Decoding Cats’ Extraordinary Sense Of Smell
Did you know that a cat’s nose is its most important sensory organ? In fact, your pet cat’s sense of smell is so much better than yours, and it recognises you by your scent (as well as voice) instead of sight.
Meowmies, if you are interested to learn more about how cats understand the world through their amazing sense of smell, do read on!
This article will cover the following points:
— How do cats smell?
— How well do cats smell?
— Why do cats have such an advanced sense of smell?
— What are some practical takeaways?
How do cats smell / what do cats smell?
These felines have a special dual scent mechanism that few animals have. Similar to other animals, cats have olfactory (scent) receptors to detect smells. On top of that, cats also have a second “nose” located in the roof of the mouth, named the Jacobson’s organ. Their “second nose” picks up scents that regular olfactory receptors simply can’t detect.
Together, the olfactory receptors coupled with the Jacobson’s organ ensure that cats can effectively identify a wide variety of smells (e.g the scents of humans, other animals, food nearby, etc).
How well do cats smell / how sensitive is a cat’s nose?
Cats have an exceptional sense of smell that far surpasses people. They have a whopping 200 million scent receptors in their nasal cavity, whereas humans merely have 5 million. Hence, cats can smell 14 times better than you and me! As a result, humans can smell the roses, but cats can smell the person or animal that stopped by to smell those roses.
Fun fact: research has shown that pet cats can find their way home from 2.4 to 6.4 km away. This suggests that they may be able to smell their home from this distance. Consequently, provided that pet cats don't roam too far, returning home is a piece of cake for them. What a comforting piece of news for owners with ‘escape artist cats’!
Why do cats have such an advanced sense of smell?
One striking reason is having a powerful nose is evolutionarily adaptive—being able to sniff out their prey and smell the scent of predators hiding nearby are crucial survival skills. Furthermore, as these felines are crepuscular (biologically wired to be active during twilight), an excellent sense of smell enables them to navigate around easily despite the dim light conditions.
Generally speaking, nature has gifted cats with a superb sense of smell because it enables them to do the following (not exhaustive):
—Differentiate hoomans based on the unique scent that each person has.
—Find its prey and escape from predators lurking nearby.
—Greet other cats and get to know them better by smelling them. Although this may be odd, numerous cats sniff each others’ butts as a friendly gesture.
—Accurately identify which foods are edible or toxic.
—Mark their territory by rubbing against something (e.g. a chair, bed, door) which deposits their scent on that object.
—Express affection through bunting. That is, by head-bumping you, touching your ankles, or twining its tail about your leg, your beloved kitty is indicating that it considers you as part of its family.
What are some practical takeaways?
Since cats can smell so much better than humans, they are hypersensitive to different types of smells. Meowmies should thus take note of this point: what smells do cats like/ dislike? After all, understanding the smells that cats adore and abhor is crucial to improving pets’ quality of life.
We will also recommend several useful cat products from Singapore’s largest cat speciality store, CatSmart, which will boost your pet cat’s wellbeing.
Smells that cats love
Catnip
- Most cats find the scent of catnip irresistible because it makes them feel great. When your cat licks and rubs on the herb, this sets off a euphoric reaction. You can buy a variety of catnip products (e.g sprays, toys) from CatSmart.
Recommended products
-Zolux Pirate Bird Toy With Catnip For Cats
-Zolux Cat Kali Toy Bunny With Catnip
-Zolux Fishing Rod Toy With A Mouse
Flower scents
- Numerous cats like flower scents (e.g the fragrance from roses, daisies & lilies) as well. But bear in mind that some types of flowers are poisonous to cats. So, do your research before visiting the flower shops to ensure that the flowers at your home are safe
Smells that cats hate
Stinky litter box
- These fastidiously hygienic felines truly dislike the stench emitted from a dirty litter box. Hence, you need to clean your litter box regularly. Otherwise, your kitty may decide to pee and poop outside its litter box. If you find that cleaning your furbaby’s litter box daily is troublesome, an automatic litter box is a good choice for you because it reduces the number of clean-ups needed thus freeing up your time.
Recommended product:
Catlink Young Automatic Cat Litter Box With Stairway
Fresh herbs
- You can use the smells of fresh herbs (e.g. rosemary, thyme) to deter your cat from heading to certain areas. For example, if you want to stop your kitty from uprooting your precious shrubs, you can grow the aforementioned plants in your garden. Rest assured, they are non-toxic for cats!
Visit CatSmart’s outlets for more advice
Meowmies, we hope you learnt something new from our article. If you need further advice on cat-related issues, do reach out to CatSmart’s friendly, knowledgeable retail staff!