On Mars The Cats Are Crazy

Chapter One:
On Mars, the cats are crazy.
Maybe it’s because of the smell.
I had never experienced anything like it before. Being from the Moon, where the oxygen rechargers remove odors, I admit I have a limited aroma vocabulary, but I had been to Earth, and Earth sure hadn't smelled like this.
A penetrating sort of tangy, sort of urine-like, sort of spicy cinnamon-and-lemon kind of scent that got into your nostrils and stayed there, so deep you could taste it.
I worried that it might drive me crazy, and wondered how were we going to live here.
“Henry, what is that?” Mom had her hankie out again, covering her nose and mouth. She looked at my father as if he had just handed her a dead skunk.
“Sorry, dear, must be something I ate.” Dad tried to smile, but it came out more like he was eating dog turds.
Mom shot him a look.
“How should I know? Have I ever been here before?” He grabbed her elbow and started guiding her towards the spaceport lounge, a low flat building that looked like any strip mall on Earth. Mars so far was a huge disappointment. “Let’s get inside and see if we can find out.”
I tagged along behind, my fingers pinched firmly over my nostrils, not sure if that helped or not. The smell was so thick it crawled down my throat and threatened to make me puke.
Davis nudged me. “Maybe you need to take a bath.”
I ignored him.