If you’ve ever offered your cat a piece of candy and been met with a quizzical look, you’re not alone - cats can’t taste sweet flavors. But why? There is no clear indication that cats are unable to detect sugar; that they are equipped with sugar detectors on their tongues but have faulty wiring from their taste buds to their brains; or if it could simply be that cats are just snooty enough to give in to sugary sweetness.

While it’s still not entirely clear why this is the case, scientists believe it has something to do with the way the taste receptors in a cat’s mouth are configured. 

The answer to that question lies in the anatomy of a cat's tongue, cats don't have any sweet receptors on their tongues. That's why cats can't taste sugar, honey, or any other sweet thing.

Cats, as you may know, are obligate carnivores. This means that, unlike omnivores like humans and pigs, cats cannot digest carbohydrates and must eat a diet that is mostly meat-based. What you may not know, however, is that this dietary restriction also extends to sweet tastes.

Cats and Their Sense of Taste

Cats have a limited sense of taste. In fact, they can only taste things that are salty, sour, bitter, or savory (umami). This is because cats have a limited number of taste buds. While humans have around 5,000 taste receptors on their tongues, cats only have 2,700. And those receptors, only about 25% are capable of detecting sweetness. 

This is because the taste receptors for sweetness evolved in order to help us distinguish between healthy and harmful sugars. For cats, however, there is no such distinction to be made; all sugars are essentially harmful.

This helps to explain why cats generally dislike sugary foods and drinks. It also explains why they tend to prefer savory flavors like meat and fish. 

So Cat Really Can’t Taste Food That’s Sweet?

However, that doesn't mean that cats can't enjoy sweets. Cats can still enjoy the taste of food that has been sweetened with artificial sweeteners like saccharin or aspartame. And while they can't taste the natural sugars in fruits and vegetables, they still get the nutritional benefits from those foods.

While there are cat parents that will say that their cats enjoy sweets, like ice cream or pudding, it could be that their cats are just drawn to the fat content in these foods since cats can easily detect fat.

Cats and Their sense of smell

Just like humans and other animals, cats rely greatly on their sense of smell for finding food, as well as for tasting it. As cats have much more sensitive noses than humans, they are believed to taste different flavors much more effectively because of their enhanced sense of smell.

How your cat tastes their food

Aside from their sense of smell, cats also have what is called an auxiliary sense. The roof of a cat’s mouth contains a biological structure called the Jacobson’s organ. It connects the mouth to the nasal passage and it’s believed that animals with this organ use to taste using their sense of smell. Like food and pheromones. This involves inhaling the odors into the tongue and rubbing the tongue against the roof of the mouth. The mouth, nose, and Jacobson’s organ work together to allow the cat to sense or “taste” the essence of the flavor.

It is also believed that Jacobson’s organ helps cats to communicate with each other through pheromones. They can also use scent to communicate their own location and mood to other cats.

That’s why cats can pick up on subtle differences in smells that we would miss entirely. This ability likely plays an important role in their hunting and social behaviors. For example, cats can use scent to find prey or track other members of their colony, or even find their way home. 

When you see a cat sniff something intensely, that could mean that they are taking in all sorts of information that we are not privy to.

Aside from the smell of food, what can you do to make your cat eat more?

Many cat owners have difficulty getting their cats to eat enough and it can be difficult to get them to eat a healthy diet. However, there are a few things you can do to encourage your cat to eat more.

One factor is the temperature of the food. Cats prefer their food to be slightly warmer than room temperature since it simulates the temperature of freshly killed prey. If you’re feeding them cold food from the fridge, they’re likely to turn their noses up at it.

You can also experiment with the shape of the food. Most cats prefer bite-sized pieces that they can easily pick up and eat, so avoid giving them large chunks of dry food that they might have trouble eating.

By taking all these factors into account, you can encourage your cat to eat more and you'll be able to make sure that your cat is getting the nutrition that they need. Don’t forget to protect your cat from pests like fleas, ticks, and mosquitos, make sure to feed them Guardian’s Choice soft chew. A yummy pest deterrent that can keep your cat safe from pests and help them maintain their overall health.