Facts & Information on How Cats Eat

QUESTION 1: Cats love a tasty dish. Does that mean they have a lot of taste buds? Guess how many.

ANSWER 1: Cats have only 473 taste buds, mainly because useful barbs in the middle of their tongues contain no taste buds.

QUESTION 2: Taste is the most important sense when it comes to your cat's dining pleasure. What's a close second?

ANSWER 2: Smell. Cats rely heavily on their sense of smell to help determine what's edible. In fact, a unique set of organs called Jacobson's organs, or the vomeronasal organs, , lets your cat "taste" air drawn into the mouth.

QUESTION 3: True or false? Cats are known for their good sense of taste, but some taste sensations are stronger than others. Your cat's tongue is probably least sensitive to sweetness.

ANSWER 3: True. Very few taste receptors on a cat's tongue are sensitive to sweet tastes.

QUESTION 4: Cats won't eat just anything. In fact, many reject food of a particular temperature range. Cold, room temperature or warm — which is it?

ANSWER 4: Cats do not like cold food. Room temperature or warm food is generally more appealing, probably because it echoes instincts for eating fresh prey in the wild.

QUESTION 5: More teeth does not necessarily mean better chewing. Which one of the following has the least teeth: person, cat, crocodile or dog?

ANSWER 5: Cat. The average cat has 30 teeth, specially designed for ripping and cutting. What goes into your cat's mouth doesn't stand much of a chance.