Cats get a lot of stick for being aloof, mysterious, or downright indifferent.
However, new research from the Tokyo University of Agriculture (via BBC News) is painting a different picture, especially when it comes to how they recognise their favourite humans. Turns out, your cat might not just know your voice or your routine… they might actually be able to sniff you out in a crowd. Literally. Here’s what we’re learning about your cat’s nose, and how it secretly keeps tabs on you.
1. Cats have an underrated sense of smell.
Dogs get all the credit when it comes to sniffing skills, but cats aren’t far behind. In fact, their noses are packed with around 200 million odour sensors—far more than humans, and enough to make scent a major part of how they navigate the world. While their sense of smell isn’t as famous as a bloodhound’s, it’s powerful enough to detect subtle changes in scent—from the food you’ve eaten to your emotional state. Yes, they can literally smell if you’re stressed.
2. New studies show they recognise their owners by scent.
Recent research has shown that cats can tell the difference between their owner’s scent and that of strangers, even when presented on items like worn t-shirts or blankets. They consistently prefer the familiar one, suggesting they’re tuned in to your specific scent profile.
That means even if you’re standing quietly in a crowded room, your cat could probably track you down just by sniffing. You’re basically a walking comfort zone, and they know exactly how you smell when you’re near.
3. Scent plays a role in feline affection.
When your cat rubs up against you, it’s not just a request for a head scratch—it’s also scent marking. They’re mixing their smell with yours, creating a “shared scent” that signals familiarity and safety. So if you’ve ever wondered why your cat insists on headbutting your legs or sleeping on your dirty laundry, this is why. They’re bonding with your scent as much as with your presence.
4. They use scent to keep track of where you’ve been.
Ever come home and your cat gives you the side-eye for no clear reason? It could be because you smell “wrong.” Cats can pick up traces of other animals, people, or places you’ve visited, and they’re not always thrilled about it. To them, your scent is a map. Any changes—like the smell of another cat or a vet’s office—are instantly flagged. It’s not pettiness. It’s feline-level detective work.
5. Your cat likely knows your emotional state by smell.
Cats are surprisingly sensitive to shifts in your scent that occur when you’re stressed, anxious, or even unwell. Changes in sweat and hormone levels give off different chemical cues, which your cat picks up on. This might be why your cat acts differently when you’re going through it. They may hover more, retreat quietly, or even seem more clingy than usual. They’re not reading your mind—they’re reading your scent.
6. Cats can distinguish individuals by scent alone.
Studies show that cats don’t just recognise “human smell” as a category—they can tell individuals apart. That means your scent, your partner’s, your neighbour’s, and your cat-sitter’s all register differently to them. So no matter how much someone else feeds or pets them, your cat still knows who you are. You’re not interchangeable, and their nose makes sure of it.
7. They don’t need to see you to know you’re home.
Ever notice your cat lingering near the door before you even open it? They may have smelled you long before they saw or heard anything. Scent travels faster than footsteps, especially if you’re carrying the smell of outside with you. This early detection is part of why they act so casual when you walk in—they’ve already clocked your arrival. You’re not surprising them. You’re just catching up.
8. Cats use your smell as a source of safety.
In unfamiliar environments—like a vet’s office or someone else’s house—your scent becomes a portable sense of home. That’s why bringing something that smells like you can calm them down in stressful situations. It’s not just a comforting object. It’s a sensory reminder that they’re not alone. You’re their emotional anchor, and they know it by nose.
9. They can follow your scent trail through the house.
Your cat can probably tell where you’ve been recently in your own home. The chair you sat in, the room you worked from, the spot on the sofa you napped in—it all holds lingering traces of you. While you think you’ve been alone in the house, your cat’s likely been tracking your invisible scent trail, checking in on your patterns without needing to see you once.
10. Their nose compensates when their eyes or ears are overstimulated.
When things get noisy, busy, or visually chaotic, cats tend to rely more on scent to stay grounded. Unlike humans, they don’t default to sight—they process the world through a blend of sensory inputs, with smell playing a much bigger role than we realise. So, in unfamiliar or overwhelming situations, your scent becomes a safe constant. They’ll seek it out—not for food, but for regulation and calm.
11. They remember you even after long absences.
Some cats may act distant after you’ve been away, but they don’t forget you. Studies suggest that cats remember the scent of their favourite humans even after long separations—weeks, months, even longer. It might take a little time to reconnect, but rest assured—once they catch your scent again, the memory lights up. You were never erased, just on pause in their personal smell archive.
12. Yes, your cat has a favourite human, and scent is part of why.
It’s often said cats choose one person they bond with most. That choice is influenced by many things—voice, behaviour, energy—but scent is a huge factor. Your cat’s preferred person probably just smells right to them. So, if your cat follows you everywhere, kneads your clothes, and ignores everyone else? Don’t overthink it. You’re their person, and their nose made the call long ago.