Does Your Cat Have a Sweet Tooth?

Cat owners may claim that their beloved pets love ice cream and doughnuts, but it’s the fat that cats enjoy. Felines’ taste receptors can’t detect sugar. Humans, like most other mammals, have five different receptors—salty, bitter, sour, umami (savory), and sweet. The taste receptor for sweet is encoded in two genes that code for two proteins, both of which are involved in our ability to enjoy sugary treats. In cats, a chance mutation appears to have broken one of these genes, and this broken version persisted. That’s why tigers, lions, and your kitty will never have a sweet tooth.

Source: Why Your Cat Doesn’t Have a Sweet Tooth - Issue 16: Nothingness - Nautilus

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