What tastes do cats prefer? Is it true they dislike sour flavors? A vet explains in detail.

Cats are carnivores and get the nutrients they need from meat. As such, they readily eat animal protein. However, some cat owners may have experienced their cats wanting human desserts like fresh cream or even eating them.

This article explains the sense of taste in cats.

How the Sense of Taste Works

The tongues of humans and cats have receptors located in taste buds that detect taste. When chemical substances of taste components bind to these taste bud receptors, the information is transmitted to the brain via the taste nerves extending from the taste buds, allowing us to perceive taste.

The number of taste buds varies among animal species. Also, due to differences in receptors, the tastes that can be perceived differ. For example, saltiness is primarily detected at the tip of the tongue, sourness on the sides, and bitterness at the back.

What Tastes Do Cats Perceive?

When food enters the mouth, taste buds on the tongue detect its flavor, and this information is transmitted to the brain, allowing for taste recognition. Humans can detect five types of tastes: "sweet," "sour," "umami," "bitter," and "salty." Cats have about one-tenth the number of taste bud cells compared to humans. While humans have approximately 7,000 taste buds, cats have a remarkably small number, around 500. Additionally, the range of tastes they can perceive is also smaller.

A cat's sense of taste functions less for enjoying flavors and more as a sensor for survival.

Sourness

Cats hunt prey and eat its meat. Meat becomes sour as it spoils. A cat's ability to detect sourness is a defense mechanism to avoid eating spoiled meat, and cats have a strong aversion to sour foods. They also dislike the sourness of citrus fruits.

However, some types of sourness seem to be preferred by cats, reportedly increasing their palatability. What specific types of sourness cats like is still not clearly understood.

If your cat suddenly stops eating the food it previously enjoyed, it might be that the food has deteriorated over time since the bag was opened.

Bitterness

Poisons and spoiled foods often taste bitter, so cats are highly sensitive to bitterness. This sensitivity helps them protect themselves.

Umami

Amino acids, which are umami components, are found in meat. Cats' taste buds have receptors for umami, and they are thought to be sensitive to umami.

Saltiness

Cats are insensitive to saltiness and only react to high concentrations of salt.

Foods for urinary stones or cystitis have a slightly higher salt concentration compared to other foods, serving to increase palatability and water intake.

Since cats are insensitive to salt, intentionally increasing their salt intake can negatively affect their heart and kidneys. Human food contains a lot of salt, so you should never give it to them.

Sweetness

Cats do not have functional taste receptors for sweetness, so they cannot taste sweet flavors. They tend not to show interest even when offered sugary foods.

However, cats sometimes crave Western-style pastries that humans eat. This is not because they taste the sweetness, but because they are reacting to the animal protein. Human food is appealing to cats, but it contains very high levels of sugar, salt, and fat. Giving it to them can lead to obesity and various diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, and urinary stones, so you should absolutely never give it to them.

Do Cats Understand Taste?

As mentioned earlier, cats are sensitive to sour, bitter, and umami tastes, but they do not perceive saltiness very well and cannot taste sweetness at all. From a cat's perspective, their sense of taste is more about determining if food is safe to eat rather than if it's delicious.

Deliciousness is not only perceived through taste but also through smell. A cat's sense of smell is much more sensitive and highly developed than a human's. The area where olfactory cells are concentrated is called the olfactory epithelium. In humans, it is about 3-4 cm², while in cats, it is a very large 21 cm². It can be said that cats determine if food is delicious not only through their sense of taste but also through their sense of smell.

Cats Can Distinguish Different Tastes in Water

Although a cat's sense of taste is not as sensitive as a human's, they appear to be sensitive to water. Some cats drink water directly from water dispensers or bowls, while many others prefer specific types of water, such as water from a tap, bathwater, or water that has been left out for a while. Although the exact reasons are not fully understood, they seem to perceive differences in taste based on factors like freshness, pH, and composition of the water.

Summary

We have explained the sense of taste in cats. A cat's sense of taste functions more as a sensor to determine if food is safe to eat rather than to enjoy its flavor. Since cats try to avoid spoiled food, one reason why a cat might suddenly stop eating food it previously enjoyed could be food degradation. It is best to use up cat food within about a month after opening.

Human food seems to have an appealing taste to cats. A cat trying it for the first time will likely eat it with shining eyes. However, human food contains very high levels of salt, fat, and sugar, which can be harmful to cats.

It is important to provide fresh cat food and plenty of water that your cat prefers.