communication
Sniffing Food Then Walking Away
Assessing freshness, temperature and familiarity
Approaching the bowl, giving the food a careful sniff, and then turning and leaving without eating.
Few things puzzle owners more than a cat that trots eagerly to a freshly filled bowl, sniffs it intently, and then simply walks away. Far from being awkward for its own sake, the cat is making a genuine assessment.
Smell is a cat's primary guide to whether food is safe and appealing. A cat that sniffs and leaves may be reacting to food that is too cold from the fridge, has been sitting out too long, is a brand or flavour it does not recognise, or smells faintly of the plastic bowl or a cleaning product. Cats also have strong preferences for freshness and can reject food that seems even slightly stale.
Stress, a full stomach, or wanting company while eating can all play a part too — some cats prefer to be near their owner when they dine. Warming refrigerated food to body temperature, offering smaller fresh portions, and using clean, shallow dishes often coaxes a fussy sniffer back to the bowl.
🐾 Most common in
Seen in discerning, routine-loving cats of all breeds, and often more pronounced in cats fed refrigerated wet food or offered an unfamiliar new flavour.