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Japanese company creates scratch and sniff cards that smell like the bellies of cats and dogs

Oona McGee Jun 16, 2017
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Hours of testing went into replicating the unusual scent.

For years, Japanese retailer Felissimo has been giving us weird and wonderful cat-themed products we could never even dream of, including hand cream that smells like a cat’s paw, lip gloss that makes you feel like you’ve just kissed a cat’s nose, and fabric water filled with the fragrance of fluffy cat foreheads.

Now the creative team at Felissimo is continuing on their plight to capture the scent of an animal with a brand new item from their humorous You+More brand, which features the smell of a pet’s belly.

▼ Hours of testing went into creating the unique fragrance.

The two animals appearing in the range are cats and Shiba Inu, a breed of dog the company is known for having a soft spot for. The smell of the popular pets will be delighting the olfactory senses of animal lovers by way of scratch and sniff technology, with the special fragrance embedded in small sheets of note paper.

Each palm-sized note card comes with an image of a cute cat or dog happily exposing their bellies for a good belly rub. Rubbing their stomachs will release the special “belly scent”, which gradually decreases in intensity over time.

In order to help create the perfect scent, the company surveyed pet owners on social media, asking them what they thought the bellies smelled like. For cats, responses included “burnt caramel popcorn”, “freshly made pancakes covered in maple syrup” and “burnt milk”. Taking these responses into account, the company president then worked in collaboration with a fragrance manufacturer to fine-tune the scent, resulting in the final aroma, which resembles a mix of pancakes and burnt butter.

The survey for the Shiba Inu aroma received a more poetic response from those surveyed, with responses likening the dog’s belly to the scent of “broad beans and grass growing in the sun”, “a sweet smell that can’t be put into words”, and “slightly overdone toast”. The final fragrance is said to be similar to the moreish aroma of roasted beans.

Each variety comes in a pack of seven sheets for 432 yen (US$3.90). While they’re perfect to play with on your own, you can also write small notes on the papers, to create a unique gift for friends.

The papers can currently be ordered from the Felissimo website, with local deliveries scheduled for mid-August to mid-September. The scratch and sniff sheets will also be appearing on the company’s international website shortly, so you can enjoy the smell of an animal’s belly wherever you are in the world.

To sweeten the deal, and send an actual belly rub to cats and dogs in need, a portion of the sales price goes to the Felissimo cat fund, which works to care for animals without owners and provide assistance to foster pet programs.

Source, images: PR Times