Your cat will never disappoint you when it comes to her smell! It’s not just in your head, the fact that cats are fastidious groomers is true, and they smell wonderful! But how can it make her smell good and not neutral! Interesting right!
So why do cats smell so good? Let’s find out!
How Can Cats Smells So Good?
We know one thing for sure that when our cats lick onto our skin all we can feel is a rough surface that can be related to sandpaper!
So there’s something special about cats’ tongues which helps them in various ways! Let’s find the five amazing reasons how and why do cats smell so good every time!
1. Cats Prefer to Clean Themselves a Lot
Why do cats smell so good? Because cats prefer to clean themselves a lot, even more frequently! Isn’t it’s very natural for all of us that whenever we picture cats, the only image to pop up in our minds is of cats licking themselves!
They spend 30-50% of their time grooming themselves.
They love to be clean, and also they prefer a cleaner sounding! You will never find there a cat using the dirty litter box. The moment your cat will have any leftover on its face, she will clean it as soon as possible!
Why do cats love to groom themselves so much?
To avoid predators: tho our cats are these fierce creatures who are fearless, and mostly they prey on birds and mice for their survival.
But In the wild, cats are prone to remove the smell, which can be a source of attraction for the much bigger predators of cats.
Tho, this is less necessary for domestic cats, but these traits must have been passed down by the process of natural selection through years of evolution.
The cats that were better at self-grooming would have survived longer, reproduced, and passed these need-to-be-clean genes on to their offspring. This has trickled down into the pet cats we have today.
One of the reasons why cats bury their waste. Smart, isn’t it?
To reduce catching an infection: cats are very active creatures, they love to hop and jump here and there, and no doubt they can get hurt easily! Even if it’s as small as a cut on their skin. Cats lick their wounds, which helps them to remove dirt and pathogens.
Licking on their wounds reduces the chances of catching infections, as their saliva contains special enzymes that act as a natural antibiotic.
Comfort: cats lick their kittens to transfer comfort, as a way to feel relaxed. So you can say that it is an inbuilt nature of the cat to relate licking with comfort, they have been passing this on.
2. That Sandpaper Like Tongue
Many times you will find your cat licking herself over to each and every part of its body, even they use her tongue to clean their kittens. There’s got to be something about a cat’s tongue that makes it so easy to clean.
According to a report published in the journal PNAS, the spines on their tongues are bent and hollow-tipped. These tiny spines, known as papillae, may transmit enormous volumes of saliva from the mouth to the hair, cleaning Fluffy and lowering her body temperature as the saliva evaporates.
So now we know, why do cats smell so good! It’s because they are blessed with a special cleaning tongue, which also feels like sandpaper on your skin.
3. Pile of Warm Laundry
You must have caught your cat sleeping on a pile of laundry! Did I miss something here? Yes, a fresh laundry. Cats prefer to rest, sit or sleep on a pile of fresh laundry rather than the dirty one which is yet to be washed.
Cats are very picky when it comes to cleanliness!
As cats don’t produce much body odor, but you might get surprised if out of nowhere your cat comes to you smelling all good and fresh like daisies. There are 100% chances that your cat fell asleep on a fresh pile of warm laundry.
Cats love to sit on warm things, and you might also find them near such areas!
In the same way, cats can catch the smell of human cologne or perfume if they tend to take a nap on them. And to be honest the smell will last super long.
Why do cats smell so good? All of a sudden, you need to check the laundry after finding your cat’s hair on it, then you will know why!
4. Cats Don’t Have Strong Body Odors
If you own a dog, your house will require more odor eliminators than a house which have cats! The reason behind this is very simple, cats are self-cleaning machines!
And we all can agree to it because either she’s licking herself most of the time or sleeping.
Cats have fewer sweat glands than other animals, they only have sweat glands on hairless areas, none below their fur! They do produce sebum, an important oily secretion that helps to keep the fur and skin of cats moisturized all over the body.
5. Love Smells Good: There’s a Lot of Love between You and Your Cat
One of the reasons behind your cat smelling, so good is due to the love you both share. Just the way a female loves her infant and would tolerate any smell of pee or poo without making faces. It works the same in the case of adorable pets like cats!
When there is a lot of love between you and your cat, she will be always appealing to you!
It’s no hidden fact that smells play a huge role with emotions and memories, just like a scent might remind you of a place or a situation you were once in! In the same way, the smell of your cat bonds you with them. So the bottom line is you love your cat so much that she can never smell bad to you!
Can Your Cat Have a Bad Odor?
Yes, cats can have a bad odor it’s natural as they are very impatient in nature you will hardly find them sitting at one place for long hours unless they are hurt or sick!
So it’s basically very natural for them to get into situations where they should not be!
For example, your cat might just land into the trash can of your neighbor while chasing down a bird or mouse!
Now, this is something which would require your attention because your cat won’t just lick all the nasty smell out of her fur!
In such a case, washing/bathing your cat with any mild cat shampoo is the best option around.
Conclusion
To sum up, your question of ”why do cats smell so good?” we have two answers, your cat fur is quite effective at picking up aromas, so your cat’s fur may occasionally emit an unexpectedly pleasant odor. It’s possible that she slept on something with a pleasant aroma that has transferred to its coat.
Two, They spend 30-50% of their time grooming themselves. This helps them to stay clean for a longer period of time, makes cats smell good.
References
- Top 10 Things Cats Smell Like — Chewy
- What Is Cat Huffing and Is It Safe? — Pet Finder
- What Is That Smell from My Male Cat — Manitou Animal Hospital