It may not be your housekeeper as much as what she may have had on her hands when she picked it up to shake it out...depending on what she was cleaning it could have been anything from oven cleaner to comet cleanser, ammonia from window washing, etc...all are offensive to cats! My cat won't come near me after I've spent a day with my sister, who wears a LOT of perfume! I have to shower before he'll come near me!