Is your cat ignoring you? That means it trusts you, or rather, your scent
It is often believed that cats deliberately ignore us. In reality, this apparent coldness hides a sophisticated form of olfactory recognition.
Indeed, a Japanese study published in the journal PLOS One reports that domestic cats identify their owners mainly by their scent. As such, they know they these familiar humans are part of their inner circle.
As part of this study, Yutaro Miyairi and colleagues at Tokyo University of Agriculture conducted a revealing smell test with 30 domestic cats (11 males and 19 females, with an average age of seven) in their owners' homes.
Each animal had to identify three samples: the scent of its owner, that of a stranger, and a control tube with no scent.
The samples were collected from behind the ears, under the armpits, and between the toes, after asking participants to avoid alcohol, tobacco, spices and perfumes.
The researchers found that the cats spent significantly less time sniffing their owner's scent than that of a stranger.
This difference suggests immediate recognition: familiar scents require only a brief check.
According to the researchers, this shorter sniffing time suggests that cats quickly recognise their owner's scent before moving on to something else. When faced with an unfamiliar person, they investigate longer to gather information.
The study also reveals that cats prefer to use their right nostril to analyse unfamiliar smells, then switch to the left once the information has been processed.
This mechanism suggests that the right hemisphere of their brain processes new information, while the left hemisphere handles routine information.
A social compass
Another intriguing discovery was that many cats did not simply sniff the odours presented to them by the researchers. They frequently rubbed their faces against the sample tubes, favouring the side that had just been used for exploration. This behavior indicates a direct link between olfactory exploration and territorial marking.
Personality also influences these olfactory behaviours. More anxious cats first examine the odorless tubes, while the more sociable ones head for their owner's sample.In males, this correlation is particularly marked: the most anxious cats make multiple trips back and forth, while the more serene creatures explore calmly.
All these discoveries teach us a little more about our feline friends.When your cat sulks when you return from vacation, it may be because you smell unusual.
Try taking a shower with your usual products and putting your old clothes back on to make it easier for your cat to warm to you again.
Similarly, if your cat spends all its time sniffing a visitor, don't be jealous. This sign of attention simply means that the scent is new to them.
Indeed, smell is king of the feline senses. Only 54% of cats recognise human faces, as Julia Henning, a PhD student in feline behaviour at the University of Adelaide, points out in an article in The Conversation.
But a smell, they never forget. So "cat parents' can rest assured: your scent has earned you entry into the very exclusive club of "trusted smells' – those that can be safely ignored. With cats, being met with total indifference is the highest form of flattery. – AFP Relaxnews
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sinar Daily
7 hours ago
- Sinar Daily
Study: Eating fries over boiled potatoes ups type 2 diabetes risk
Those who consume similar amounts of boiled, baked or mash potatoes do not have an increased risk. 17 Aug 2025 08:01am Fries are sorted in the grading room of the Clarebout factory a French producer of frozen potato products in Bourbourg, near Dunkirk, northern France, on February 25, 2025. (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP) LONDON - People who eat three portions of French fries a week have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests, PA Media/dpa reported. Those who consume similar amounts of boiled, baked or mash potatoes do not have an increased risk, researchers found. An international team of researchers, including an expert from the University of Cambridge, wanted to investigate any links between potato consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Academics analysed data on studies tracking the health of more than 205,000 health workers in the US. Repeated surveys about people's diets were performed over almost four decades. And during the study follow-up periods, some 22,000 cases of type 2 diabetes were documented. Overall the research team found that consumption of baked, boiled or mashed potatoes were not linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). But people who had a higher consumption of French fries - at least three weekly servings - had a 20 per cent increased risk. And those who eat fries five times a week appeared to have a 27 per cent increased risk. "The risks associated with potato intake varied by cooking method," the authors wrote in The BMJ (a medical journal). "The association between higher potato intake and increased T2D risk is primarily driven by intake of French fries. "Higher intake of French fries, but not combined baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes, was associated with a higher risk of T2D." The research team also found that replacing three servings of potatoes each week with whole grains was found to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 8 per cent. "Replacing any form of potatoes, particularly French fries, with whole grains is estimated to lower the risk of T2D, reinforcing the importance of promoting whole grains as an essential part of a healthy diet," they wrote. But replacing potatoes with white rice was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, they found. The research team also performed a review of all of the other studies on the topic which had similar findings. In a linked editorial, also published in The BMJ, experts from the US and Denmark wrote: "This finding also corresponds to the observed associations between high intake of ultra-processed foods and high risk of type 2 diabetes - French fries are often ultra-processed, whereas baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes are often minimally processed." They added: "With their relatively low environmental impact and their health impact, potatoes can be part of a healthy and sustainable diet, though whole grains should remain a priority." Commenting on the study, Dr Faye Riley, research communications lead at Diabetes UK, said: "This research shows that the link between potatoes and type 2 diabetes isn't as clear-cut as it might seem. "Type 2 diabetes is a complex condition, with many factors influencing its development, including genetics, age and ethnicity. "Diet is just one part of the picture, but this study suggests that how food is prepared can make a difference and reinforces the advice to prioritise whole grains and cut back on fried or heavily processed foods as a way to support a balanced diet and reduce your risk." - BERNAMA-PA MEDIA/dpa More Like This
Sinar Daily
20 hours ago
- Sinar Daily
The eye-opening science of close encounters with polar bears
LONGYEARBYEN - It's a pretty risky business trying to take a blood sample from a polar bear -- one of the most dangerous predators on the planet -- on an Arctic ice floe. First you have to find it and then shoot it with a sedative dart from a helicopter before a vet dares approach on foot to put a GPS collar around its neck. The head of the Polar Bear Program, Jon Aars (C) from Norway and Norwegian veterinarian Rolf Arne Olberg (R) measure a big male polar bear in eastern Spitzbergen, in the Svalbard archipelago, on April 17, 2025,. The Norwegian Polar Institute, an Arctic research organisation, organised a five-week expedition aboard the high-tech research vessel and icebreaker Kronprins Haakon to collect adipose tissue biopsies and blood samples from polar bears in order to study the impact of pollutants on their health. (Photo by Olivier MORIN / AFP) Then the blood has to be taken and a delicate incision made into a layer of fat before it wakes. All this with a wind chill of up to minus 30C. For the last four decades experts from the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) have been keeping tabs on the health and movement of polar bears in the Svalbard archipelago, halfway between Norway and the North Pole. Like the rest of the Arctic, global warming has been happening there three to four times faster than elsewhere. But this year the eight scientists working from the Norwegian icebreaker Kronprins Haakon are experimenting with new methods to monitor the world's largest land carnivore, including for the first time tracking the PFAS "forever chemicals" from the other ends of the Earth that finish up in their bodies. An AFP photographer joined them on this year's eye-opening expedition. Delicate surgery on the ice With one foot on the helicopter's landing skid, vet Rolf Arne Olberg put his rifle to his shoulder as a polar bear ran as the aircraft approached. Hit by the dart, the animal slumped gently on its side into a snowdrift, with Olberg checking with his binoculars to make sure he had hit a muscle. If not, the bear could wake prematurely. "We fly in quickly," Oldberg said, and "try to minimise the time we come in close to the bear... so we chase it as little as possible." After a five- to 10-minute wait to make sure it is asleep, the team of scientists land and work quickly and precisely. They place a GPS collar around the bear's neck and replace the battery if the animal already has one. Only females are tracked with the collars because male polar bears -- who can grow to 2.6 metres (8.5 feet) -- have necks thicker than their heads, and would shake the collar straight off. Olberg then made a precise cut in the bear's skin to insert a heart monitor between a layer of fat and the flesh. "It allows us to record the bear's body temperature and heart rate all year," NPI researcher Marie-Anne Blanchet told AFP, "to see the energy the female bears (wearing the GPS) need to use up as their environment changes." The first five were fitted last year, which means that for the first time experts can cross-reference their data to find out when and how far the bears have to walk and swim to reach their hunting grounds and how long they rest in their lairs. The vet also takes a biopsy of a sliver of fat that allows researchers to test how the animal might stand up to stress and "forever chemicals", the main pollutants found in their bodies. "The idea is to best represent what bears experience in the wild but in a laboratory," said Belgian toxicologist Laura Pirard, who is testing the biopsy method on the mammals. Eating seaweed It has already shown that the diet of Svalbard's 300 or so bears is changing as the polar ice retreats. The first is that they are eating less seals and more food from the land, said Jon Aars, the lead scientist of the NPI's polar bear programme. "They still hunt seals, but they also take eggs and reindeer -- they even eat (sea)grass and things like that, even though it provides them with no energy." But seals remain their essential food source, he said. "Even if they only have three months to hunt, they can obtain about 70 per cent of what they need for the entire year during that period. That's probably why we see they are doing okay and are in good condition" despite the huge melting of the ice. But if warming reduces their seal hunting further, "perhaps they will struggle", he warned. "There are notable changes in their behaviour... but they are doing better than we feared. However, there is a limit, and the future may not be as bright." "The bears have another advantage," said Blanchet, "they live for a long time, learning from experience all their life. That gives a certain capacity to adapt." Success of anti-pollution laws Another encouraging discovery has been the tentative sign of a fall in pollution levels. With some "bears that we have recaptured sometimes six or eight times over the years, we have observed a decrease in pollutant levels," said Finnish ecotoxicologist Heli Routti, who has been working on the programme for 15 years. "This reflects the success of regulations over the past decades." NPI's experts contribute to the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) whose conclusions play a role in framing regulations or bans on pollutants. "The concentration of many pollutants that have been regulated decreased over the past 40 years in Arctic waters," Routti said. "But the variety of pollutants has increased. We are now observing more types of chemical substances" in the bears' blood and fatty tissues. These nearly indestructible PFAS or "forever chemicals" used in countless products like cosmetics and nonstick pans accumulate in the air, soil, water and food. Experts warn that they ultimately end up in the human body, particularly in the blood and tissues of the kidney or liver, raising concerns over toxic effects and links to cancer. - AFP
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Keeping cool with colours - Vienna museum paints asphalt to fight heat
To fight extreme heat attributable to climate change, an artist collective, featuring Griessler (pic), has covered the asphalt with reflective paints to lower the temperature, as part of an innovative project in Europe combining art, science, and urban development. Photo: AFP Equipped with an infrared thermometer, Austrian artist Jonas Griessler measures the sweltering heat in an inner courtyard in the centre of Vienna. Thanks to his collective's art work covering the black asphalt with a multitude of bright colours, the ground temperature has dropped from 31C to 20C. Initiated by the museum showing the private collection of late Austrian billionaire Heidi Horten, the project combines creativity, science and urban planning as Europe suffocates under the latest heatwave. "The childish tones reflect the lightness and inconsistency with which our society addresses this issue" of climate change, said Griessler, 25, an artist with the Holla Hoop collective. With more intense, longer and more frequent heatwaves a direct consequence of climate change according to scientists, European cities are trying to change their urban planning. Griessler, a member of artist group Holla Hoop, and Prof Hans-Peter Hutter (right) sit on the ground over the colourfully painted courtyard of the Heidi Horten museum in Vienna, Austria. Photo: AFP Many have been opting for more greenery and also lighter paint that reflects solar rays, trying to avoid dark material, which retains heat. "We wanted to slightly improve the quality" of visitors' stays and "promote awareness," said curator Veronique Abpurg, happy that tourists are "attracted by this visually pleasing palette". While each coloured surface represents a year, they each contain small dots. Each dot represents a billion tons of CO2 emissions, and the number of dots on each surface are equivalent to the worldwide emissions of that year. This way one can visualise the increase in emissions due to human activity between 1960 and 2000. "The blocks gradually fill up," lamented the artist, whose background is in graffiti art. "It starts with nine dots, and at the end, there are three times more," he said. "It's a piece of the mosaic for adapting to urban heatwaves," said Hans-Peter Hutter, an environmental health specialist at the Medical University of Vienna, who supports the initiative. A lower temperature on the asphalt means that buildings surrounding the courtyard will need less cooling, reducing air conditioning usage, Hutter said. "We need to communicate better on the subject (of climate change) so that people don't lose hope" and see adaptation measures as a fun activity, he added. - AFP
