New Research: Cats Use Their Sense of Smell to Recognize You

A new study from the Tokyo University of Agriculture sheds light on how cats identify people—and the answer is not, as many believe, your voice or your appearance. It’s your scent that gives you away.

You Smell Familiar

In an advanced experiment, researchers used video monitoring and scent samples from both owners and strangers. The results showed that cats, on average, spent twice as much time sniffing an unfamiliar person’s scent compared to their owner’s. This suggests that they quickly recognize a familiar scent and spend time investigating only what is new to them.

Right Nostril First

One notable detail the researchers observed was that cats often begin with their right nostril when encountering a new smell.

This pattern has previously been seen in dogs and suggests that the right hemisphere of the brain processes new and potentially important information. When the cats switched to the left nostril, it indicated that the scent was now familiar and considered harmless.

“We interpret the switch to the left nostril as a sign that the scent has been classified and is no longer perceived as new or threatening,” explains one of the researchers behind the study.

Scent and Behavior are Linked

Cats often mark what’s familiar with their faces—a behavior known as “bunting.” In the experiment, it was observed that cats were more likely to rub their cheeks against objects they had just sniffed. This supports the theory that scent and social behavior are closely linked in cats.

A Nose with Personality

The study also revealed that a cat’s personality affects its sniffing patterns. Cats with higher levels of neuroticism sniffed more frenetically and anxiously, while the more outgoing cats approached things calmly and selectively. This underscores just how complex and perceptive individual cats are.

More Than Just a Cute Nose

Although the study does not conclusively prove that cats recognize their owners by scent alone, it strongly suggests that their social memory and sense of smell are far more advanced than most people realize.

The study was conducted by Yutaro Miyairi, Yuichi Kimura, Koji Masuda, and Hidehiko Uchiyama and was published in the renowned journal PLoS ONE. It is available open access at plos.org.

Our team may have used AI to assist in the creation of this content, which has been reviewed by our editors.