Originally published at: Scientists discover why cats are obsessed with tuna | Boing Boing
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…tuna, especially, has some specific chemicals that particularly bind to cat taste receptors
But unlike human umami receptors, cats’ taste receptors bind to two chemicals found in particularly high concentrations in tuna. These chemicals enhance the umami experience for cats, making them strongly prefer the fishy treat.
I’m going to take it on trust that if these specific chemicals were found in equally high concentrations in all meat, the study might have noted that.
Comment edited to reflect other poster’s deletions
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These chemicals enhance the umami experience for cats, making them strongly prefer the fishy treat.
Comment edited to reflect other poster’s deletions
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An ocean cat, Felis Maritimus, heads out to catch tuna to satiate that need for umami.
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To try to get back to fruitful discussion . . . .
It’s too bad the linked article didn’t, itself, link to the actual study and in fact got the name of the journal slightly wrong (“Chemical Senses,” not “Chemical Sense.”). The article is here:
https://academic.oup.com/chemse/article/doi/10.1093/chemse/bjad026/7238703?searchresult=1
I wondered what the evolutionary push would have been for this, but they only got to:
Indeed, these compounds and their mixtures are highly appetitive for cats, which is consistent with their evolution as obligate carnivores.
But there are plenty of “obligate carnivores.” Do they all have the same receptor combination? Axolotls are obligate carnivores, but they eat mostly worms. Do they like tuna if its given to them?
I’m no scientist, so I’m probably missing a lot here.
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My cats don’t care about tuna. They do prefer beans …
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Huh. I wonder if this is why some cats like nutritional yeast? That was one of the vet’s suggestions to spice up food for our picky CKD kitty.
Thank you for finding the study! Maybe the Axolotls have receptors that bind really well with nucleotides common in worms?
no. Only one person was nice enough to try and educate you. At least one other person was so annoyed after you said you only read the headline before sharing your anecdata to refute the article you didn’t read, that they just scrolled past everything else you typed.
Lack of engagement with your posts does not mean other people weren’t annoyed.
Indeed
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Sigh. Yet more anecdata! 
(I’m going to trust that you have read the thread and realise that was an ‘in context’ ironic comment, ok?)
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I hope people flood this fórum with funny cat anecdotes. Cats are so hard to please. We live with 3 felines. One only eats hard, dry cat food. Other one eats dry food, but drinks the “broth” of the wet cat food. The last one eats whatever we put in its plate.
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Does this mean that dubious cat food makers now know what to sprinkle on their stuff to make cats love it, even if they shouldn’t?
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Are their mouths capable of taking it in? Anyone try?
Now I want to feed an Axolotl some tuna flakes to find out. They’re so cute.
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Paging @anon87143080…
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I missed whatever argument seems to have happened. All I have is my little anecdotes about my cats. I adopted a pair of bonded adults - brother and sister? I dunno, I call them that. The boy, Louie, lives to chase, and the girl, Clio, lives for food. But tuna water gets 'em both to line up miaowing. When I make tuna salad, I save the water and a few chunks in the packages for them. I make a whole big ritual out of wet food and do it for the tuna water as well. Tapping the tin with a spoon, talking to them about how sad that I’m burdened with all this food, and no cats to help me with it. All the while they are meowing “put down you monster!” “we’re right here, and we’ve never eaten before1!”. It’s the best thing to do if I’ve had a hard day. Playing with and treating the ones you love is always a great relief from the outside world.
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it would be great to see this study expanded, and maybe tied in with one that looks at olfactory receptors.
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I think I vaguely recall reading something recently (was it here?) that olfactory receptors are stronger in determining taste preferences than taste receptors (but that essentially they do the same job) so yeah it would be a good direction to take this science in.
ETA And that conclusion may have been human only - but I’d guess it applies to many mammals, especially those with better senses of smell than us puny humans.
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