Can cats smell an unopened can of cat food?

Darrell

Doesnt seem to matter where the cans are when we bring in groceries, he can find just what bags have the cans of cat food in them. I can understand the bags of dry food, but the cans?????



Chandra

Yep. he can smell them a bit and also because he recognizes what the cans look like.



Eilene

Maybe you have a cat that can read labels!!!!



Darrell

No......................................…



Erich

Cat cant smell the food in an unopen can...perhaps its during the bottling or processing that cause the can to have smell of the food on the outer layer of the can.



Chi

Cats have good noses they can smell anything. my cat could be in another room and hell come running when someone opens the refridgerator. its a funny thing those cats.



Cassidy

Hi Jane--this is a very interesting question, as I swear that my cat can also do this too. Now, Ive never thought about doing this with any other cat Ive ever had, but I was just playing around with mine about dinner time, and I said "Lets go get eaties". He knows what this means. This time, I was just being silly and I pulled out 2 cans from the cupboard and showed them to him and I was saying:" Will we have ocean white fishes or turkey tonight, my dear little boy" (Yes, Im nutz)--anyhow, hed rub up against the can--1 can only, and I thought: WOW---could we really be onto something here? So, I opened the can he rubbed on, and he ate it all. Did it again the next nite, he did the same thing. Did it again a 3rd nite, the same thing happened. The only conclusion I can come to is that they can SMELL whatever they are in the mood for on the outside of the can. If I do this when he gets in his "picky", "finicky" moods, it works every time. I am no longer throwing away as much left over cat food. I let him tell me what he wants.



Enedina

I havent noticed the cats reacting when I bring the cans in. They do know that they are kept in a hall closet where I go to get them to open for their meal and following me into the hall when I select one.



Karol

I dont think they can smell the food in the un-opened cans but they know that when you come into the house with bags chances are pretty good there is food in one of those bags for them. Even if I go shopping and buy clothes all four of my cats run to the bags as soon as I walk in the door and search everyone of them. So I think they associated the bags with the food.