Smell

Cats generally have a very keen sense of smell, approximately 30 times more powerful than that of a human. This has two practical consequences.

A cat's meal will seem tasty or not depending on its smell, especially since cats have relatively few taste buds-473 in cats compared to 9,000 in humans. (Cats generally prefer lukewarm food, for example, because it has a stronger aroma. And they are especially sensitive to odours of substances such as fish, which contain nitrogen.) A cat with nasal congestion may refuse to eat at all, simply because it cannot smell what is on its dish.