While cat have highly developed senses of seeing and hearing, and the whiskers are used for seeing, hearing and and touching developed their whiskers, their sense of smell is not very well developed for hunting purposes. Some of the larger cats such as the leopard and cheetah have been seen to use the sense of smell to detect prey.
Dogs have nearly twice as many cells in their lining of the inner nose which are receptive to scent than cats do. This is because dogs hunt by scent. You have around nine million olfactory nerve endings in their nose, has had over 150 million in a very small area. Having a far more concentrated area of scent receptors, cats live in a more exotic world of smells than we do. I’m sure you’ve noticed your cat sniffing and concentrating on male inside and outside, or around food.
I’m sure cats smell the airborne scents when detecting their prey. It is it doesn’t look like they’re following a scent when hunting. The cat smells the air when breathing, scanning it for prey, rival cats or dangerous substances. This is so the other senses can be employed to investigate things further away.The sense of smell will be used by the cat again when it comes closer to where it is heading. It will start to use its sense of smell again to decide what it will do next.
You may also have noticed your cat rapidly sniffing to investigate something of particular interest. However the cat does not exhale during this rapid sniffing, the air is instead stored above a shelf like structure within the nostril. This increases the chance of the air coming into contact with the sensory cells within the nostril.
Newborn kittens have a well developed sense of smell so they can find a nipple and become orientated towards the safety of the centre of the nest. The heat receptors in the skin of the nose will also help them during this early crucial period. That early sense of smell may be particularly sensitive to the fats and the oils that are are secreted by the mother’s coat and milk. Older cats may be able to taste proteins, however they smell fats. They can even distinguish one type of fat from another which could explain why pet food companies offer so much variety in their foods. The smell of some fats make cats feel good as they associate it with feelings of contentment and eating.
Some cats appear to become fussy about what they eat and will refuse to eat a different brand or even flavor of cat food. This is thought to be due to the smells associated with that food and the feeling of satiation the cat remembers from eating it. If the food smells different, he doesn’t have that association and won’t want to eat it. However cats in the wild don’t have that luxury of choice, they need to eat whatever they can to survive.
The sense of smell in cats is very important in communication. The adult cat uses its sense of smell when finding a mate and also when it is trying to recognize feline or non-feline enemies. They also use this sense of smell in their relations with us humans. They ‘mark’ us with their scent glands each time they rub against us. This enables a ‘quick recognition’ of friends or someone new. It is for this reason that it is important to make sure your cat ‘meets’ any new additions to the household such as a new baby. By allowing the cat to rub against the baby, it will recognize that smell as part of the family.
We humans overlook just how important scent and communal scent is to our cats. We pay little attention to the world of scent as we don’t have the same capabilities as our cats.
Could an automatic litterbox be frightening your cat and contributing to those unpleasant cat urine smells in your home?
There is a distinctive cat urine smell that signals your cat has stopped using the litter box. Sometimes it will be in the bedroom or on the bed, in the lounge room on on your children’s clothes. Many cat owners are often puzzled as to why their cat suddenly stops using their litter box and uses somewhere else. I have listed below some tips that can help you solve this problem quickly and easily.
The litter box is the first thing you should check. Make sure it is in a quiet room in your house. Quite a few people I know put them in their basement or laundry and leave the door open. This not only creates a secluded area for your cat but also helps to keep those unpleasant cat urine smells to a minimum in the rest of the house.
I strongly suggest using an area that is tiled as it will be much easier to clean if there are accidents.
If your cat is not making it to the litter box finding out why is of paramount importance.
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Has the box been moved to a high traffic area recently?
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Does the door get accidently closed by children, another pet or wind?
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Are there other pets that could be frightening your cat? A noisy dog next door?
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Is it near a washing machine or furnace. Sometimes if they start up when your cat is using the litter box the noise could frighten your cat.
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Does the box need cleaning more often?
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Is a new litter being used or does it have a heavy scent?
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Has the depth of the litter in the box changed? Some cats like their litter deep, others shallow.
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Has your cat outgrown the litter box and therefore needs a larger one?
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The box is too hard to enter and exit. This can especially be an issue for older cats.
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Have you changed the box itself?
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If it is an enclosed box, could the odor be off putting for your cat?
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Is it a self cleaning litter box? Could this be frightening your cat?
The only time I would suggest putting your cat’s food and water near where they eliminate is to discourage them from using a particular area. If your cat is continually eliminating in an area that can’t be closed off, try feeding your cat there. The strong smell of its own urine will discourage them from using that area if it wants to eat.
Remember, when you find that very unpleasant cat urine smell in your bedroom, your cat is trying to tell you of a problem. It is up to you to find out what the problem is and help both you and your cat. An excellent resource I use often is Liz Barton’s *Cat Secrets Revealed. She has a whole section on litter box issues. Dr Andrew Jones in his *Veterinary Secrets Revealed gives you possible causes as well as alternative therapies you can use on your cat. I refer to both books often when dealing with my own cats.
