Importance Of Scent To Cats: Opinion By Imgur User And Cat Behaviorist

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kalila courban
Aug 2, 2021 11:00 AM EDT

Imgur User and feline behaviorist "adrianaontherocks" is using Imgur as a platform to educate and answer questions about all things feline behavior. "Hi Imgur, I'm your friendly neighborhood feline behaviorist. If you're having a cat behavior issue, or are just curious about something cat-related, feel free to ask me about it and I'll see if I can help you out."

Today we tackle an important question, just how important is scent to cats? Turns out, scent is SUPER important to cats. We always thought that it was more of a dog thing, since dogs are known for their acute senses and attraction to certain scents. Let's get to learning and try to understand why and how scent is important to our feline friends.

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    We can tell that this floofy kitty can smell a can of tuna from a mile away. Turns out that's not all he can smell from a mile away! When a cat sleeps on their favorite blanket or your pillow, they're depositing scent. This is all great behavior that we want to see in our kitties! Who knew.

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    Font - Hi Imgur, I'm your friendly neighborhood feline behaviorist. Cats are often misunderstood creatures- I can't tell you how much misinformation I see out there about them. Part of this is because cats have NOT been studied scientifically nearly as much as some other species, such as dogs!
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    "A cat's sense of smell defines life for your cat. We used to believe dogs relied more on scent than cats, but current research indicates felines are incredibly scent oriented. Think of your cat's individual smell as a feline name tag. For cats, scent determines sexual status and is used to communicate, to interact socially, and to identify territory." via The Spruce Pets. Say whattttt.

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    Organism - Today, I want to talk about a cat's sense of smell. Scent is a very important tool for cats. While humans have about 5 million olfactory sensors in our noses, cats have an estimated 45 to 200 million! By understanding how cats use scent, you can help make your cat more comfortable and less stressed, AND avoid unwanted behavior such as furniture scratching and urine marking.
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    Organism - Cats really want everything in their environment to smell at least a little bit like them. They use their scent to claim 'ownership' of an object, or a person, and we WANT them to do this because it shows that they are feeling confident and comfortable. Cats have scent glands all over their body- on their face, their paws, and on and around their tail- and they use these to deposit their scent all around them. When you come home and your cat runs up to you and rubs their head against
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    Font - Scent is also very important when it comes to introducing your cat to new animals. If you bring another pet home, one of the first things you should do to help them get comfortable with each other is give them things that smell like the other one (and make it a positive experience by feeding them treats or playing with them on and around the object).
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    Font - Urine marking is, of course, another 'natural' way for cats to deposit their scent around their territory- but it doesn't mean we want them to do it in our home! A cat who is using urine to claim their territory is not a confident, comfortable cat- they are likely feeling anxious or stressed which is why they are using such an extreme measure to try and make themselves feel better. You can help your kitty by making sure there are lots and lots of ways they can confidently mark their terri
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    Organism - Most people don't want their cat to scratch the couch or their favorite arm chair. The thing to understand is that to your cat, this is perfectly reasonable behavior. This area is important- to you, AND to them. It is only natural that they will want to 'claim' it. So rather than trying to get kitty to leave the couch alone and go to the scratching post on the other side of the room, you will likely have more luck putting a scratcher right next to the couch they like to scratch.
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wholesome cat scent heartwarming scented cute felines feline science Cats
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