Aginor
Vice Admiral
Here's an update on my mission:
I sniffed another two cats this week, one of them being a male who is still a male, the other one a female living outside.
The male smelled a bit more aromatic, especially on the head. That's because of the scent glands cats have in their cheeks.
So far I met only one cat that didn't smell that good, but this might be related to it using the litter box just a few minutes earlier.
I also have a long-time experiment running with my own cat. I sniff it multiple times every day to research what factors change its smell over time. Hurray for Catsniffing science!
Btw: Here are some tips for you on how to sniff a cat:
- grab the cat carefully and lift it near your nose, or bend down to sniff a cat while it is lying on the floor or somewhere else. Don't try to sniff them while playing with them or while they move to avoid injuries.
- be careful in sniffing a cat that lies on a scratch post, some cats don't like being touched while lying there.
- regard the cat's body language. Flattened ears mean you should not move your head close to it, except when wearing a helmet with face mask, which is not suitable for cat sniffing.
- try to sniff it while it is in a good mood
- try to sniff a cat that is clean. That's the best opportunity to get the pure cat smell in your nose, instead of environmental effects. Observe the cat to find the best moment. It is usually when the cat has just cleaned itself. But wait until it is dry.
- don't move too quickly in order not to startle it.
- stroke its fur gently with your hand before moving your face near it.
- some cats like to bite your nose, so sniff it out of reach of its head whenever possible. Except if you don't mind a little biting in your nose. Most cats won't draw blood when biting you (some will), but the smell out of their mouth is not as good as the one from their fur. Most often it smells like cat food.
- when sniffing the cat's belly you have to make sure it doesn't use the "two rear-leg mauling" technique on you (that's the thing cats do when playing or fighting, simultaneously moving their rear claws quickly along a target they are huggin with their front paws)
Nevertheless the belly is one of the parts of the cat which smells most interesting. Also the fur there is really soft, I can now imagine kittens love it. Some cats don't like when someone touches them there, though. You might consider sniffing their neck instead.
- avoid sniffing the rear legs of a male cat. Sometimes they pee a little on them while marking their territory.
- when sniffing a cat that can go outside you should check whether it is free of parasites before sniffing. Especially if you happen to have a beard.
- anti-parasite collars (against flees and ticks) change the smell of a cat. If the cat is wearing one in summer you should smell it in winter.
- if a cat is very friendly you might get a "head bonk" when moving your head towards it. In that case you can seize the opportunity and sniff it without any danger.
- be very careful when sniffing a sleeping cat. You might wake it and it may bite or scratch you.
- after sniffing a cat you should clean your face, since there might be cat fur on your face. Based on my observations women apparently don't like to get kissed when you have cat fur in your face. Short beards gather the highest quantity of cat fur while catsniffing, so you should either shave your face or have a long beard.
That's it for now.
Fellow catsniffers (yes, I still insist I'm not the only one):
feel free to add your own catsniffing tips to my list by posting them here.
I might write a book "Aginor's extended guide to Catsniffing" one day....
I sniffed another two cats this week, one of them being a male who is still a male, the other one a female living outside.
The male smelled a bit more aromatic, especially on the head. That's because of the scent glands cats have in their cheeks.
So far I met only one cat that didn't smell that good, but this might be related to it using the litter box just a few minutes earlier.
I also have a long-time experiment running with my own cat. I sniff it multiple times every day to research what factors change its smell over time. Hurray for Catsniffing science!
Btw: Here are some tips for you on how to sniff a cat:
- grab the cat carefully and lift it near your nose, or bend down to sniff a cat while it is lying on the floor or somewhere else. Don't try to sniff them while playing with them or while they move to avoid injuries.
- be careful in sniffing a cat that lies on a scratch post, some cats don't like being touched while lying there.
- regard the cat's body language. Flattened ears mean you should not move your head close to it, except when wearing a helmet with face mask, which is not suitable for cat sniffing.
- try to sniff it while it is in a good mood
- try to sniff a cat that is clean. That's the best opportunity to get the pure cat smell in your nose, instead of environmental effects. Observe the cat to find the best moment. It is usually when the cat has just cleaned itself. But wait until it is dry.
- don't move too quickly in order not to startle it.
- stroke its fur gently with your hand before moving your face near it.
- some cats like to bite your nose, so sniff it out of reach of its head whenever possible. Except if you don't mind a little biting in your nose. Most cats won't draw blood when biting you (some will), but the smell out of their mouth is not as good as the one from their fur. Most often it smells like cat food.
- when sniffing the cat's belly you have to make sure it doesn't use the "two rear-leg mauling" technique on you (that's the thing cats do when playing or fighting, simultaneously moving their rear claws quickly along a target they are huggin with their front paws)
Nevertheless the belly is one of the parts of the cat which smells most interesting. Also the fur there is really soft, I can now imagine kittens love it. Some cats don't like when someone touches them there, though. You might consider sniffing their neck instead.
- avoid sniffing the rear legs of a male cat. Sometimes they pee a little on them while marking their territory.
- when sniffing a cat that can go outside you should check whether it is free of parasites before sniffing. Especially if you happen to have a beard.
- anti-parasite collars (against flees and ticks) change the smell of a cat. If the cat is wearing one in summer you should smell it in winter.
- if a cat is very friendly you might get a "head bonk" when moving your head towards it. In that case you can seize the opportunity and sniff it without any danger.
- be very careful when sniffing a sleeping cat. You might wake it and it may bite or scratch you.
- after sniffing a cat you should clean your face, since there might be cat fur on your face. Based on my observations women apparently don't like to get kissed when you have cat fur in your face. Short beards gather the highest quantity of cat fur while catsniffing, so you should either shave your face or have a long beard.
That's it for now.
Fellow catsniffers (yes, I still insist I'm not the only one):
feel free to add your own catsniffing tips to my list by posting them here.
I might write a book "Aginor's extended guide to Catsniffing" one day....
.
) or the sand cat, which IMO is one of the cutest cats ever.
