The exquisite taste of cats has long been known. Many owners of meowing pets are familiar with the situation when the pet categorically refuses food and water.
And due to the exotic nature of its tastes, a cat can perhaps leave pregnant women behind. Serve some people squash caviar, and others some cucumber. For some, only fresh meat, while others go crazy over potato peelings. Some people love watermelons, and others need cheese cookies. It’s not for nothing that taste is considered one of the most complex senses.
Features of a cat's taste buds
Taste is the quality of a substance entering the oral cavity; information about it is transmitted to the central nervous system. This happens thanks to special sensitive receptors that are “built-in” into the cat’s tongue. They, in turn, are “hidden” in such elements of the tongue as papillae.
Different groups of papillae on the tongue of a tailed pet have their own purposes:
- Thread-like (conical) ones serve to lick fur, hold food on the tongue, and also to perceive pain and the temperature of food.
It is the filiform papillae that create the feeling of roughness when a cat licks our hand; she needs them to groom her fur and hold food in her mouth.
- Mushroom-shaped - located along the perimeter of the tongue, named after the shape they have.
- Leaf-shaped - along the edge of the tongue, the largest of all papillae.
- Grooved - at the root of the tongue. A cat does not have many of them, much less than a dog or a person.
The taste buds include mushroom-shaped, leaf-shaped and grooved papillae. Scientists suggest that with the help of mushroom-shaped and leaf-shaped papillae, animals distinguish between sour and salty tastes, and with the help of groove-shaped papillae, bitter.
Taste buds have only mushroom-shaped, leaf-shaped and circumvallate papillae
Newborn kittens are already able to distinguish the taste of food.
Cats are better at smelling than humans. But we have much more taste buds - 9000 versus 473 in cats.
A cat's tongue is sensitive to temperature. Pets will not eat food from the refrigerator. True, not because they fear for the health of their throat. It’s just that their food in the natural environment has a body temperature of 30–45 ° C. Moreover, this food is alive. Carrion has a much lower body temperature, and cats do not eat it (this applies not only to our purrs, but also to the more formidable and wild representatives of this family). That is, instinct tells the animal that the food from the refrigerator has been “dead” for a long time, and it is not worth eating due to the threat of poisoning by toxins.
Feedback from cat owners
My cats are fans of hiding. They choose not only boxes, but also all small spaces. We hold the shelves in our closets in special esteem - in the morning I often find someone’s fluffy tails or ears sticking out of a stack of clothes. I think this is due to the instinct of self-preservation - in nature, cats rarely sleep just on the road, but look for some secluded places.
Pitchezz https://mainecoon-forum.ru/archive/index.php/t-20953.html
I have always dreamed of a snow-white cat. I started it, but she turned out to be deaf in both ears. My observations: 1) deaf cats scream very loudly; 2) they have a manic passion for cleanliness, for example, it takes 1.5 hours to bury the tray with a terrible roar; 3) a deaf cat hides all the time or climbs up, trying to lie with her back to the wall - it’s clear that she doesn’t hear footsteps and is afraid that someone will sneak up on her unnoticed. And deaf cats not only love their owners, they are dependent on us, which they value very much.
Katarina1619 https://pikabu.ru/story/glukhaya_koshka_i_kak_ee_vospityivat_5297034
There are features that are common to all representatives of the cat world. And you need to know these features of the behavior and attitude of pets, then you can try to understand your cat and become true friends.
What tastes do cats distinguish?
Scientists have conducted research on the taste preferences of the cat family. Various stimuli were applied to the papillae of the tongue. And as a result, it was revealed that cats distinguish between salty, sour, bitter and do not distinguish between sweet.
Salty
Cats like salty food. It has been noticed that when salt is added to food, the fluffy beauty eats it more willingly. As you know, the blood of all living creatures living on earth tastes salty. And predators, unlike herbivores, do not experience salt hunger; they receive sufficient amounts (sodium and chlorine) of Na and CL from caught rodents and birds.
It is these elements that ensure exchange between cells and the external environment. CL is necessary to maintain the acid-base balance in the animal’s body; it helps the formation of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Na serves as a conductor of nutrients to cells and removes unnecessary things from them.
Sour
The animals also like sour things, which feed manufacturers immediately took advantage of. They use phosphoric acid as an acidic additive. But exceeding it in food is fraught with kidney diseases for your pet.
You can pamper your pet with sour cream from time to time.
Bitter
Cats don't like bitter food. They will taste bitterness even in minimal concentrations, which reduces the possibility of cats being poisoned by toxins contained in spoiled foods. Therefore, representatives of all felines under no circumstances will eat carrion in the wild, and pets will not eat rotten food from a bowl. This makes it very difficult for your cat to give medications. The animal immediately develops a gag reflex.
This feature of the cat family is a salvation for people if they need to keep wires or furniture intact. They are sprayed with bitter sprays and deodorants.
Other flavors
There are other tastes that distinguish specific cat receptors:
- One of them is called meat, broth taste or umami. His cats feel much better than people. Using receptors of the same name, they distinguish between the freshness of the product and the type of meat consumed. Salts of glutamic acid, which they are able to recognize, are contained in any animal protein. It’s not for nothing that manufacturers add monosodium glutamate to sausages and sausages to give them a pleasant taste. If you add a little of this salt to your pet’s food, he will take the meal with great pleasure, even if there is no meat in it. But you can’t overdo it, because the cat may become addicted.
- Your furry pet has receptors responsible for the taste of water. This is why animals love to drink running water from a sink, rather than stagnant water from a bowl.
Tasty and healthy diet
Knowing what tastes animals distinguish, the owner can create a delicious menu for him. But we cannot neglect the usefulness of the products.
Since this animal is a predator by nature, and for centuries it has received protein from caught prey, it is simply vital in the diet of a pet. Proteins are involved in regulating all processes occurring in the body. With their help, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones are formed. And when protein is broken down, amino acids enter the body, which are responsible for the predator’s vision; during the animal’s pregnancy, they participate in the formation of the fetus.
Throughout its life, a pet needs different amounts of protein. In adolescence, young cats and cats require up to 30% protein in the food they receive; for adult cats, the percentage is slightly lower, about 25%; nursing mothers should be fed kitten food to provide the younger generation with the necessary proteins and amino acids.
A cat is a carnivore; it does not need to chew its food; its teeth are designed for grinding and tearing food. When preparing a diet, it should be remembered that these predators cannot obtain all the nutrients and vitamins from boiled food. Their body is adapted to eating raw meat. In the wild, a cat eats mice and birds, and these are not just pieces of raw meat - they are warm-blooded game. Warm food is better absorbed. And the caught prey is a completely balanced food. There is meat, bones, skin, tendons, and internal organs.
This must be taken into account if you want to create healthy nutrition for your pet. It should include:
- meat 90%;
- cereals;
- dairy products;
- offal (chicken heart and liver).
To prevent your cat from becoming infected with parasites, raw meat for its nutrition must first be frozen for 2-3 days.
Photo gallery: foods that are most palatable to cats
The cat eats sausage not because of its high meat content, but because of the monosodium glutamate added to give the product a “meaty” taste
A cat can and should be pampered with raw meat, but the product should be thoroughly frozen first.
Many pets prefer running water to water poured into a bowl.
Cats like sour cream not only because it is a dairy product, but also because of its sour taste.
conclusions
“The results of our work will pleasantly please cats and their caring owners,” says study participant Jiang Peihua, “We were able to find out that cats can taste different types of bitter foods. This knowledge will help improve the composition of dry cat food and remove unnecessary ingredients from it.”
The results of the study showed that cats are absolutely indifferent to various sweets. The capriciousness in food in cats is explained by the presence of various receptors for the sensation of bitter taste on their tongue. Also, thanks to the results of the study, cat owners will be able to choose a diet that satisfies the demanding taste of their pet, and cat food manufacturers will improve the quality of their products.
Why cats can't detect sweet taste
In carnivorous animals, meat predominates in the diet. The cat simply does not need sugar for its vital processes. In the process of evolution, the body itself freed itself from what it does not need. The cat does not have the receptors responsible for the perception of sweet food. And the gene that is responsible for their formation is underdeveloped. Therefore, these animals do not recognize sweets, and they perceive sweeteners as bitter food.
Eating sweet foods is harmful for a cat because it can lead to metabolic disorders, the most harmful being chocolate.
Why do some pets eat sweets?
Everyone has probably seen how a cat happily licks ice cream. Those who don’t know the cat’s ability to not tolerate sugar think that pussy likes sweets. It turns out that good ice cream contains a sufficient amount of fat, which is what the cat eats with pleasure. Likewise, she can drink whole milk, but will not accept store-bought skim milk. Scientists have discovered that not only domestic cats, but also their wild relatives, such as tigers and lions, do not taste sweets.
In ice cream, cats are attracted to the taste of milk fat, not the sweetness of the product.
List of sweets that should not be given to cats
There is a certain list of products that are strictly prohibited for cats:
- sweets containing sugar substitute: xylitol;
- chocolate. The explanation for why cats can't eat chocolate is that it contains a lot of theobromine;
- ice cream;
- condensed milk;
- fermented milk products with sweeteners and artificial additives.
Sugar in dairy products is very harmful
List of products that you can eat a little at a time
A list of products has been established that an animal can consume in small doses. They contain natural fructose (glucose):
- apples contain many minerals, vitamins and fiber;
- pears also contain minerals, vitamins and fiber;
- Apricots and plums are recommended to be consumed in small quantities;
- melons are used with caution;
- figs, dates, dried apricots;
- raspberries, blackberries, blueberries in the absence of allergies.
The owner decides which option is best for the pet.
Options for replacing sweets
The best substitute for sweets for your pet is natural fruits and vegetables. They contain fructose, glucose and are a source of large amounts of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which are very beneficial for the animal.
Important! In pet stores you can buy specially made sweet cookies for cats. It is enriched with vitamins A, E, D3. Made without GMOs, preservatives and dyes.
You can please your pet by purchasing a special packaged pudding in the form of a dairy product.
The most important sugar substitute may be honey. But you need to be especially careful with it, as it causes allergic reactions. Literally a drop of honey is added to cat food, which adds sweetness to the product and is not harmful to health.
There are many natural sugar substitutes for pets
You can replace sweets with the following crops:
Important! Seeds, nuts, almonds, and sesame have a certain sweetness after processing.
Giving your cat sugar will not poison it, but it can cause many long-term health problems. Sugar is a waste food that contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. It should be excluded from the pet’s diet or replaced, if necessary, with natural products.
Cats were domesticated more than 10 thousand years ago. Since then, they have become man's favorite animal companions, helpers and friends. According to statistics, 58% of people have owned a cat at least once in their life. However, the majority do not know their pets at all and are not aware of how they hear, see, feel, what signs they give with their eyes and tail.
Deny or allow?
The main reason why cats cannot eat sweets is the presence of sugar in treats. As the famous saying goes, sugar is sweet poison, and for cats it works one hundred percent.
Is it possible to give cats sweets at least in small quantities? This is a question that each owner answers for himself, based on many factors: the recommendations of the veterinarian, the general health of the pet, its character and personal relationship with it. After all, everyone knows that cats remember refusals, get offended, and the most characteristic ones can even take revenge.
It often happens that the animal begs for sweets. In this case, veterinarians recommend giving your pet a microdose of treats. It is unlikely that anything terrible will happen to him from a drop of condensed milk or yogurt. The main thing is to do it in doses, preferably as encouragement.
Another way to limit sweets is to outwit your pet by switching his attention to a healthy treat designed with all his needs in mind. Now there is a huge selection of such “desserts” for cats. They are available not only in different flavors, but also in a wide variety of formats and textures: straws, cream, fillets, purees, rolls, etc.
If you suddenly haven’t taken care of your furry friend and he has eaten too much condensed milk, chocolate, cookies or ice cream, it is important to take him to the veterinarian for an examination, donate blood and monitor his blood glucose levels. This will help prevent dangerous diseases.
What is taste
The taste sensory system is a type of chemoreception that allows you to analyze the chemical composition of substances that enter the body during eating. Information about a substance entering the oral cavity is “read” by receptors located in the papillae of the tongue. From these biological “mini-sensors” the signal is transmitted along nerve fibers to the cerebral cortex.
Several types of flavors are known: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, as well as the recently discovered protein (“umami”). Each type of receptor reacts only to a certain type of taste, and if any type of “sensor” is missing, then the taste sensation will not arise. The human tongue has about 9 thousand chemoreceptors; most animals have much fewer: canines have about 1,700, and cats have about 500.
Cats and dogs have several types of taste buds, differing in shape: mushroom-shaped along the perimeter of the tongue, leaf-shaped along its edges, and groove-shaped at the root of the tongue. It is assumed that with the help of the groove-shaped papillae, animals determine the bitter taste, and with the help of the leaf-shaped and mushroom-shaped papillae - the rest. Both dogs and cats have more “bitter” receptors than others, but this is understandable: almost all poisons have a bitter taste, and the ability to distinguish danger is important for preserving life.
Answer options
4
sour
bitter
salty
sweet
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