This Cat Does Not Like Listerine Much

Can cats smell danger? Or, at the very least, can cats sense when they shouldn't stick their nose in something? This little cat, we will call him Lionel, sits high up on his IKEA furniture assembled throne, Kingdom of all that is the laundry room.

Then, Lionel's unsuspecting wit gets a whiff of something he is probably not very prepared for. Out of nowhere, Lionel's master holds up a bottle of Listerine. The cap is off, and the 99.9% bacteria killing sent is free to waft about the air.

Treading carefully, Lionel gets his nose down for a tiny smell. But, mere moments after testing what lies beneath, Lionel quickly decides that it's not for him, and begins to crane his neck and turn away. His owner is relentless, however, and although trying to act like the king of the kingdom he is, Lionel is forced to move out of the way to avoid the terrifyingly strong, “Professional—Fluoride Plus” solution.

After all, who would blame Lionel? This poor cat has a nose that can smell at a much, much more powerful depth than any human nose. Even the tiniest smell of Listerine probably smells and tastes like a gulp of rubbing alcohol to little Lionel.

Call it evolution. Call it the nature of the household. Call it “stubbornness” and claimed that all household cats have banded together and signed an agreement where they will repeatedly neglect their owners’ every wish until the end of all nine of their lives, but the simple fact is that Lionel can tell that whatever is in that Listerine bottle is not for him—and he will have nothing to do with it.

Now, a warm bowl of milk, and the conversation might be a little different.