r/OneOrangeBraincell • u/SrWeton • 1d ago

Orange Cat šŸ…±ļøehaviorā„¢ Why is he smelling my armpit??

Am I really stinky?

6.0k Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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3.3k

u/Shahfluffers 1d ago edited 1d ago

My cat does this. Especially after a workout or a really hot day.

My understanding is that natural body oder is a BIG deal to animals. It tells them a lot about you (health, diet, hormones, etc). And if they like you (or have good associations) they want to cover themselves with the smell (and vice versa).

1.3k

u/yeathatsmebro 1d ago

They like you, so your smell makes them happy, especially when it's more potent. I like to refer to this as "human concentrate" lol

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u/AlfhildsShieldmaiden 1d ago

This is why a lot of cats are into shoes. Human feet are one of the places with the most concentration of our scent.

She was sleeping like this šŸ˜†

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u/yeathatsmebro 1d ago

Oh yes, especially in the shoes. Warmth + the enclosed space makes the skin oils to never escape and continue to accumulate. Sweat is pushed and drags alongside with it your scent, then gets impregnated in the shoe material.

Thanks for the picture, she is definitely in love with the hooman.

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u/AlfhildsShieldmaiden 1d ago

Thatā€™s good because the hooman is definitely in love with her! ā˜ŗļø

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u/travtex 1d ago

Used to have a tortie who would fight someone for the opportunity to slorp on my end of day Tevas.

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u/Helpful-Salt83 1d ago

r/ShoeHuffers would love her

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u/AlfhildsShieldmaiden 1d ago

Another cat sub to join!

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u/eternal-harvest 1d ago

I often find my shoes in the middle of the floor (far away from where I removed them) because my cat got freaky with them

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u/AlfhildsShieldmaiden 1d ago

I have a pair of clogs I mostly wear around the house or to briefly step outside. I leave them out for my kitty cause she loves to sleep on/in them. šŸ˜†

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u/0PervySage0 23h ago

This whole time iv been giving chubbs shit for being a little foot freak

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u/Purple-Ad-7464 1d ago

I have one cat who is obsessed with shoes! But she's never slept in them, that I know of

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u/Silver-Caterpillar-7 1d ago

These animals rock, they know where it's at!!!! Yeya

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u/Maleficent_Use_5185 9h ago

My cat will smell and bite my crocs all the time

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u/SweetShirt4717 1d ago

Human concentrate is a great term. I'm gonna start using that

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u/yeathatsmebro 1d ago

Eau d'humain

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u/snowdn 1d ago

LOL!

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u/luckyfucker13 1d ago

I mean, technically semen is human concentrate

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u/Rugelfuss 1d ago

It's a different kind of milk

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u/yeathatsmebro 1d ago

You two, to horni jail. NOW!

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u/kookiemaster 1d ago

Yep ... my cats loved my sweaty gi so much. These thigns were gross but they loved to sleep on them.

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u/Adventurous_Lie_5246 1d ago

Exactly. This kind of smell is finest thing in life. While the smell of some fruits can be absolutely disgusting to them šŸ˜‚

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u/Taminella_Grinderfal 1d ago

I left a banana peel on the table, my cat walked up to check it out and promptly gagged šŸ¤£ I need to make some kind of ā€œbanana peel anti-cat sprayā€ for the arms of my couch.

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u/amh8011 1d ago

I have a ginger root on my counter and my cats took turns sniffing it, gagging, and giving me a dirty look as if itā€™s my fault they sniffed it. If youā€™re gonna sniff everything that comes into the house, youā€™re going to encounter things that smell bad.

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u/CodeComprehensive734 1d ago

Maybe you should not bring smelly things into the house? - Cat

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u/yeathatsmebro 1d ago

One idea is to impregnate this solution on a piece of cloth and right after you squeeze all the water out, you let it dry in the sun. My assumption is that the oils related to your cat's gag reflex are tied to the oils of that banana peel, so if it is right, after water dries on the cloth it will be left with a dry, yet oil-filled, cat-gagging smell that your cat won't like, but it won't be perceivable to you.

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u/Adventurous_Lie_5246 1d ago

I've seen something like this before lol. Iirc banana peel emits a chemical compound that's similar to acetone which for a cat is like sniffing nail polish remover. But I'm not absolute sure so take this with grain of salt.

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u/yeathatsmebro 1d ago

Based on my prev comment and this info, that sounds plausible, mainly because I think that bananas have a lot of sugar as they get more ripe, causing most of the sugars to turn into alcohol, esters and ketones. Esters are basically some compounds that are made from acids and alcohols. Ketones give that fruity smell too. Alcohol is... alcohol. I am tempted to say that ketones are more likely to cause this gagging rather than esters, mainly because esters are compounds found around the cat's anus and they use this as a feromone signaling substance.

In my research on this topic, I also found why cats smell something and then they stay with their mouths opened: it's called Flehmen response

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u/Adventurous_Lie_5246 1d ago

Interesting. Science and world is so full of fascinating things.

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u/The_commonest_plant 1d ago

Could do a tincture with alcohol to remove the oils

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u/Professional_Echo907 1d ago

When they open their mouths like that, they are using the Jacobsonā€™s organ in the roofs of their mouths to smell better.

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u/Consistent-Data-3377 1d ago

Thats so funny to me because my old girl would fight me for a banana. Any time I'd have one I'd have to share with her, she loved them

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u/RoryAB94 1d ago

Yeah a big thing is if you're part of the same 'family' you should share scent trails and be recognizeable to others as part of one unit, gang, family, stinky club...

Besides that your cat enjoys the scent of their doting god - you provide them a place to live, food, love, shelter and constantly seem to be smelling unlike them. So, either you start to smell like cat, or the cat smells like you. Meaning either you stop doing laundry and showering, instead just rub the cat on the daily. OR - the cat can rub up on you when you stink more than usual.

It's love, don't worry about it, they want to be associated with you and tell the world so

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u/amh8011 1d ago

My cats love my underwear after I get home from work. They will pull it out of the laundry to roll all over it. I typically wear sleeveless shirts and I have a good antiperspirant for my pits so I guess my underwear is the stinkiest, sweatiest thing they can find. Besides shoes. They will stick their heads in stinky shoes. Mine and anyone elseā€™s. My childhood cat used to fall asleep with her head in my dadā€™s shoes.

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u/RoryAB94 1d ago

Exactly, they'll try combine and exchange scents with their loved ones - humans have strayed far from their basic primal instincts for better or worse - and thus the best way for your little fluffer to satisfy instincts is to indulge when they find the strong points of scent on humans.

Makes you think though - if a cat is really attached to something you're wearing (the item specifically) and you were on the fence about whether you have another day's worth of wear in it before washing - that probably means you don't hahaha

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u/amh8011 1d ago

I convinced my sisterā€™s bf to leave a pair of his dirty socks under my parentsā€™ bed (where my parentsā€™ cat likes to hide) and now she likes my sisterā€™s bf better than my sister. Iā€™m sure itā€™s not entirely the socks but itā€™s still funny how she likes him better than my sister.

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u/ohhowcanthatbe 1d ago

Itā€™s one of the most YOU smelling places on your body. Gotta rub their faces in as much you as they can :)

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u/brneyedgrrl 1d ago

My cat (she's a tabby, but not orange - however, I think she has orange in her cz she is extra dopey) LICKS my underarm area. I make her stop when she does it but she loves to do it anyway. When she was a kitten, she'd get herself tangled in my panties when I was in the shower if I left them on the floor.

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u/_otterinabox 1d ago

My parents' previous dog loved it when Dad came home and took his shoes off. She would spend 20 minutes shoving her snout into them.

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u/Zamr 1d ago

My orange cat does this aswell, but i thought it was just something cat nip like in my sweat? Does it mean he likes me? šŸ„¹

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u/Ressy02 1d ago

Youā€™ll know if cats donā€™t like you

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u/houseplant-hoarder 1d ago

When we were kids my friendā€™s cat used to love licking armpits and eating hair. And yes she was an orange lol

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u/thatevilducky 1d ago

Stinky smell like you

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u/phil_davis 20h ago

My cat will do this even after I've just gotten out of the shower. I think she likes my deodorant. She'll even try to lick my armpit and I have to push her head away and tell her "no means no."

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u/Cabibbus Casual orange enjoyer šŸŠ 1d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/J2gHlRQQvFamqOWlJF

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u/EvaTheE 1d ago

purrvert

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u/Casul_Tryhard Casual orange enjoyer šŸŠ 1d ago

r/purrvert

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u/Robmarley 1d ago

Youā€™ve got to be kidding meā€¦

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u/upvoter222 1d ago

We're not kitten you.

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u/belac4862 Orange connoisseur šŸŠ 1d ago

I am simultaneously surprised, and not. Ill add it to the pile...

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u/Robmarley 1d ago

Thereā€™s no end to this rabbit hole.

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u/DojaTwat 1d ago

oh no!! šŸ˜­

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u/thefatrick 1d ago edited 1d ago

CAT PURRVERT!

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u/SilenceInSaturation 1d ago

CALL THE PAWLICE HES GETTIN FRISKY

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u/dermflork 1d ago

IN ThE PIT OF mE ERMS

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u/Classic-Exchange-511 1d ago

My old cat used to sleep in my father's (a carpenter) dirty wash basket. I think they just like the smell of sweat of the people they love

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u/NastyStreetRat 1d ago

My roommate, who happens to be a cat, likes to sleep right on top of my pants, putting his nose right in the area of my testicles.

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u/zoinkability 1d ago

My sweet old cat often slept on my legs with head in crotchal zone. They def like the smell of people they love.

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u/BigGayVirgil 1d ago

When my ex would come home from work every day the cat would DEMAND their pants so she could roll around in them.

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u/opbib 1d ago

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u/MirandaScribes 1d ago

Wonder Woman just out of frame

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u/littlelorax 1d ago

Aw my orange used to do this to my husband's t-shirts! I miss that little weirdo so much.

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u/chipper-shipper 1d ago

One of our childhood cats would chew through the armpits of my dadā€™s shirts because he liked the smell so much šŸ˜­

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u/Kaworu517 1d ago

Cause he's a freak 7 days a week.

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u/Beneficial_Wave7649 1d ago

He's just orange šŸŠ šŸ˜ŗ

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u/New_Key3007 1d ago

My orange does it with my gym tshirt post-workout.

Cats associate smells with their hoomans, and sweat has the strongest smell.

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u/Array_626 1d ago

He a freak

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u/HmmmmmMonke 1d ago

Mine gets so excited that she then starts biting and clawing me. šŸ˜šŸ˜

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u/Wolfwoods_Sister Orange connoisseur šŸŠ 1d ago

Cute Aggression Overdrive

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u/WhileGoWonder 1d ago

Yeah my old cat used to eventually nip on my armpit, hurt like hell lol

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u/HoneyWyne 1d ago

He lubs your stink.

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u/DustScoundrel 1d ago

he want that stank

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u/FullPrinciple5170 1d ago edited 1d ago

It is because of your scent is exactly whyā€¦ Cats like to put their scent on their owners and they like to have their owners scent on themselvesā€¦ they are marking you as their territory

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u/straycollector 1d ago

My hubby woke up to our female cat nursing on his armpit hair. He was wet all down his side & woke up yelling the cat was eating him!

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u/seatron 1d ago edited 1d ago

I have a weird theory about this, probably completely wrong but here it goes:

Apparently, extra nipples are actually pretty common and they often appear around the armpits, underdeveloped so they look like just a mole.

I have one such suspicious mole on one of my armpits, and I wonder if it... idk, smells like a nipple? He's tried to suckle on my real ones, too. This is too much, but nipples kind of have their own unique, bitter taste. I would not be surprised if there's something cats can pick up on.

Man this is a weird comment, sorry everyone

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u/Feisty_Camera_7774 1d ago

Huh šŸ˜³

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u/PrunePretend6206 1d ago

They love our scent, shoes and armpits

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u/Diligent_Ad_7582 Proud owner of an orange brain cell 1d ago

That's where our sweat glands are/pheromones. He may be leaving his behind on you lol. He's also an Orange Cat...... šŸŠ šŸˆ

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u/Jesus360noscope 1d ago

They just love stinky stuff

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u/Beastmind 1d ago

Saltiness of sweat

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u/olivegarden87 1d ago

My cat weirdly loves my deodorant? Could be that.

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u/orangeKaiju 1d ago

My cat also

I now only wear deodorant right before I leave the house because otherwise she goes nuts and tries to lick my armpits.

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u/Filthiest_Tleilaxu 1d ago

Same. What are we wearing? Could it be cedar?

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u/opossomoperson 1d ago

Pheromones.

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u/FoxySarah71 1d ago

I caught my furry nitwit with her head in one of my boots, all four legs clamped around it, bunny kicking the living daylights out of it.

Then she heard me, popped her head out of my boot, and gave me a look as if to say "Nothing to see here hooman, move along please. Also, I iz innocent, you did not see what you thought you saw!" šŸ¤£

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u/Royal_Front2038 1d ago

My orange cat love my smelly feet after a day work and rub it like is the last thing she do. Often time she do it while purring.

Then she ignore me for the rest of the day.

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u/MechanicalCrow 1d ago

The answer for any weirdo behavior in our house is simple: cats are just weird little guys.

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u/inkarnata 1d ago

"Sometimes, when I get nervous, I stick my nose in my owner's arm pit, and I smell it like that!!" -Mary Cat-herine Gallagher

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u/UnnamedRedditor2137 1d ago

My cat does that sometimes with slippers

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u/noidentity63 1d ago

It's cute when he does it...

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u/hosiki 1d ago

Warm

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u/Icy-Clue-7355 1d ago

My orange girl will do this and sometimes even gives my pit a lick! Little weirdo.

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u/MamaOnica 1d ago

You stink good

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u/WonderfulOwl8840 1d ago

Literally your smell. Never forget animals use smell to communicate a lot of information. He may be checking on you and may or may not notice if you're unwell

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u/Massive_Procedure449 22h ago

you DIGGIN in ME

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u/bw04H 1d ago

Freakus

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u/LiveLongAndProspurr 1d ago

Smelly cat, smelly cat...

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u/Witchberry31 1d ago

One of my cats also like to do this šŸ˜… digging her face into my armpit. It really tickles šŸ¤£

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u/The_Cozy_Burrito Casual orange enjoyer šŸŠ 1d ago

Because orange

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u/ExtinctFauna 1d ago

The good smells. Seriously, he really likes your smell, and the smells from your armpit are especially potent.

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u/ER_Support_Plant17 1d ago

My cat loves my hair when itā€™s all sweaty and stinky. I lay down and let her roll in it for a few minutes before I shower.

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u/DickMcButtfuchs 1d ago

Stinks so good

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u/NinjatoXIII 1d ago

Cats have scent glands on their face. He is marking you as his. Attempting to cover your musk with his own.

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u/Over-Apartment2762 1d ago

I heard somewhere that human sweat can contain a pheromone thats almost identical to catnip. Not sure how true that is, but my cats sure do love all my sweaty clothes and boots.

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u/Might__E 1d ago

he just like me fr fr

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u/NautiNeptune 1d ago

Bro if I'm in a tank top my cat will try to groom my armpit hair šŸ˜­ oranges are so odd

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u/darxide23 1d ago

Cats and dogs and many other mammals mainly identify each other by scent rather than sight. In other words, you stank. But don't worry. He loves it.

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u/Commercial-Housing23 1d ago

Cause you stink pretty

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u/coocooforcoconut 1d ago

On the whatisthisplant subreddit someone asked about something that ā€œsmelled like armpitsā€. It was catnip.

I thought ā€œohhhh that explains why my cat rubs all my husbandā€™s stanky work shirts.ā€

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u/throwRApicklepickaxe 1d ago

little stink breather

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u/Monguises 1d ago

Heā€™s complimenting your pheromone maxxing

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u/IndependentTalk4413 1d ago

You rub a tuna up there?

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u/Fyrrys 1d ago

He is claiming himself in the name of you

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u/littlecolt 1d ago

S T A N K

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u/togetherwegrowstuff 1d ago

It's a car version of a dog crotch sniff

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u/maggie47128 1d ago

You STANK. The only kind of stank a cat can love.

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u/paper-or-plastic- 1d ago

Why not? They love you and your scent šŸ˜ƒ

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u/Z3R0Diro 1d ago

Animals dont understand bad smells. Your armpits just smell more like you

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u/Additional-Ball4825 1d ago

You probably stink and that's good for him

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u/Somebodsydog 1d ago

Pheromones

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u/digdugnate 1d ago

Cats do be like that.

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u/SeaworthinessHead613 1d ago

Have you cheated with another cat ?

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u/Clean_Mammoth_5646 1d ago

Heā€™s got a pit fetish.

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u/drunkguynextdoor 1d ago

My old tortoise shell girl would do that to me after I mowed the yard in the Florida summer. She would dig in hard, too. It was weird because she was a very gentle cat, otherwise.

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u/ScrlettDrling 1d ago

Cats love their persons scent. Armpits are right up their alley.

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u/Fyonix8008 1d ago

Because of the stiiiink. My cats do it, theyā€™re weird, but itā€™s a cute weird.

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u/mike44556 1d ago

He likes yo stank

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u/KnightofShaftsbury 1d ago

He likes you stank

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u/Wikiwikiwa 1d ago

My boy buries himself into my armpit and also rubs his stinky face all over my face.Ā  I just go with it.

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u/thedazdul 1d ago

weird creature

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u/FKTVCC 1d ago

Pheromons

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u/Pristine-Flow-2082 19h ago

I have a cat who gets right up in my face first thing in the morning and practically sticks her nose right into my mouth for that morning breath goodness. Also, if its been a hot day (Arizonian here) she gets on me and gets her nose right behind my ear and huffs it like glue.

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u/Jay_Cipher0609 12h ago

At least yours like to smell your armpit. Mine like to lick them...everytime she comes onto the bed I have to put my arms down and guard them

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u/Wonderful-Head9778 1d ago

My ginger kitten lately started biting my armpit while lying in bed the cheeky fucker. She loves it just to much i can only assume.

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u/SeniorLanguage6497 1d ago

My orange got up from his nap to go under my ex-husband butt and breathe right after he farted! So yes, itā€™s just orange behavior.

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u/Bex1218 1d ago

When we moved, we put a blanket we used in the cat carrier. One of us was still always within sight of the cats, but we wanted to make sure they were comfortable. Also, drugged up.

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u/OkDragonfruit9515 1d ago

My old cat used to do this

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u/sav-vas 1d ago

smells like teen spirit

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u/Busymomma_86 1d ago

Because heā€™s Orange. šŸ§”

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u/etherealsweetbeet 1d ago

He loves your stench šŸ˜¼

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u/sickste 1d ago

Salt.

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u/putyourpawsup980 Casual orange enjoyer šŸŠ 1d ago

Stank

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u/enzo_1st 1d ago

he misheard catnip for armpit

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u/Silver-Caterpillar-7 1d ago

No, he is spreading his scent and you are it!!!!!!!

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u/donttrustthellamas 1d ago

Heckin tasty

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u/Naive_Sand5837 1d ago

because the rest of you is covered in cat hair

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u/G_Art33 1d ago

My kitten does the same thing only when I havenā€™t used deodorant. She has bit my armpit / armpit hair before.

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u/Ready_Hope8117 1d ago

She like tacos

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u/sortitall6 1d ago

He is looking for his missing braincell.

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u/MrTumnus99 1d ago

I had a girlfriend who would do this

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u/Waste_Airline7830 1d ago

The sweet smell of salt. All the oils and salt to be licked. mmm, salt...

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u/Emotional_Purpose346 1d ago

Because it smells like kitkat

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u/Ready-Hall8153 1d ago

I thought that was a fox

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u/Ill_Finish6488 1d ago

Maybe you smell fish šŸ¤£

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u/Johnboywalten 1d ago

I had a cat who used to do that, but only when I wore Old Spice deodorant.

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u/lovedless 1d ago

You stank purty.

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u/Turry1 1d ago

Hes like me fr

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u/Horbigast 1d ago

There's something fishy there.

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u/Kenzo_senpai 1d ago

Mine like to lick my armpits whenever im trying yo sleep and i would jolt out and hissed at me

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u/sunnyDeficient Proud owner of an orange brain cell 1d ago

Cause heā€™s a sick freak

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u/Davidsleepy4 1d ago

based cat

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u/upstartpantymerchant 1d ago edited 20h ago

Why did you rub your armpits with cat nip

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u/TheZombieJ 1d ago

"Stop! This is a Stinky inspection!"

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u/PM_ME_YER_MUDFLAPS 1d ago

I smell delicious!!!

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u/LarryzLarryLarryn 1d ago

Why wouldnā€™t he be?

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u/Gemfyre713 1d ago

It's delicious

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u/BemaFlo 1d ago

Wenn ich von der Arbeit komme und ziehe mein T-Shirt aus dann wƤlzt sich meine Katze auch darauf um den Geruch anzunehmen.

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u/Independent-Win9088 18h ago

You stink real good.

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u/JakeFoXx 1d ago

He like onion

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u/khamir-ubitch 1d ago

I don't know, but I have a cat that goes ABSOLUTELY BONKERS (like yours) whenever I put on cologne. He will hop on me and smash his face into me and lick.

Strange cat activities.

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u/Lackof_Creativity 1d ago

reminds him of your underwear..

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u/ForrestDryad 1d ago

U stimky and cat likey stimky

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u/AssumptionFun3828 1d ago

My cats seem to love my FARTS for some reason, so I can only assume most cats like any strong scent that comes from their humans šŸ˜‚

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u/FwooshingMachi 1d ago

He just like me frfr šŸ˜Œ

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u/Optimal-Prime420 1d ago

My moms calico cat used to do this to my dad. Before I was born, so I never met said cat.

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u/flaffleboo 8h ago

My cat likes to stick her head in my armpit in the morning. Iā€™m guessing thatā€™s when my natural sweat smell is most present. I take it as a compliment, but I also gently guide her away or she starts trying to lick it