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Cats/cat smell

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Expert: - 1/23/2010


Question
Does each cat have an individual smell of its own?

Answer
Hi Jeanni.  Cats shouldn't have a smell that's detectable to us, so if you're noticing a smell on your kitty, you should have a vet check it out.  However, a cat's sense of smell is 14 times more sensitive than ours, and each cat does have its own unique scent that other cats can detect.  Cats can analyze the scents of other animals they come into contact with using a specialized cluster of cells called a Jacobson's Organ.  They can store and recall this information for long periods, perhaps for as long as a couple years.  This is one way they identify each other.

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Jessica

Expertise

The areas in which I have gained the most experience are cat health and feral cat management/rescue. I provide supportive care to chronically ill cats, hospice care to terminally ill cats and also am involved in trap-neuter-return efforts. My specialities lie in taming feral cats and in the allopathic treatment of cats with illnesses or special needs. I also have owned Siamese, Himalayans, Abyssinians, Russian Blues, Savannahs, Bengals, Peterbalds, Don Sphynx and Oriental Shorthairs and am well-versed in cat breeds as well as cat behavior and nutrition.

Experience

I have 15 years of extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to medical care. My daily routine consists of caring for cats with diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney failure, feline leukemia, feline AIDS as well as feral cats. I have experience with liver patients, heart patients, feline infectious peritonitis, cancer, recovery from amputation and trauma, congenital deformities and most every disease in between. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning.

Education/Credentials
15 years' hands-on experience

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