There comes a time in every blogger’s life when you should write about your pet. So here I am.
I share my habitat with a very good-natured, affectionate and companionable medium hair orange tabby cat (though whoever classified him as such should start coming to my place daily in a month 
so we could discuss that definition over their vacuuming my floors and other surfaces covered with that “medium” hair). He’s very food-oriented (he even learned some tricks – sit, paw, down) and omnivorous (among strange things that my cat likes are mangoes, avocados, apricots and pecans). We got him from a shelter two years ago, and he keeps brightening lives of everybody around him as a small furry sun. His name is Rusty.
He is a very social cat, and whenever we have guests over, he doesn’t hide or try to avoid people but, on the contrary, injects himself in the middle of the company. A while ago I noticed that Rusty was especially fond of one of our friends. Whenever D. visited, Rusty would be all over him rubbing up against his feet, purring and in general being extra friendly. It took me some time to figure out that Rusty reacted this way to our friend’s perfume – Opium for Men by Yves Saint Laurent.
Since then every time I do my perfume testing I offer Rusty to sniff my wrists. Sometimes he likes what he smells, sometimes he doesn’t care for it but it clearly doesn’t bother him. A couple of months ago we found his most favorite perfume so far – Beige from Les Exclusifs De Chanel. When I wore it for the first time, Rusty kept sniffing my wrist so intensely that it got wet from his breath.
While I was writing this post, I came across an article on the Beauty on the outside blog about the same phenomenon. After reading comments there, I realized how lucky I am: my cat at least doesn’t steal my clothes. Well, not yet – as far as I know.
Images: my own (not staged, I was taking pictures for the first post in this blog and Rusty couldn’t stay away)
Undina's Looking Glass 
Such a lovely cat! I wish I still had one, but my husband is allergic, so I won’t ever have one.
Your cat sure has style and a fitting signature scent! ;)
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Olfactoria, I’m glead to see you here. Before you mentioned it I haven’t realized how fitting the perfume is indeed.
I suspect you, as a cat lover, have researched it already but I’ll ask – just in case: are your husband’s allergies so severe that all breads (even those that are so called “hypoallergenic”) are out of question?
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It is not only the allergies, he is also opposed to the commitment, I think. :(
So no cat for me…
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Чудесно! Я у наших котов замечала пока только одну реакцию на духи — испуг после лёгкого любопытного внюхивания в воздух. И сделала вывод, что им просто не нравятся такого типа запахи, парфюмерные. Но теперь, вспоминая как они любят иногда поваляться в подготовленном для стирки белье… надо будет внимательно за ними понаблюдать…
У меня был случай, когда коты вели себя совершенно неадевкатно с ароматом съедомным, но не традиционно съедобным для котов — я готовила тапенад, и сначала мне казалось, что страсть они испытывали к какой-то из добавленных трав, но потом я заключила, что это оливки сами по себе.
Очень интересно! Спасибо за интересную статью!
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Couple of days ago Rusty surprised me again: now he likes eating grapefruits and oranges. For a while he was afraid of citruses after the accident when he got some orange rind juice in his eye when I was peeling one with him on my lap. Not any more! Now he wants to eat them.
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This morning I tried to let Knyaz’ to smell my Amouage-Gold-ed wrist :))) He ran away! Our cats are too wild!
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Oh, I will enjoy your blog, I’m sure. I am a cat person and a perfume lover. I found you through comments at Beauty on the Outside and am really happy to meet you in cyberspace.
One of my cats is indifferent to perfume so far, another hates citrus. I guess I’ll say the same thing I’d say to a budding perfumista: “You just haven’t found The One yet” ;)
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Warum, welcome to my blog.
I remember the conversation about your nickname, just don’t remember in which thread.
Have you tried any vanilla scents with your cats? It might do the trick. What type of cats are yours?
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Rusty seems wonderful! We have a short hair, and we vacuum, sweep, and lint-roll his hair off of everything, including us. I haven’t noticed a difference in his affection when I spray on jasmine or spread on some musk lotion. It’s interesting that your cat likes citrus, as I think it’s used as a scent to keep them from scratching. But I could be wrong.
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No-no, you’re absolutely right! Normally (with normal cats) citrus smell is something that repels them. But somehow our cat missed that day in the kittens scool so he thinks oranges are one of the best treats. He was eating a piece of an orange every night for four months. Now, when it’s off-season, he switched to appricots, peaches and nectarins.
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How civilized! My cat, Oli, enjoys milk every once in a while, mice, and laps a bit of rum from my glass when he thinks I’m not looking.
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I can think of some things Rusty doesn’t consider to be food but not that many of those.
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Rusty loves Opium? OPIUM???!?!?!? Oh. My. God.
That’s it. He’s the most perfect cat who ever existed. I… I….. just have no words at this point. :D
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I wouldn’t have guessed that – if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes :)
Since then I saw that Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather causes him to behave in the similar manner.
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