Excited Cat Becomes Blissfully Euphoric at the Smell of an Open Can of Olives

Dmitry Khilchuk‘s cat becomes ecstatic and rolls around excitedly at the smell of an open can of olives.

The euphoric effect the smell has on cats can be explained, though it doesn’t happen to all cats. Cat behavorist Jackson Galaxy, host of the Animal Planet television show My Cat From Hell, told Tracie Hotchner about this reaction.

In varieties of green olives, like Kalamatas, and in pimentos, there are high levels of certain compounds that actually resemble pheromones… The bottom line is that these olives have components in their essential oils that cause a reaction very similar to catnip.

Fortunately for these kitties, olives are non-toxic to cats, though they don’t offer much nutritional value.