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

Cats are carnivores and obtain the necessary nutrients from meat. For this reason, they enjoy eating animal protein. However, you may have had the experience of your cat wanting or even eating human desserts containing ingredients like fresh cream.

In this article, we will explain the sense of taste in cats.

How taste works

The tongues of both humans and cats have receptors located in taste buds that perceive flavor. When chemical substances in food bind to these receptors, information is transmitted to the brain through gustatory nerves, allowing us to perceive taste.

The number of taste buds varies depending on the animal species. Additionally, differences in receptors mean that the tastes perceived can also differ. Therefore, the areas of the tongue that perceive specific tastes vary; for example, saltiness receptors are concentrated on the tip of the tongue, sourness on the sides, and bitterness towards the back.

What kind of tastes do cats perceive?

Food entering the mouth is tasted by the taste buds on the tongue, and the brain recognizes the flavor through the information transmitted. Humans perceive five basic tastes: "sweet," "sour," "umami," "bitter," and "salty." Compared to humans, cats have far fewer taste bud cells—about one-tenth as many. While humans have approximately 7,000 taste buds, cats have only about 500. Furthermore, they perceive fewer types of tastes.

For cats, the sense of taste acts more as a sensor for protecting their lives rather than for enjoying the flavor.

Sourness

Cats hunt prey and eat their meat. As meat decays, it becomes sour. Cats developed the ability to perceive sourness as a way to avoid eating spoiled meat, and they generally dislike sour things very much. They also dislike the sourness of citrus fruits.

However, there are reports that some types of sourness can actually increase a cat's preference. What exactly makes certain sour flavors appealing to cats remains unclear.

If your cat suddenly stops eating food they previously liked, it might be that the food has deteriorated after being opened for too long.

Bitterness

Since poisons and spoiled food often taste bitter, cats are highly sensitive to bitterness. This helps them protect themselves from danger.

Umami

Amino acids, which provide the umami flavor, are found in meat. Cats have receptors in their taste buds to detect umami, and they are considered to be sensitive to it.

Saltiness

Cats are insensitive to saltiness and do not seem to react unless the salt concentration is very high.

Diets for urinary stones or cystitis are formulated with a slightly higher salt concentration compared to other foods to improve palatability and encourage water intake.

Because they are insensitive to salt, intentionally adding salt can have adverse effects on their heart and kidneys. Human food is very high in salt, so you should absolutely avoid giving it to your cat.

Sweetness

Cats lack functional receptors to perceive sweetness, so they do not taste sugar. They generally show no interest in sugary foods.

However, cats may sometimes beg for sweets that humans are eating. This is not because they taste the sugar, but because they are reacting to the animal protein or fats. Human food is tempting to cats, but it contains excessive sugar, salt, and fat. Feeding it to your cat can lead to obesity and various illnesses, including diabetes, kidney disease, and urinary stones, so you must never give it to them.

Can cats taste flavors?

As mentioned above, cats are sensitive to sour, bitter, and umami tastes, but they hardly perceive saltiness and do not taste sweetness at all. From a cat's perspective, they judge whether food is safe to eat rather than whether it is "delicious."

When it comes to enjoying food, the sense of smell is just as important as taste. A cat's sense of smell is far more sensitive and highly developed than a human's. The olfactory epithelium, where olfactory cells are concentrated, is about 3–4 cm² in humans, while in cats, it is as large as 21 cm². It can be said that cats judge if food is good not only through taste but also through their keen sense of smell.

Cats can distinguish between the tastes of water

Although cats are not as sensitive as humans in their general sense of taste, they seem quite sensitive when it comes to water. Some cats drink water from bowls or fountains as it is, while others have distinct preferences, such as wanting water from a faucet, the bathroom, or water that has been sitting for a while. While the details are not fully understood, they likely perceive differences in flavor based on water freshness, pH levels, and mineral content.

Summary

We have explained the feline sense of taste. A cat's sense of taste acts more like a sensor to judge if a food is safe to eat rather than for enjoying the taste itself. Because cats try to avoid rotten food, if your cat suddenly stops eating food they used to enjoy, one reason might be that the food has deteriorated. Be sure to use up food within about a month of opening.

Human food seems to have an appealing scent to cats. If they try it for the first time, they may eat it with great enthusiasm. However, human meals are very high in salt, fat, and sugar, all of which are harmful to cats.

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