Understanding a cat's super senses
Felines are unique for many reasons, but the distinct nature of their senses is key to understanding how to enhance their well-being. Consider this: a feline’s sense of smell is 14 times more powerful than for humans. However, with only 470 taste buds (compared to over 9,000 in humans!), their sense of taste isn’t the strongest. These are but a few sensorial particularities among cats that have been overlooked in pet nutrition, despite the great impact of the senses on their food preferences.
Until now.
Using our feline expertise and the latest research on cat food palatability, Royal Canin® has created an entire wet range specifically designed to stimulate cats’ unique senses. Discover the three different products tailored to your cat’s smell, taste, and feel, that will offer variation, a sensorially-rich experience, and helps improve their overall improved well-being every day.
Stimulate their sense of smell
Smell is the feline’s superpower. Cats possess 200 million odour-sensitive cells in the nose while humans only have 5 million. Given that developed sense of smell, your cat’s first contact with food is through their nose and all those powerful and numerous olfactive receptors, which puts a lot of pressure on that first aromatic impression! This initial contact is further enhanced by sniffing: the more your cat sniffs, the more molecules they can detect. If a cat is greatly attracted to their food’s aroma, they will sniff less and begin eating immediately, making mealtimes easier and more enjoyable. As a result, that first impression is key to ensuring the feeding ritual is smooth and facilitates the consumption of the right amount of energy for your cat, in addition to being enjoyable.
As a result, Royal Canin’s Sensory™ Smell formulas are crafted with an aromatic profile made from sustainable fish characterized by fatty, fruity, and nutty odours that are highly attractive to a cat’s sense of smell. The aroma’s profile has a composition technology that allows flavours to diffuse more rapidly and intensely around the food, making for a successful start to the meal and an overall immersive experience for your cat.
Unlock their sense of taste
Your cat's sense of taste isn't the strongest due to having few taste buds. So what can cats taste? With a uniquely specialised sense, they are particularly perceptive of subtle food flavours, especially umami. Umami is often described as a savoury taste that is found especially in meats. Amino acids are critical to obtaining an umami flavour, which is independent of the other four traditional basic tastes — sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Because of their carnivorous predisposition, cats are sensitive to the meaty flavours associated with umami.
Royal Canin’s Sensory™ Taste formulas are crafted with a chicken taste characterised by toasted, meaty, sulfurous and caramelised hints that will stimulate your cat’s unique sense of taste.
Reinforce their sense of texture
Descubrir que tu gato está disfrutando de su comida
¡Mejora tus habilidades de encantador de gatos! Es posible percibir los signos de aprobación mucho antes de que el alimento llegue al comedero de tu gato. Fíjate en estos indicadores de apreciación del alimento antes, durante y después de cada comida.
Signs of anticipation
Instantly appearing as you’re preparing their food
Being vocal by meowing and purring
Soliciting you by weaving around you
Reaching up or jumping on the kitchen counter
Signs of enjoyment while eating
A relaxed body posture
Licking their lips frequently during the meal
A tail at rest, not thrashing against the ground
Signs of enjoyment overall
Mix it up! Make Sensory™ part of your mixed feeding routine
Why is a Mixed Feeding routine key for your cat’s health? For starters, cats tend to prefer wet food which better stimulates their sense of smell and boosts their appetite. Wet food also offers other health advantages such as hydration, urinary system support, less calories, and greater comfort for cats with oral sensitivities. Still, dry food presents important advantages too, like supporting oral health. Dry food can also remain in a bowl or a feeding toy without spoiling, allowing your cat to have continuous access to food throughout the day. A mix of both wet food and dry food therefore allows for the kind of variety that will keep your cat a healthy, enriched eater.
