A Michael Broad Blog
Anecdotally, the answer to the above question is a clear: yes, from many cat caregivers who have experienced this feline phenomenon. But there is no hard scientific evidence as yet. And science has checked this out. Subjective assessments by loving cat caregivers can be unreliable. This study shows that a significant positive correlation does …
This is about the science – which is about the genetics of all the cat species – behind the failure of cats to detect sweetness in their food. We know that cats can’t detect the taste of sweetness in their food but what happened? It is a bit strange when you think about it …
Domestic cats have the required ‘umami’ taste receptors on their tongues to respond well to an enzyme called inosine monophosphate and an amino acid called free L-Histidine which combine to produce a strong umami taste. Cats enjoy these taste receptors thanks to the inheritance of Tas1r1-Tas1r3 genes. The umami taste is described as the …
Here comes Toji! – Photo by fofurasfelinas (link at base of page) This is a really nice picture by a well-known Flickr photographer, Giane Portal, Flickr name: forfurasfelinas, of a sanctuary or rescue cat (she is heavily involved in cat rescue) named Toji. As we can see, he is a brown mackerel tabby cat …
In summary, I think it is plausible that domestic cats can detect the levels of acetone in a diabetic person’s breath and measure that against their health and well-being. They can therefore potentially alert the diabetic person’s partner to problems. This is a discussion article. A story prompted me to write it. The Evening …
Is vinegar a successful domestic cat deterrent? I wanted to answer the question scientifically. I wanted some hard evidence discovered in a scientific study. I failed to find such a study and therefore I have to rely on what is called anecdotal evidence i.e. what people think. And when you research what people think …
Rue (Ruta graveolens) is a herb that was referred to as a cat deterrent in the first century AD by the Roman author Pliny in his massive book Natural History. This deterrent has a very long and distinguished pedigree. Excuse the pun. Not only did the Roman author Pliny mention it those many years …
A domestic cat’s sense of taste is not quite as good as ours which is reassuring because in many respects the domestic cat’s senses are superior to ours. However, as you might know, they have difficulty in tasting sweetness. Like us, the domestic cat responds to 4 basic tastes: sour bitter salt and sweet. …
