are habanero peppers harmful to cats?

Question
My cat started acting strange, she was crying and in a corner and acting like she could not get out.  acting skittish.  my husband thinks that she may have eaten some of the chili he had made with 18 habanero peppers.  Could this be harmful?  If this was not the issue what would cause her to act this way.  She is still a kitten only about 7-8 months old.

Answer
Hot pepper consumption should not cause any lasting problems, but can be certainly unpleasant for cats causing excessive face washing, skittishness, excess salivation, and unusual behavior.  The crying and skittishness could have been due to such a consumption.

If the behavior has continued past the first day then the peppers would be unlikely to be the cause. Vocalization is common when females are in heat but I am unsure if your cat has already been spayed.  If her behavior has continued to be unusual can you please tell me if she is intact or spayed, describe the present behavior, and tell me if there have been any changes in the home that occurred at the time of the behavioral shift?

Apologies for this delayed response.  I was unexpectedly unavailable due to a family emergency.