While they may not seem as scent-driven as dogs, cats have a powerful sense of smell that plays a vital role in how they interact with their environment, other animals, and even you. Cats have 200 million scent receptors whereas humans have only 5 million. A cat’s sense of smell is 14 times better than that of a human.
Scent is used to gather information, detect food or danger, communicate, navigate their surroundings, establish territory, and identify familiar individuals. Here are some ways that cats use scent every day.
Scent Marking
One of the most common ways cats use scent is to mark their territory. Scent marking is used to establish and maintain their territory. Cats leave their scent on objects and in areas they frequent, which lets other cats know that this is their space.
Cats use scent marking to create a sense of security and familiarity in their environment. Cats feel safe and reassured when the things around them smell like them.
Face rubbing: When your cat rubs their cheeks on furniture, walls, or even on you, they’re depositing pheromones from scent glands located around their face. This is a friendly way to say “This is mine.”
Scratching: Scratching not only keeps nails trim but it releases scent from glands in the paws, leaving behind both visual and olfactory marks.
Urine spraying: Urine spraying is a strong territorial marker, usually triggered by stress, mating instincts, or perceived threats and competition. It’s a cat’s way of saying, “This is my area. Stay away.”
Middening: When they poop, they may leave it uncovered in prominent places where they feel a perceived threat rather than burying it in their litter box.
Communication
Cats also use scent to communicate with other animals and humans.
Allorubbing: When cats rub their bodies or heads against each other or against you, they’re sharing scent. This “scent swapping” creates a group smell and strengthens social bonds. They recognize the smell as “safe.”
Greeting: A cat may sniff another cat's face or rear end during greetings. This helps them gather important information like mood, identity, and reproductive status.
Identification: Cats can identify familiar individuals by their unique scent profiles. They can recognize their owners, other pets in the household, and even cats they have encountered before.
Pheromones
Pheromones are chemical signals that influence behavior in cats. Cats have scent glands on the faces, paws, tail bases, and anus that release different pheromones with different meanings and uses. Pheromones can convey information about the cat's sex, reproductive status, and social standing. Pheromones can promote calmness, signal sexual interest, or help kittens find their moms before their eyes have even opened.
Cats can also detect these signals through a special organ called the Jacobsen’s organ located on the roof of their mouth. When you see a cat make that funny open-mouthed face where they look a little disgusted (which is called the flehmen response), they’re actually drawing scent into the Jacobsen’s organ and analyzing it.
Bonding
Have you ever wondered why your cat loves to nap on a pile of your clothes or rub up against you and sniff you all over after you’ve been gone? It’s because your scent is comforting. Cats associate your personal smell with safety and affection and they want to mix their scent with yours to strengthen that bond. Some cats even groom you by licking your skin or hair, which is another form of scent-based bonding. They love you and want your scents mixed together!
Food Recognition
Cats rely on the smell to find and choose their food. They need to first smell their food to determine if they want to eat it. Cats actually have very few taste receptors on their tongues so it’s their sense of smell that stimulates hunger.
Cats use their sense of smell to locate prey as well as to determine if food is edible or toxic.
Ways to Help Your Cat
Recognizing how important scent is to your cat can help you understand their behavior and support their well-being:
Avoid over-cleaning. Areas they’ve marked are comforting to them. Cats sometimes scent mark when they feel stressed or threatened so having an area cleaned and the scent removed can cause them distress. This includes laundering their favorite bedding.
Respect their need for scent exploration. Sniffing a new person, item, or pet is how cats make sense of their world.
Beware of scented things in your home. Since cats’ noses are so sensitive, strong odors like scented candles or diffusers can be uncomfortable for them. Be particularly careful with scented cat litter as the smell could overwhelm your cat and lead to avoiding the litter box.
Bring familiar items when traveling. If your cat has to leave the house to go to the vet or when moving homes, take a familiar item like their favorite blanket or a shirt that smells like you. The familiar scent will help calm them in a new environment.
Scent is one of the most important aspects of your cat’s world. It shapes their territory, their relationships, their moods, and their sense of belonging. So the next time your cat rubs up against your legs, sniffs inside your shoes, scratches at your bedding, or grooms you post-shower, know that they’re saying “You are mine and I love you.”
Love, Nala
