Why do cats like Icy Hot and BenGay, BioFreeze ?

Question

my back has been bothering me and I used some Icy hot on my back, I had some on my hands, I washed them but the smell is still there, and my cats will not stop l*****g me, does anyone know why?

Answer 1

icy hot and others like it have a minty smell to them.  Cat nip is in the mint family so it also has a minty smell and this is why the cats are attracted to it.  Mine love icy hot so I have to keep it away from them or they attack the tube.  They also try to do this with my foot soak so it is hard for me to soak my feet when they are in the same room with me.  They attack the foot bath and you know how cats are when they get wet.  

Answer 2

Mrs. H is exactly right!  I had a cat years ago that would follow me around if I put BenGay on.  Once I woke up to find him trying to get under the covers to get to my leg that had BenGay on a pulled calf muscle!  Definitely don't let them l**k anything that has that on it.  The chemicals in those products aren't anything cats should be consuming.  Distract them with some catnip miceys instead!