking out the Domestos! Other kitties seem to be particularly attracted to the smell of bleach and can put on quite a performance when they encounter a surface that it's been used on. It's not unlike the excited rolling and purring and cheek rubbing you see with cat nip actually. Although this response may seem harmless enough, if your cat rubs in bleach and then licks it off they are essentially ingesting an irritant poison (sodium hypochlorite).
Bleach disinfects surfaces because its superpower is breaking down proteins present in viruses, bacteria and fungi. But it's this protein-destroying property that also makes bleach corrosive to proteins in animal tissues. It causes ulceration of eyes, skin, paws pads, the lining of the airways, mouth and rest of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms of exposure to bleach therefore include drooling, difficulty/pain on swallowing, vomiting and abdominal pain or painful eyes (watery red eyes, squinting/closed eye(s), rubbing at eyes).
You should always avoid allowing your cats access to areas of your house where you are using products containing bleach because it's poisonous to cats - the more concentrated the solution, the worse the damage.
My top tips:
Keeping cats safe when using bleach around your home
Always keep any cats away from the source of bleach and the surfaces being cleaned:
Never mix bleach with other cleaning products/chemicals as toxic gases can be produced.
Always keep any cats away from the source of bleach and the surfaces being cleaned:
- Keep toilet lids closed (some cats do drink from the bowl!).
- Don't leave bleach solution lying around in mop buckets, sinks or troughs for curious cats to investigate, sniff, paw, lick or splash into their face.
- Clean up any spills quickly by diluting and wiping.
Never mix bleach with other cleaning products/chemicals as toxic gases can be produced.
What dilution of bleach is effective but safe with a cat in the household?
Household bleach (5 - 6% strength hypochlorite) should ideally be used at a 1:32 dilution if a cat is in the house - this concentration is effective for most daily purposes if left for 10-15 minutes contact time. Any stronger and it is likely to be very dangerous to humans and cats. Any more dilute, and it risks not doing the job of disinfection. A 1:32 dilution seems to be the best balance between harm to pathogens and is less likely to cause damage to your cat provided it is rinsed and dried before allowing your cat near treated surfaces/objects.
For disinfecting objects or surfaces exposed to more resilient organisms such as during an outbreak of disease (eg the cat flu viruses), it's more effective to use a stronger 1:10 solutions for 30 minutes contact time but cats must definitely be kept well clear at this concentration as it is likely to cause much more damage if your cat goes near it.
The best, safest policy is to exclude cats (and any other pets) from areas where any chemicals are being used and rinse off any residue and let the area completely dry afterwards. Birds and fish are exceptionally sensitive to chemicals (hence the old practice of taking a caged canary down into a mine). In the case of mopping floors, I'd always use a 1:32 strength and ideally go over the floor with a separate bucket of water afterwards especially if you are lucky enough to have underfloor heating - you don't want any of your family's airways to be exposed to bleach aroma toxicity!
On this note, also avoiding using very hot water to dilute your bleach. Using cold water will reduce the bleach becoming vaporised and inhaled by you or your cat.
Add the bleach to the water (not the water to the bleach) to avoid splashing and spraying the concentrated bleach outside the intended area onto surfaces, into eyes/faces, onto clothes and most importantly inquisitive cats!
Household bleach (5 - 6% strength hypochlorite) should ideally be used at a 1:32 dilution if a cat is in the house - this concentration is effective for most daily purposes if left for 10-15 minutes contact time. Any stronger and it is likely to be very dangerous to humans and cats. Any more dilute, and it risks not doing the job of disinfection. A 1:32 dilution seems to be the best balance between harm to pathogens and is less likely to cause damage to your cat provided it is rinsed and dried before allowing your cat near treated surfaces/objects.
For disinfecting objects or surfaces exposed to more resilient organisms such as during an outbreak of disease (eg the cat flu viruses), it's more effective to use a stronger 1:10 solutions for 30 minutes contact time but cats must definitely be kept well clear at this concentration as it is likely to cause much more damage if your cat goes near it.
The best, safest policy is to exclude cats (and any other pets) from areas where any chemicals are being used and rinse off any residue and let the area completely dry afterwards. Birds and fish are exceptionally sensitive to chemicals (hence the old practice of taking a caged canary down into a mine). In the case of mopping floors, I'd always use a 1:32 strength and ideally go over the floor with a separate bucket of water afterwards especially if you are lucky enough to have underfloor heating - you don't want any of your family's airways to be exposed to bleach aroma toxicity!
On this note, also avoiding using very hot water to dilute your bleach. Using cold water will reduce the bleach becoming vaporised and inhaled by you or your cat.
Add the bleach to the water (not the water to the bleach) to avoid splashing and spraying the concentrated bleach outside the intended area onto surfaces, into eyes/faces, onto clothes and most importantly inquisitive cats!
What should I do if my cat might have been in contact with bleach?
- Carefully check their fur, paws and mouth area for any smells of bleach and then immediately rinse with soap and water (not antibacterial or Dettol liquid soap or any containing essential oils - also toxic to cats!).
- Rinse any areas of your cat's fur/feet that may be contaminated several times over.
- It is best to dilute any potentially ingested toxin by offering your cat water or wet food mixed with water but do not induce vomiting as the chemical will just cause further damage on the way up.
- This is a potential emergency and the key is to start treatment promptly so contact your vet immediately for further advice even if you cat is not showing any symptoms and even if you're not sure whether they came in direct contact with it. It's always best to be on the safe side.
How to make sure you use the right strength bleach solution when cleaning
The take home message here is that all cats need to be kept away from bleach no matter what the solution strength. But how can you be sure you are not inadvertently using a more harmful strength solution than you're meant to? Here's some maths for making 1:10 and 1:32 strength solutions with household strength bleach (5 - 6%).
A 1:32 solution is basically 1 part bleach added to 31 parts water. For example, this would be approximately 30 mL of household bleach (5%) added to 970 mL of water to make a 1 litre (1000 mL) solution of roughly 0.15% strength.
A 1:10 solution is basically 1 part bleach added to 9 parts water. For example, this would be 100 mL of household bleach (5%) added to 900 mL of water to make a 1 litre (1000 mL) solution of roughly 0.5% strength.
Always mix any solution thoroughly before using.
Note: I've used mL (millilitres) and L (litres) because the terms gallon and pint differ in volume between the UK and US. Here's an online dilution calculator - I can't vouch for it's accuracy, so please double check your result, but it might help you to work out how much bleach you need relative to water in other units that way you can use whichever regional volume measurement you're used to.
The take home message here is that all cats need to be kept away from bleach no matter what the solution strength. But how can you be sure you are not inadvertently using a more harmful strength solution than you're meant to? Here's some maths for making 1:10 and 1:32 strength solutions with household strength bleach (5 - 6%).
A 1:32 solution is basically 1 part bleach added to 31 parts water. For example, this would be approximately 30 mL of household bleach (5%) added to 970 mL of water to make a 1 litre (1000 mL) solution of roughly 0.15% strength.
A 1:10 solution is basically 1 part bleach added to 9 parts water. For example, this would be 100 mL of household bleach (5%) added to 900 mL of water to make a 1 litre (1000 mL) solution of roughly 0.5% strength.
Always mix any solution thoroughly before using.
Note: I've used mL (millilitres) and L (litres) because the terms gallon and pint differ in volume between the UK and US. Here's an online dilution calculator - I can't vouch for it's accuracy, so please double check your result, but it might help you to work out how much bleach you need relative to water in other units that way you can use whichever regional volume measurement you're used to.
