Why do cats like to smell smelly shoes and lick smelly feet?

Why cats like to smell smelly shoes and lick smelly feet

The thoughts of cat owners are often not something we can easily understand. For example, many poop scavengers will be surprised to find that the little one at home who wants to lick his fur eight hundred times a day and is so obscenely mysophobic actually has a crazy obsession with stinky shoes!

Unlike us who like stinky tofu and sour bean juice, you do not have a heavy-mouthed cat. There is actually a very important reason for their strange behavior. Cats' love for smelly shoes first comes from the need to smell them.

Smell is one of the most important information carriers in nature, conveying a lingua franca that can be understood by different species. Animals, including our ancestors, can use smell to learn about their environment, learn about other life, know whether each other can be fought or reconciled, know where the bread and roses are, and understand each other without having to see it with their own eyes. Even in modern language, there are still expressions such as "smell something dangerous," "smell suspicious," "don't like the smell of that person." Likewise, dogs and cats also use sniffing to familiarize themselves with new environments.

If smelling smelly shoes is part of understanding the environment, then it is understandable for new owners to do this. Why do old cats do this too? Not only does it smell, but it also rubs my smelly feet? Because it misses you.

Smell is a carrier of memory. Cats and dogs will feel anxious to varying degrees when they leave their friends or a familiar environment; the familiar smell from friends can relieve this anxiety and make cats more comfortable.

Although our heads, mouths, chests, armpits, vulvas, and feet all have pheromones strong enough to satisfy a master, frequent bathing and artificial fragrances can cut off this connection, as well as habits Good for your daily laundry. The things that are less affected by the smell are shoes that are difficult to clean, socks and pillow covers that are too lazy to wash. Observe, if your cat likes smelly shoes and other things that smell like you, it is probably saying it misses you.

Rubbing with their heads is one of their wild habits. There are a large number of Scent glands on both sides of the cat's face, skull and neck. Putting one's own scent on a place, one might rewrite the message to mark the territory. Putting your scent on your smelly shoes is not trying to compete with you for territory. The place where you put your shoes is a place your cat is familiar with, and shoes that are often worn out will be stained with outside smells, which may make it feel uneasy and want to cover up the smell.

Another possibility is to add a message to express greetings to the original signer - mainly you. Theoretically, we will understand immediately when we smell smelly shoes, but it is a pity that it does not allow the master to worry. In short, no matter what the reason is, the master will end up rubbing his head and reapplying the smell of habit.

Licking your shoes is also a good way for your cat to learn about what you have seen throughout the day. What kind of places have you been to, what kind of people have you met, what things have you experienced, what have you eaten, and of course, whether you have a cat outside. In these respects, every cat is probably a master of observation comparable to Sherlock Holmes. In short, the next time you see someone's snake grinning after licking something, don't just giggle. You can also think of the words you talked about today, and then elegantly share science with your friends.

Unless your shoes are very dirty (chòu), you generally don’t have to worry about cats enjoying themselves in them. In the worst case, just clean the uppers and soles. But if you really don’t like it, you can consider preparing two identical pure cotton T-shirts. After taking a bath, wear them and exercise until they are soaked through. Repeat this for a few days until the smell is as strong as shoes, then throw it out of the cat’s nest. Change it every half a month. Just pieces.

For young, prematurely separated, or stressed kittens, sock sucking may be a sign of fabric sucking behavior. Anything that provides a soft, hairy texture close to that of a female cat's belly, such as blankets, socks, or clothing, may be used for suction. Socks are just disgusting enough to get your attention, rather than being posted online to make people laugh like other furry things.

How to identify this status? Just see it chewing with a satisfied look on its face.

If possible, provide some quiet, dark corners in your home, or a high platform where they can hide where they won’t be easily disturbed. Additionally, identifying and addressing the factors causing stress can help improve the situation.

Licking stinky feet is too bland

What if a cat is not willing to smell your stinky shoes, but loves your stinky feet?

Among wild animals, there is a very common behavior of salt licking (mineral lick), which is used to supplement the lack of minerals, especially salt, in the food. Herbivores seek out natural saline marshes or mineral mud, and carnivores usually get enough salt from herbivores—but when there's not enough salt, or vice versa, they can do some weird things.

As early as a hundred years ago, when the railway was being built in Tanzania, Africa, hundreds of workers and villagers were killed by lions in a few years. They were called the "man-eating lions of Tsavo". Although many studies later pointed out that they may have initially attacked humans due to old age, illness and other factors, the lack of food - especially salt - caused by the death of a large number of local cattle herds may also be one of the factors.

You must know that wild animals usually do not actively attack humans, and they rarely prey on humans. Maybe the salty humans just satisfy the hungry lions. (Not to mention lions, humans are also euphoric and addicted to salt just like opium.)

Although a cat will not eat you, if it particularly likes to lick your sweaty hands and feet, it can Probably addicted to the salt in your sweat. (The reason why I say this is because no researcher has taken the initiative to confess that he has sweaty feet...) But it cannot be ruled out that because we are worried about kidney problems, we excessively limit the salt intake in the owner's diet, especially homemade and Cat food based on boiled chicken may cause the cat to have to consume salt in this way.

If you can’t even get enough of the most ubiquitous sodium and need to lick human-shaped salt cubes, your cat is probably malnourished. The way to improve it is also very simple, replace ordinary cat food, or increase the intake of fish-based wet cat food.

Don’t laugh at your master anymore if you see him smelling smelly shoes or licking smelly socks. Cats and dogs may need your help, or they may just be saying: "Come and hug me, I miss you so much." You!"