Cool Cats Drawn to Scent of Calvin Klein

ABC's Bradley Blackburn blogs from New York:

Some of the world's biggest cats are “obsessed” with Calvin Klein cologne.

Jaguars, pumas and tigers are so drawn to the scent of Calvin Klein Obsession for Men that scientists are now using it to help them study big felines' behaviors.

Spritzed on a tree or rock, the cologne, which retails for $55 for a 4 oz. bottle, can draw a wild jaguar from more than a half mile away, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The group has been studying jaguars in the wild for more than 10 years, leading research projects in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve where  the animals' population is tracked.

A whiff of the cologne, which has scents of musk, sandalwood and spice among others, can keep a jaguar's attention long enough for researchers to get a clear shot of it using infrared cameras, like the image above.

The elusive animals have posed a problem for researchers in the past, said the society's Guatemala country director Roan McNab in a statement to the press, but "now, due to the fact that jaguars love Obsession for Men, WCS field conservationists are getting more precise estimates of the jaguar populations."

Obsession for Men was introduced in 1986, but its animal attraction took a while to come to light.

As first reported by the Wall Street Journal, a curator at the Bronx Zoo in New York was testing a variety of colognes and perfumes in the tiger, snow leopard and cheetah exhibits when he discovered that Obsession held their attention far longer than any of the others. 

The cats would linger, seemingly enjoying the scent as they pawed and rubbed up against Obsession-sprayed surfaces.

In a written statement, Pat Thomas, Wildlife’s curator, quipped: "Calvin Klein Obsession for Men clearly passes the sniff test."

Even for felines, nothing comes between them and Calvin Klein.