The Incredible Nose of a Cat

The cat's sense of smell is so incredible, they can smell when we are in a "mood". I had a very independent cat years ago who would curl up in my lap every time I was feeling sad. That was the only time she would sit with me and I always believed it was her way of saying, "It's alright. I'm here." How can a cat tell just by her sense of smell what kind of mood we are in?

Cats throughout history have been described as being "supernatural" and have been honored pets in certain periods in history and persecuted in others. There is a certain mystic to a cat, but it's not because they have supernatural powers. The cute, adorable feline sleeping at your side was designed to be a mighty hunter. A cat may appear to be sound asleep, but she hears all and smells everything going on around her, including the mouse that dared to sneak into her domain. Her sense of smell is only one of her extraordinary senses that help make her an effective predator.

It's the cat's incredible sense of smell that allows them to actually know when we are depressed, scared or happy. When we are in certain moods, we release hormones that smell differently depending on how we feel. A cat's nose is so sensitive, she can determine how we are feeling by the smell of the hormone associated with the mood we are in. Serotonin is release when we are feeling depressed, adrenaline when we are feeling scared or angry and endorphins signal our happiness.

The cat's sense of smell is 14 times better than ours. Cats who appear to be finicky and refuse to eat their supper are doing so because it doesn't smell right to them. Especially if it's been sitting in their bowl for awhile. If it doesn't smell right, most cats will refuse to eat. A cat is regarded as a true predator and unlike a dog who will gobble pretty much anything they find, a cat smells first and then decides if it's good enough to eat. They like food that is fresh and warm. Anyone who has had a sick cat knows if their sense of smell is off or they have a plugged up nose, it's almost impossible to get them to eat. If you have a picky eater or one that is sick, try heating up their food to a lukewarm temperature. This will help the cat smell the food better and make it more interesting to them. The smellier the food, the better it is as far as a cat is concerned.

A cat can smell our world when we get home from work or after enjoying an afternoon of shopping at the mall. We bring home all kinds of exciting and interesting smells to our cats. They know about that steak sandwich you had for lunch or the puppy you picked up and cuddled at your friend's house. They may turn up their nose at perfume that lingers on your jacket your friend left when she gave you a hug and the neighbor's cat that rubbed against your leg when you got out of the car will definitely not be missed by your pet. Nothing escapes the nose of a cat.

The cat has two vomeronasal organs called Jacobson organs located just behind their front teeth on the roof of their mouth and is connected to the nasal passage. Sometimes you will see a cat sitting with curled lips and a grimace on their face that looks like they smell something really bad. Their sense of smell has detected not something bad, but something very interesting to them. By slightly opening the mouth, the scent is pulled into the nasal cavity via the Jacobson organ. When they have a puckered up face, they are in a way tasting the smell bit by bit to determine what it is. A male cat who has caught the scent of a female cat in season will do this. You can't help but laugh when you see a cat concentrating on a smell. They close their eyes, roll their head and will sometimes have an inquisitive look on their face as they process the data in the smell.

A cat uses their sense of smell to know what belongs to them, what things are ours and if the toy they may be playing with belongs to them or the dog. Of course, anyone who owns a cat knows that as far as the cat is concerned, everything belongs to them. They use scent glands that are located on both sides of their forehead, on their chin, lips and tail and rub against anything they want to mark as theirs, including us.

The nose of a cat is tough, but for cat owners with white or light colored cats, it's important to keep an eye open for a potential cancer that can affect the nose and ears. If your cat is an outside cat, sunscreen approved for animals can be used on the nose and ear tips to give them protection from the sun.

Cats use their sense of smell to stake out their territory, determine if any enemies or friends are close by, to find prey, find a mate and to locate food. They really do know what kind of mood we are in and may not agree with us that the cat pan is as clean as we think it is. The cat's sense of smell tells him everything he needs to know about his world, and he knows a lot more about ours than we realize.

Liz Palika, Your Cat's Sense of Smell, Catsplay.com

Franny Syufy, The Nose Knows, About.com

Paul D. Pion DVM and Gina Spadafori, The Feline Behavior Series, VeterinaryPartner.com