If you offer a cat a pastry (which is actually highly discouraged as it can be dangerous), it will simply ignore the dessert. However, if a piece of chicken fillet is left unattended on the table, the pet will surely snatch it with its clawed paw! Why are cats not interested in sweet food? While some animals enjoy eating it.
Research has shown that such animal behavior is related to the presence or absence of sweet taste receptors. For example, bears have these receptors, which is likely linked to their diet and lifestyle. Large creatures, whose diet consists of ¾ plant-based food, require more carbohydrates, so they eagerly consume honey—a sweet and calorie-rich product.
On the other hand, cats, being 100% carnivores, do not need additional calories. However, when scientists first began their research, they could not understand why dogs, which also primarily eat meat, can safely eat chocolate. “We wanted to find out whether cats are an exception or if this trait is more widespread among animals,” the authors of the study explain.
As a result, they decided to compare the taste genes of 12 species of carnivorous animals with the genes of dogs that eat sweets. During the experiment, it was found that the sweet taste receptor was non-functional in seven out of the 12 studied carnivores: the sea lion, the harbor seal, the common seal, the eastern non-clawed otter, the spotted hyena, the fossa, and the striped linseang. The scientists also noted that dolphins are unable to perceive not only sweet taste but also bitter and umami!
The authors of the study associate this with the fact that these animals do not need to chew their food and often swallow it whole. “They probably do not need to determine the taste to understand what they are eating. They may use other ways to identify their food,” they concluded.
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