A cat’s sense of smell is approximately 14 times more sensitive than a human’s. This is due to the fact that a cat’s nasal organ has a substantially larger total capacity than a human’s. One could argue that the nose is the most significant sense organ in a cat.
Cats’ ability to smell is essential to their survival. A cat uses scent to locate pre-marked territories, detect potential mates, detect food, and determine the boundaries of those areas. All that exists in a cat’s world are smells and scents.
Looking for Food with a Scent
The blind kitten will locate its mother and latch onto a teat using its sense of smell shortly after birth. From that point on, a cat’s nose will always guide it toward food, albeit occasionally to unexpected locations. A cat will look everywhere for the next morsel—in your kitchen cabinets as well as high tree branches.
Due to the strong correlation between smell and taste, a cat suffering from an upper respiratory infection or an elderly cat with diminished sense of smell may become “off” when eating. This kind of cat can benefit from having its food slightly warmed, which will improve the scent and increase the cat’s appetite.
Finding a Companion
One potent sex pheromone that female cats release when they are in heat (the estrus cycle) allows males to smell or “scented” the cat from up to a mile away. You will understand this phenomenon if you have ever been treated to a chorus of lustful tomcats outside your house while your unspatched female cat tries every possible way to get away. By smelling the male’s territorial markings, female cats can also identify their preferred mate through scenting.
Drawing Territorial Boundaries
Male cats use pheromones from glands in their feet and face to mark their territory, or they mark it with urine. They will often sniff at their markings and reapply when the odor fades as they move across their territorial boundaries. When other male cats detect the scent markings, they will either respect the territory or try to supplant it with their own scent markings.
Alertness to Danger and Enemies
Ever notice a cat walk outside with its head held high, whiskers twitching, and nostrils wide open? In addition to spotting possible danger, the cat in this position is gathering information about recent bystanders. With the aid of a potent olfactory accessory organ, the nose can tell the tale of whether another cat has lately ventured nearby or whether there were fish in the delivery truck next door.
Jacobson’s Organ and the Reaction of Flehman
The vomeronasal organ, also referred to as the Jacobson’s organ, is a wonderful organ found in cats, snakes, and a few other mammals. It connects to the remainder of the nasal cavity and is situated in the nasal septum, directly above the roof of the mouth. A cat can open the ducts to the Jacobson’s organ by wrinkling and lifting its lips.
The Flehmen response is the appearance of the cat bringing air into the Jacobson’s organ; it is sometimes described as a slightly open-mouthed “smile.” All cats, domestic or wild, regardless of size or species, appear to have a keen sense of smell thanks in large part to the Jacobson’s organ.
Cat Nose Leather
Depending on heredity and the cat’s natural coloring, a nose leather can be either black or pink. Although the surface of nose leather is hard, it is made of living tissue that can get sick. White or light-colored cats are susceptible, like all mammals, to squamous cancer of the nose and ears.
When a cat is exposed to the sun on a regular basis for extended periods of time, the risk of this cancer increases. If your cat frequently gets sunburns in this area, there are sunscreens that have been approved by veterinarians that are specifically formulated to be applied to a cat’s sensitive nose and ear tips.
