Curiosity 6 of 10
6. Cats cannot taste sweetness
Cats cannot taste sweetness. The gene that forms one of the parts of the sweet receptor on their tongue does not work, so sugar has no special taste for a cat.
A gene that stopped working
The sweet taste receptor is made of two proteins that work together. In 2005, scientists showed that in cats, the gene for one of these proteins has defects that prevent it from working. Without this part, the receptor does not form, and sweetness goes unnoticed.
The same has been observed in lions, tigers and other felines studied. The most cited explanation has to do with diet: felines are strict carnivores and eat almost only meat, which has very little sugar. A taste that made no difference in their food stopped being needed over the course of evolution.
On the other hand, cats perceive flavors linked to meat very well. When a cat licks the cream of a dessert, it is after the fat, not the sugar. Even so, sweets are not cat food, and it is best to keep the plate out of its reach.
A cat's whiskers are also sensors. Each hair is connected to many nerves at its base and helps the animal perceive nearby objects and movements of the air around it, which is especially useful in the dark and in tight spaces.
Did you know? Dogs, on the contrary, can taste sweetness. This is one of the reasons sugary foods attract their attention, and one more reason to keep sweets, especially chocolate, out of their reach.
