What animals lack the receptor for sweetness?
Some scientists have long suspected that cats, which are strict carnivores, are "sweet blind." Now there's proof: Cats lack the receptor for sweetness. The discovery opens a window on what taste is for and how it evolved. It may also help cat food makers create a product that even sick cats will eat.
What are your thoughts on this subject?
68 Comments
Tracy Smith
Then why are we told to keep antifreeze away from cats as it is highly toxic and they are attracted to spillages because of the sweet taste?
19
Feb 2, 2020 5:14AM
Karmen aka caligeekgrrl
Then why does my cat like the glaze off my donuts?
15
Apr 3, 2015 4:40PM
Janice Oliver Bobbitt
Then why did one of mine decide to got on the table & begin to eat the frosting from a birthday cake?
13
Jun 9, 2020 5:43PM
Janet Hart
All but one of my cats had a sweet tooth. One of them loved angel food cake. Every time I had a piece, she would try to steal it.
10
Jun 1, 2015 3:24AM
Gary Slappey
Bull My Brother Cat eats cookies, and anything else that is sweet
10
Apr 5, 2016 6:37AM
Cora Jeske
My mom had a cat who would eat blueberry pie. You had to remember to put it on the fridge or in the microwave. I had a cat who was obsessed with canned peaches and pears. He'd eat the fruit and drink the juice. So you can't tell me they don't have a taste for sweet.
9
Jun 9, 2020 6:26PM
Cher McFarlane Clark
Our Tortie comes running for sweets. She even knows the word cake. Our Tabbie isn't interested at all!
7
Jul 21, 2017 9:46PM
Louise C.
My cat loves to lick honey.
7
Feb 2, 2020 2:08AM
Charles Nath
I used to have a cat who just loved papaya and cantaloupe; she could be asleep in a room on the other side of the house and when the aroma of a freshly opened fruit got to her she would come to the kitchen to request her share in her delightful voice. Don’t know how if the sweetness of the fruit contributed to her fascination.
7
Jun 9, 2020 6:13PM
Kathleen Peterson
I don't agree. Just like they used to say dogs didn't see color. That too was wrong. My cat goes for anything sweet.
5
Oct 5, 2015 5:33AM
✨KRISTA✨
We had a Persian that took great delight in eating small pieces of apple pie!🍎😽🍎
0
Jan 5, 2024 6:07AM
✨KRISTA✨
Phoebe Figalily, You of all people should not tell other players not to be "RUDE"!!!! DAMFB!
1
Jan 5, 2024 6:03AM
Jannie Waller
I don't agree with this answer. I had a cat that would do just about anything for a donut.
1
Jun 19, 2022 3:46PM
catmom
PS - The pix of the pana is cute.
1
Jan 24, 2022 8:49PM
catmom
My tuxedo cat, Basho is so food obsessed that my Himalayan will watch as he is eating a meal so that my tuxedo won't try & eat his food after he eats his own food. He would eat his brothers food, his own & mine if he could.
I had to put baby locks on 2 cabinets so they he wouldn't get the snacks out if one cabinet & the food container out of the other one. He did that 3 times when I went out to lunch & the container was on the kitchen floor, on its side & the top had teeth marks on it. Haha.
1
Jan 24, 2022 8:48PM
catmom
For Naked Kitty Slave -- I love your moniker & you have a great sense of humor too.
My one Tuxedo 14 Lb boy Basho loves bread. Several times I had small slices of King's Hawaiian Sliders & he is big but very fast. Yes, he stole a piece of bread & it wasn't the 1st time. I don't give it to him, he just steals it from his cat Mom. Haha.
1
Jan 24, 2022 8:24PM
Dog001
Tracy Smith, because it's "Conventional Wisdom" that goes back generations before science was able to unravel the genetic code and learn cats can't taste sweet. Cats are attracted to many things, smell, color, shiny objects. Cats lack the taste receptor, but they can still smell sweet. As for toxicity, cats are highly sensitive, even a tiny amount of ethylene glycol can have a fatal outcome.
0
Dec 19, 2021 7:27AM
Janet Dawn Baker
The fact that cats eat sweet things doesn’t necessarily mean they know when something is sweet! They probably just like the smell or the texture! My cat used to love my home made date cake but I didn’t automatically assume he liked it because it was sweet.
2
Jul 28, 2020 9:03AM
Cari G.
I had a persian that LOVED sweets...favourite was butterscotch pudding.
4
Jul 27, 2020 7:57PM
Jeannie Ellis
jack patti go, cats like the milk and cream in yogurt and ice cream
0
Jun 14, 2020 10:53PM
Jeannie Ellis
Gill Husband-Major, milk is the key wired—cats like milk
0
Jun 14, 2020 10:52PM
Jeannie Ellis
Bobbi Chadwick, that’s because cats like the protein in the cream cheese and milk in cheesecake
0
Jun 14, 2020 10:52PM
Jeannie Ellis
Janice Oliver Bobbitt, butter, milk or eggs in the frosting
0
Jun 14, 2020 10:50PM
Jeannie Ellis
Karmen aka caligeekgrrl, milk in the glaze
0
Jun 14, 2020 10:49PM
Christine Chadwick
I have had cats with a definite sweet tooth.
5
Jun 11, 2020 1:39PM
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