Cats have taste buds like our own; however, their sweet buds are not very reactive. Why Some Cats May Like Sweets. Cats Can’t Taste ‘Sweet’ (Picture Credit: ありがとうございます/Getty Images) In addition to having a narrower sense of bitterness than people, cats also can’t taste sweetness at all! The ability to taste sweetness comes from two genes: Tas1r2 and Tas1r3, according to Scientific American. Do cats taste sweet? Cats happen to be obligate carnivores – they only eat meat – so they don’t need to crave carbohydrates – they get enough from metabolizing the compounds in the meat. Now there's proof: Cats … It has a sweet taste which makes it appealing to dogs (and children) but, as you may know, cats can’t actually taste “sweet”. I recently read cats cannot taste sweet things... why then does my cat eat sugar out of the bowl, butter icing, chocolate, ice cream and anything generally that is sweet I get my hand bitten off for because she wants it.. If this is the case, then why can’t cats taste sweet things? I tested it today by pouring granulated sugar on my tongue - I got nothing but a vague chemical taste. A portion of DNA that exists in most mammals to produce the coupled proteins that create sweet receptors are missing in cats. Keep in mind that over 200,000 people visit a doctor each year for problems with their ability to taste or smell, per the NIH. Firstly, it's important to point out that cats do not have any natural preference for sweets. No one has actually proven that this is true. . Scientists believe cats use other receptors to give them the ability to taste sweetness. That’s why most mammals experience the taste of sugar as pleasant, but house cats and other felines are indifferent to sweets. . or a sweet tooth, if you will. Cat owners may claim that their beloved pets love ice cream and doughnuts, but it’s the fat that cats enjoy. They do not need to eat sugar or carbohydrates (that turn to sugar), thus there is no reason for them to have a taste for it . It has been known for a while (2005) that all cat species lack a functional Tas1R2 protein, one part of the sweet receptor (other part is Tas1R3). The article shows that cats do not have sweet receptors and so they can't taste sweet. Cats taste can't taste sweet things... A lie? This is a real problem as it doesn’t take much antifreeze to be poisonous to cats … Cats are obligate carnivores and driven to consume meat. This is because a cat doesn't taste sweet things with their taste buds, so it is an unattractive reward for them. Cats Can't Taste Sweetness, Study Finds Some scientists have long suspected that cats, which are strict carnivores, are "sweet blind." None-the-less they still appear to be attracted by the taste of antifreeze. There are the rare cases of cats that seem to enjoy the taste of something sweet. 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