Our noses.......cats that is.......they come in all colors and sizes. Some are flatter across the top and others have more of an arch. Usually, a schnoz like mine is flatter because I am a male kitty.
My sense of smell is about 14 times keener than a human's sense of smell. We have twice as many receptors in the olfactory epithelium, the cells that are sensitive to smells. We have about 200 million odor sensitive cells in comparison to you humans who only have about 5 million. We also have a scent organ in the roof of our mouths which is called the vomeronasal or Jacobson's organ. When we wrinkle our muzzle and lower our chin, our tongue will hang out just a bit. This opens the passageway to the scent organ.
My sense of smell will guide me to my prey and help me to tell if food is edible or toxic. I can tell where you've been and can find my way home if I get lost.
My sense of smell is what triggers my need to eat as I don't have many taste receptors on my tongue.
Strong odors can actually be distasteful and somewhat painful as my nose is so sensitive.
My nose is it's own nose print; in other words, no two cats noses match in print just like human fingerprints belong to only one person.
And, yes my nose being wet means I am healthy! However, a dry warm nose does not always mean I am sick. It might mean I just haven't licked my nose much lately.
I hope you've enjoyed this look into my schnoz! Anyone need a tissue? MEOW!! Have a purrrr-fect day!
