It’s the cutest thing when cats nuzzle your face, but when they start sniffing your breath, you’ve got to wonder why anyone would want to smell that? Cats are undoubtedly quirky creatures, and their interest in our breath can be chalked up to one of those weird behaviors that make us wonder about our cat friends.
We’re here to dispel the mystery around this rather odd but endearing behavior. We found seven reasons that cats love to sniff when we exhale. Here, we explore the reasons and give you something to talk about at the dinner table tonight.
The 7 Reasons Why Cats Smell Your Breath
1. Curiosity
Curiosity did not kill the cat! We all know how curious cats are, and smelling our breath is just another way for them to explore something new. You can move your furniture over 2 feet, and it’s suddenly a new object worth exploring for a cat.
A cat’s curiosity comes from a built-in strong survival instinct that came from their wild ancestors. Cats are hardwired to plan their escape from predators and for hunting purposes. While our cats have been domesticated for centuries, their curiosity is one aspect that makes our cats unique, so it makes sense that they’d be curious about our unique breath.
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2. Warmth
We’ve all seen our cats seek out the warmest places in the house. That tiny patch of sun, the heating vent in the floor, or the perfect spot in front of the fireplace.
Our breath is quite warm as well, and if you breathe gently on your cat, it could be an attraction to that warmth you’re seeing.
3. Scent
Cats are quite driven by scent. They learn about the world around them by exploring with their noses. Humans have somewhere around 6 million olfactory receptors in our noses, whereas cats have 200 million! They use scent to figure out the sexual status of other cats, socialize, communicate, and recognize territory.
Cats just naturally stick their noses into everything, and that clearly includes our mouths.
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4. Food
This is probably one of the main reasons that your cat is so intrigued by your breath. Just like any animal, cats are food-oriented, and your breath contains myriad interesting scents.
If you’ve recently eaten something that your cat might be drawn to — a tuna salad sandwich for lunch, for example — it’s no wonder that your cat is enjoying the ambrosia of your breath so much!
5. Health
Cats can tell when their owners are going through emotional turmoil and when we are sick. They typically do this through scent. If you’re not well, your cat might be smelling your breath because they might be able to detect there’s a problem. This can also occur if you recently took medication.
You might find your cat more likely to “groom” you and become more attentive when you’re sick or stressed out. They are trying to calm you down and ease your anxiety, just as you would when your cat is feeling stressed.
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6. Information
When a cat smells your breath, they are picking up information about you. They also probably enjoy your breath because it’s uniquely you, and that gives them comfort.
7. Trust
Your cat is demonstrating complete love and trust for you by entering your physical space. It’s an intimate and vulnerable act to place your face next to someone else. If your cat trusts you, smelling your breath is just a lovely physical sign of this bond.
Conclusion
Not every cat out there will smell your breath, for any or none of these reasons. Some cats might just do it for the smell of what you last ate, while others are looking for warmth and comfort.
We hope that the breath-smelling sessions with your cat are done alongside gentle head bunting and that you enjoy the whole process. This beautiful little creature clearly trusts you, and you should feel honored to be your cat’s chosen one.
