As part of this study, Yutaro Miyari and his team from the University of Agriculture of Tokyo led an revealing olfactory test with 30 domestic cats (11 males and 19 females, aged seven years), directly among animal owners. Each animal had to identify three samples: the smell of its owner, that of an unknown, and a shackless tube. Ears, under the armpits and between the toes, after asking participants to avoid alcohol, tobacco, spices and perfumes.
Verdict? Cats spent significantly less time sniffing their owner than that of foreigners. This difference betrays immediate recognition: the familiar smell requires only a brief verification. According to the researchers, this shorter sniffing duration suggests that cats quickly recognize their owner’s smell before moving on. Faced with an unknown person, they are investigating longer to collect information.
The study also reveals that cats preferably use their right nostril to analyze unknown odors, then switch to the left once the information is assimilated. This mechanism suggests that the right hemisphere of their brain treats new products while the left manages routine information.
Smell, a social compass
Another intriguing discovery: many cats were not content to sniff the smells that researchers presented them. They frequently rubbed their faces against samples tubes, favoring the side that had just been used for exploration. A behavior that reveals a direct link between olfactory exploration and territorial marking.
The personality also influences these olfactory behaviors. Anxious cats first examine the odorless tubes, while the most sociable heads towards the sample of their owner. In males, this correlation is particularly marked: the most anxious multiply the back and forth, unlike the most serene which explore calmly.
All these discoveries teach us a little more about our mustache friends. When your cat sulks you on vacation, it may be because you have an unusual smell. The solution? Take a shower with your usual products and put your clothes back before. This will facilitate reunion with your cat. In the same way, if your cat spends his time sniffing a visitor, don’t be jealous. This mark of attention simply reflects the novelty of this scent.
Because smell is the king of feline senses. Indeed, only 54% of cats recognize human faces, as Julia Henning, doctoral student in feline behavior at the University of Adelaide recalls in an article in The Conversation. But a smell? They never forget it. Let the “Cat Parents” therefore reassure themselves: your perfume has brought you into the very closed club “odors of trust” – those that can be ignored without danger. Among the matus, arouse total indifference remains the most beautiful of compliments.