I've never experienced this, because my kitty was always indoor, and
always smelled pretty much the same!

But hey, Flippy's cat page is back up, and after reading this, I
figured it must be true:
http://www.flippyscatpage.com/whydopeople.html

I call that the "cold pussy phenomenon"  It's one of my favorite things.

It`s one of my favourites too. I even try to guess from the smell
where she/he has been lately. It smells like grass or forest ground or
even after the barn. The smell clings to the fur and I love to put my
nose in that fur. Sometimes it smells just like clear nightair.
Wonderful.

Bettina

It's very nice. When the cats come inside from the enclosure at night,
they just smell fresh, but on the island, they gain this lovely blend of
pine and moss and sea air.