Generally, cats have a weak sense of taste, with fewer taste buds than humans. Their sense of smell is much more useful for them in hunting, and thus important for eating. That sense is so ingrained that congested cats often lose their appetite; it’s as if with one frayed wire, the entire machine will go on the fritz. That said, cats can still detect salty, sweet, sour, and bitter, and tend to show dislike for sour and bitter (this is likely a response that evolved to prevent the ingestion of dangerous toxins). Additionally, cats have a taste receptor for adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a
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