Their sense of smell is 14 times better than that of humans. Because their sense of smell is so sensitive, it’s important to be aware of things like scented litter, other animal’s smells on you or an unfamiliar scent in your cat’s environment (such as a new piece of furniture or a house guest).
How Does Smell Compare to the Other Senses?
We can now conclude that our cats have a far superior sense of smell than we do. Do cats also outperform humans in terms of the other senses?
Cats have one of the broadest hearing ranges of any mammal, with the ability to perceive a vast array of sounds at varying decibel levels. In order to determine the source of sounds, they can also turn their ears in a different direction, says Patel. It turns out that we’re still not quite sure what purpose that odd little pocket on your cat’s ears serves (aside from added cuteness, of course).
“Cat’s vision is weaker than humans,” says Byrd. Their vision is not as good as ours overall, but it is better in low light because their eyes are made to detect the movements of their prey. Cats can see color, but not as vividly as humans can. They have slightly better peripheral vision than humans, and they are the only carnivore species with superior depth perception, despite it not being as accurate as ours.
“A cat’s sense of touch is extremely sensitive,” says Byrd. This is particularly true for their whiskers, which are ingrained in their skin and aid in their ability to sense their environment. Their whiskers protect their eyes and aid in their awareness of obstacles in the dark by sensing objects in front of and to the sides of their bodies. ”.
There are a lot of nerve endings in a cat’s body hair. When they are petted or interact affectionately with other cats, these nerve endings, which are linked to their response system, help to calm them, says Byrd.
“Cats only have about just under 500 taste buds, compared to our 9,000. That means they tend to rely more on their sense of smell than taste when it comes to eating,” says Patel. They also don’t have the ability to detect sweet flavors.
“Remember that cats are the ultimate hunting machines because of the way all of these senses work together,” advises Patel.
Communication & marking territory.
Cats use a multitude of communication techniques to interact with us and with each other. Our cats are constantly communicating with us through their adorable vocalizations and leisurely blinking. They also scatter a lot of pheromones, which serve as cues for other cats to communicate.
According to Byrd, “cats have scent glands on their paws, faces, hindquarters, and tail that release pheromones.” This explains why cats mark their territories by rubbing their faces on things like toys, scratching posts, people, and each other. This also clarifies why your cat enjoys giving you chin scratches. Certain cats will also use urine spraying to mark their territory.
Female cats release distinct pheromones during their reproductive cycle, which any nearby unneutered tom cats will be able to detect. These pheromones may be detected by a tom cat up to a mile away. Although it’s not very common, a female cat in heat may also spray urine to mark her territory and leave scents for any male cats.
A unique taste sense
Experts believe that cats lack the sweet gene that allows them to taste sweet food, and that they might be the only mammal in this situation. Although some owners can swear their cat has a sweet tooth, it’s quite possible that the fat content is what makes these sweet foods attractive to them, not the sweetness itself.
FAQ
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