We know that 80% of horse owners also own dogs, and we suspect that a high proportion also own cats! Of course, unlike horses, but like dogs, cats usually live indoors with us. Around 36% of UK households own a dog and 29% a cat and 11% own a dog and a cat!
A recent study from Tokyo University of Agriculture reveals that domestic cats can differentiate between their owner’s scent and that of strangers. Cats spent more time sniffing tubes with unfamiliar human odours compared to those with their owner’s scent.
Cats rely on their strong sense of smell to identify other cats, but this study examines their ability to distinguish humans by odour. Prior research has shown cats can recognize human voices, follow gazes to find food, and respond to emotional cues detected through scent.
Published in PLOS One, the study involved 30 cats presented with plastic tubes containing one of three swabs: their owner’s scent, an unfamiliar person’s scent (same sex as the owner), or a clean swab. Swabs were collected from the armpit, behind the ear, and between the toes.
Cats lingered longer on unfamiliar scents than on their owner’s or the clean swab, indicating they can differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar human Odors. This mirrors behaviours like kittens sniffing unfamiliar female cats longer than their mothers.
Lead researcher Hidehiko Uchiyama cautioned that the study doesn’t prove cats can identify specific individuals, such as their owners, by scent. Further tests with multiple familiar scents are needed to confirm unique responses to an owner’s odour.
Serenella d’Ingeo, a researcher from the University of Bari not involved in the study, noted that while cats clearly react differently to familiar versus unfamiliar scents, their emotional state during sniffing is unclear. She also suggested that the owner’s presence during testing might have amplified interest in unfamiliar scents due to the owner’s own odour.
The study observed cats rubbing their faces on the tubes after sniffing, a scent-marking behaviour. This suggests sniffing may precede marking, though more research is needed to confirm this and to determine if cats can recognize specific people by scent.
REFERENCE (OPEN ACCESS) Miyairi Y, Kimura Y, Masuda K, Uchiyama H (2025) Behavioral responses of domestic cats to human odor. PLoS One 20(5): e0324016. LINK
