Do cats have a good sense of smell or taste?
Smell: Their sense of smell is less well developed than in other predators. This is reflected in the small size of the olfactory area (responsible for the sense of smell) of a cat brain. A cat relies more on sight and hearing than smell for hunting. Taste: Cats can detect acid, salt and bitter flavors quite well but have a poor sensitivity to sugars and tend to avoid sweet foods. The cat tongue has a rought surface being covered with tiny sharp papillae which point backwards. These papillae help to rasp particles of meat off bones and, as the cat grooms itself, the papillae help to remove loose hairs from the coat.
