I smelled my beloved cat all over, and the different "scents" from each body part were too interesting!

A while ago, I posted a casual question about cat smells on social media, and it garnered a surprisingly large response.

猫の体と手足➜自分で毛づくろいしてるから、いいにおいなのも分かる。

猫の頭頂部➜毛づくろいできないのに、いいにおいなの、なぜ…？

— ゆあ ｜ ライター🖊 (@yunc24291) April 8, 2026

It's heartwarming to see how curious everyone, both domestically and internationally, is about cat smells.

It's one of the seven wonders of cats that even the top of their heads, which they can't lick themselves, smells good. But what's also interesting about cats is that different parts of their bodies have different smells. I wondered where the best smell was... So I decided to sniff various parts of my beloved cats. (Much to their annoyance)

I sniffed every inch of my beloved cat!

I have two beloved cats. The first one I sniffed was Kotaro, a tabby. Before sniffing, I asked him, "Please let me sniff your whole body!" and he looked at me with a face that seemed to say, "Are you... crazy...?" Well, I guess that's to be expected.

First, I sniffed his ears. It's amazing that they're odorless, even though it's a difficult part for him to lick himself. I thought his head would also be odorless, but surprisingly, it had a slightly dusty smell... Did he go into a gap in the TV or something when I wasn't looking...? I imagined things like that while sniffing, and it was, to put it mildly, too much fun.

His cheeks, which he uses for rubbing and marking, are where pheromones are released. So I thought they would have a strong smell, but to my nose, they were odorless. Cats really do have a much better sense of smell than humans.

Perhaps because he grooms himself easily, his upper body was odorless. His fluffy belly was also odorless. However, the lower half of his back somehow had a floral scent. We don't have any air fresheners in the room, and humans don't use perfume, but Kotaro often smells like perfume, which I envy.

I found the only part of a cat's body that has a strong smell!

Next, I sniffed the tip of his tail, and for some reason, it again had a dusty smell. ...He definitely played in some gap before I woke up, didn't he...? I'll check the gaps in the room later. As I sniffed, thinking about such things, I found it! The only part of a cat's body that smells! It was the base of his tail, close to his bottom.

Apparently, Kotaro had just pooped at that time. I apologize for sniffing so indelicately... And I apologize for writing about his bathroom habits like this. I swore to myself that I would splurge on treats for him today.

Many cats' paw pads smell sweet, like popcorn, but in Kotaro's case, both of his front paws had a slightly dusty smell. ...It's confirmed, he played in some gap.

His hind legs would surely also smell dusty. I thought so and sniffed, and my expectations were betrayed. His left hind leg, for some reason, had the same floral scent as his lower body. His right hind leg had a faint scent like grape gummies.

The dusty smell is proof that he played, but where did he get the grape and floral smells from? I'm so jealous of Kotaro's body odor, which has both delicious and good smells.

"Dad's smell" emanating from the top of his head

Next, I sniffed Leon, a brown tabby. Leon usually has more of a smell than Kotaro. I was looking forward to what he would smell like today.

Like Kotaro, his ears and cheeks were odorless. I thought his head would also be odorless, but when I sniffed it, there was a somewhat nostalgic smell... Where had I smelled this before...? I thought, and as I recalled the smells in my memory, "Dad's smell" was what fit perfectly.

His upper body was odorless. His soft belly smelled like sunshine. It's amazing how you can recognize "the smell of sunshine" even though there's no specific definition of what it is.

His lower body, for some reason, smelled like the factory where I used to work. Your body odor is like a set of nostalgic memories, isn't it?

The tip of his tail was hard to describe, but it was a refreshing scent, like a feeling of invigoration!

The surprising smell of paw pads

Now, next is the base of the tail, a delicate area. I braced myself and sniffed, and sure enough, just like Kotaro, Leon's tail base also had a strong smell! Kotaro's was a poop smell, but Leon's was a scent that would be better described as "fart smell."

I also want to apologize to Leon for sharing this sensitive information with a third party.

His paw pads, where differences in smell are most noticeable, were indeed unique. His left front paw had a woody smell. I assume it's due to the wooden cat litter.

If that's the case, then his other paw pads would probably also be woody. Cats are amazing for betraying such expectations. His right front paw and left hind paw were odorless for some reason. "It's not woody!" I exclaimed in my mind, and when I sniffed his left hind paw pad last, it had a faint smell of natto...

Huh... maybe he stepped on something in the litter box before I woke up. Needless to say, I anxiously wiped my nose and then wiped Leon's paw pads with a wet wipe.

Cats generally smell good, but the tip of their tail near their bottom can sometimes have a dangerous smell, depending on the time and situation. That was the overly useless knowledge I gained from this experiment.

However, personally, the experience of comparing the smells of various parts of my beloved cat was a lot of fun. My beloved cat looked at me with cold eyes as I sniffed his entire body, looking annoyed (lol).

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