Why Do Cats Love Tuna So Much? Scientists May Finally Know (science.org) 67
Slashdot reader sciencehabit writes: One thing most cats seem to have in common is a deep love of tuna. That's an odd predilection for a creature that evolved in the desert, with nary a fish in sight. Now scientists think they've nailed down the biology behind this curious craving.
In a series of experiments researchers showed for the first time that cats contain the necessary molecular machinery on their taste buds to detect umami--the savory, deep flavor of various meats, and one of the five basic tastes in addition to sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. In taste tests, the cats gravitated towards bowls of water laced with compounds present at high levels in umami foods. Indeed, umami appears to be the primary flavor that attracts cats--no surprise for an obligate carnivore.
But the team found something more remarkable: The felines showed a particular preference for bowls containing histidine and inosine monophosphate — compounds found at particularly high levels in tuna. "It was one of the most preferred combinations," says one of the scientists. "It really seems to hit that umami sweet spot."
The work doesn't just explain why cats have a particular hankering for tuna. It could help manufacturers develop more palatable meals for our finicky friends and even medications that they won't spit across the room.
Exactly why cats evolved a taste for tuna--or any kind of fish--remains a mystery. It may have been a taste they developed over time. As far back as 1500 B.C.E., cats are depicted eating fish in the art of Ancient Egypt. And by the Middle Ages, felines in some Middle Eastern ports were consuming large quantities of fish — including tuna — likely because they were feasting on the scraps left by fishers. In both cases, cats that evolved a taste for fish — and perhaps tuna in particular — may have had an advantage over their comrades who stuck solely to rodents and birds.
In a series of experiments researchers showed for the first time that cats contain the necessary molecular machinery on their taste buds to detect umami--the savory, deep flavor of various meats, and one of the five basic tastes in addition to sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. In taste tests, the cats gravitated towards bowls of water laced with compounds present at high levels in umami foods. Indeed, umami appears to be the primary flavor that attracts cats--no surprise for an obligate carnivore.
But the team found something more remarkable: The felines showed a particular preference for bowls containing histidine and inosine monophosphate — compounds found at particularly high levels in tuna. "It was one of the most preferred combinations," says one of the scientists. "It really seems to hit that umami sweet spot."
The work doesn't just explain why cats have a particular hankering for tuna. It could help manufacturers develop more palatable meals for our finicky friends and even medications that they won't spit across the room.
Exactly why cats evolved a taste for tuna--or any kind of fish--remains a mystery. It may have been a taste they developed over time. As far back as 1500 B.C.E., cats are depicted eating fish in the art of Ancient Egypt. And by the Middle Ages, felines in some Middle Eastern ports were consuming large quantities of fish — including tuna — likely because they were feasting on the scraps left by fishers. In both cases, cats that evolved a taste for fish — and perhaps tuna in particular — may have had an advantage over their comrades who stuck solely to rodents and birds.
They like tuna, but what they prefer (Score:5, Funny)
is the whole rigmarole of hearing the can opener, rushing to the kitchen, rubbing against the slow human's leg who's talking their own sweet time to prepare the goddamn food already, meowing anxiously, then nose-diving into the food bowl before it has even touched the floor.
If they had unlimited access to tuna - or anything else - without the whole theater that goes with it, they'd get bored with it in a New York minute.
Re: (Score:3)
As far as our cat's concerned, she engages in an epic contest of wills against the dogs to see who eats first(she wins of course).
By which I mean she stares at the dogs(who are distracted waiting for their food) while yowling for attention.
Re: (Score:2)
That maybe, but one of my previous cats (sadly departed) went bonkers for cake blueberry donuts. There was no windup necessary, all she needed was to see me eating one and I got that "Stop eating my donut look and an eating companion."
Re: (Score:3)
I think the more likely answer is evolution.
Whatever the cats liked, probably tasted like Tuna, but evolved to be an ocean-only fish over time. Perhaps cats hunted a pre-Tuna fish that was more plentiful and existed in easier to hunt areas. Like considering that cats pretty much come from neolithic Egypt, perhaps the answer is simply "there used to be a tuna-like fish that spawned up the nile" much like how salmon do in Pacific water ways.
Existing Tuna spawn in the warmer waters of Gulf of Mexico and Asia.
Re: (Score:2)
Perhaps cats hunted a pre-Tuna fish
Unlikely.
Tuna in their present form have existed for about 60 million years.
Cats have been around for about 10 million years.
Re: (Score:2)
Pre-cats probably loved fish. Dogs, cats, raccoons and bears are part of a genetic group that also includes seals. So whatever salmon like creature once swam into fresh water is probably what the actual hankering is for.
Re: (Score:2)
Salmon is not tuna. My cat loves tuna but won't touch salmon.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: They like tuna, but what they prefer (Score:2)
An interesting issue, but my bet is some primordial fish had the same chemical makeup, and it was where they needed to be.
Re: (Score:2)
There isn't necessarily a good "reason" for it.
There's no particular reason cats should be attracted to and get stoned on catnip -- there's no evolutionary advantage for cats (likely the reverse), but most of them do.
Biochemistry has wiggle room, where things go wrong.
Chicken of the sea (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Good (Score:2)
help manufacturers develop more palatable meals
I'm getting tired of my cat dragging bluefin tuna home all the time.
Re:Good (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah. I've seen a few ads [pinimg.com] for that stuff.
Why is this important? Marketing! (Score:1)
Cats like X. We can improve sales of X by proving why cats like it. Then we'll find out what their second choice is, and "improve" that. But we need variety, so let's identify 3rd, 4th, and 5th, so the cat food aisle will have more stuff to convince cat providers with choice.
Then someone will show why X is dangerous to cats, making the other things more popular.
It's simple (Score:2)
Tuna and catfish come in similar cans. QED.
Maritime Evolution (Score:5, Interesting)
Liking fish would be a collosal evolutionary advantage for cats. it's a great basis for shipboard life, which enables them to fulfill the niche of maritime ratcatcher. Resulting in a rapid spread around the globe, it's probably a bigger advantage than being cute and cuddly as most seaman would tolerate a lot of misbehaviour to ensure their rations are protected from vermin.
Re: (Score:2)
You make me wonder what a cat would do against a rat bigger than the cat. Would the rat be afraid and flee? Would the cat still go after the rat or be afraid of his size? Who would win the battle etc.
I have seen many of those rats in the river close to where I live, some really bigger than most cats:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
My research is inconclusive so far, see links below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Lions hunt gnus and giraffes, both much larger than the individual cat. The same would probably be true for cats vs. giant rats.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Tigers and Cheetahs do hunt things like gnu's (well big antelope etc) on their own and I'd assume a giraffe has a pretty good kick that could kill a big cat. Hmm, 2000 PSI, according to https://nedhardy.com/2020/04/0... [nedhardy.com] humans max out at about 450PSI.
Also https://a-z-animals.com/blog/w... [a-z-animals.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Depends on the cat, a good hunter can take out a pretty big rat. Probably helps if it was well taught by its mother as instinct only goes so far.
If you really want to see those giant rats freak and die, use a Mink, smaller then most cats but will they make short work out of a rat, even those big river rats, they'll also fit down holes a cat won't.
BTW, a Muskrat is not a rat and will out swim a cat, though maybe not a mink
Re: (Score:2)
Depends on the cat, a good hunter can take out a pretty big rat.
Depends on the rat as well. An rough rat, even if small, will succeed in chasing the cat away [youtube.com].
Re:Maritime Evolution (Score:4, Interesting)
>"You make me wonder what a cat would do against a rat bigger than the cat."
Cats (of all types) are *extremely* powerful for their size and can easily hunt larger animals than themselves. Cats are packed with high-twitch muscles, bristling with highly tuned sensors, and have explosive power. It comes at a huge energy cost, however, which is why they have to rest so much. It is also why most have little endurance.
Re: (Score:2)
Liking fish would be a collosal evolutionary advantage for cats. it's a great basis for shipboard life, which enables them to fulfill the niche of maritime ratcatcher. Resulting in a rapid spread around the globe, it's probably a bigger advantage than being cute and cuddly as most seaman would tolerate a lot of misbehaviour to ensure their rations are protected from vermin.
I think that would be selective breeding more than evolution, and I don't think enough of the population was used in that fashion to have a big evolutionary impact.
But more to the point, if I'm a sailor looking for a feline rat catcher then I want a cat that loves the taste of rats, not tuna.
They're spelling it wrong (Score:2)
It's not umami, it's unagi [youtube.com].
Re: They're spelling it wrong (Score:1)
But what does it taste like? Itâ(TM)s really weird how I one will tell the truth about that. Even the Wikipedia pages is full of lies and misinformation.
Why do cats like tuna? We still have no idea! (Score:1)
Perhaps you could leave the airhead clickbait articles to Buzzfeed. I understand they can actually post nonsense in Unicode, too! Let's just keep Slashdot as a tired old spot where we can argue the eternal verities, like VI and EMACS both suck balls.
Fish is bad for cats (Score:5, Interesting)
Oh, for tuna! (Score:4, Funny)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Have known 2 cats that don't like tuna (Score:2)
It's not just cats (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Domestic cats (Felis catus nonfishii) don’t (Score:2)
Ain’t no way any cat evolved to eat Tuna. Forget the ocean, I can tell you for 100% certain not one of my cat’s ancestors went anywhere near any kind of water except to deposit cholera or toxoplasmosis in it with their paw — definitely not to fish! So why do we fools feed fat ass cats Salmon and Tuna? We should be feeding them mouse. My cat never saw a mouse in his life, but developing a taste for that might be a useful trait. Hunting mice is why humans took cats in in the first place, cer
Re:Domestic cats (Felis catus nonfishii) don&rsquo (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: Domestic cats (Felis catus nonfishii) don& (Score:2)
Re:Domestic cats (Felis catus nonfishii) don&r (Score:2)
My cat will get in the shower with us and doesn't seem to mind the rain or getting wet at all. I don't think the feline aversion to water is nearly as universal as we think.
Re: (Score:2)
It definitely isn't. I read a book suggesting most cats could be trained to like taking baths. So I was able to train my longhair to get in the tub, stand in six inches of water, and let me gently scrub his back with water. My domestic shorthair would draw blood whenever I tried to get her anywhere near the tub. Also very interesting is the fact that all tigers can swim.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Anyway, how come there is no mouse flavor Friskies?
There is mouse flavour Friskies. Key word "flavour". There's no actual mouse friskies because mice aren't an animal we farm for food. Plenty of cat food brands have offered mouse flavouring, a couple have even created products with actual mice. The products universally failed because who the fuck would spend double on the mouse catfood when your cat already goes nuts for any other flavour put in front of them.
My cat never saw a mouse in his life, but developing a taste for that might be a useful trait.
Cats don't hunt mice for taste. They hunt any animal of that size and will happily eat rodents, bir
For some it is like their cocaine (Score:2)
I had a boy tonk who absolutely loved the water from the tuna can. There was almost no circumstance where he wouldn't come clear across the house whenever I opened a can. He didn't like the flesh just the water. Sadly, it is when he stopped that my wife and I realized that his illness was in the terminal stage.
Oddly, the cats we now have which are three mongrel rescues seem rather indifferent to tuna. Whatever. They're nice people anyway.
Fish / docks / rats and mice (Score:4, Interesting)
Cats that liked fish stuck around the docks, feasting on fish, rats and mice.
Fishermen would give the cats fish, to encourage them to stick around the docks so they'd be there when the rats and mice would inevitably show up.
Wouldn't take more than a generation or two for the cats to be predisposed; and the preferential treatment would increase their numbers significantly.
Just a guess.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
So, I'd guess they retained a taste for fish from before they were domesticated.
Let's call a spade a spade (Score:2)
The reason for this research was just to find out what makes cats go apeshit over certain food and dump the chemicals that they go apeshit over on the cheap kibble you produce so people would think your crap is of higher value since their finicky cats go bonkers over it, then get them addicted to that shit so they don't eat anything else and cat owners are stuck buying your overpriced garbage.
The cat & fish thing is a bad stereotype (Score:2)
The cat & fish thing is a bad stereotype, which I am curious how it started. Cats can eat fish, but they love meat. Like I've known a couple dozen cats, so it's not a huge sample, but from chatting with cat-lovers it's sort of universal, cats love meat in general, some even dislike tuna!
On the other hand, most dogs are crazy about fish! Sure they love meat too, but from my experience is more common for a dog to prefer fish.
All this is anecdotal and not scientific, but it seems to be common knowledge amo
Re: The cat & fish thing is a bad stereotype (Score:2)
Evolution for dummies (Score:3)
Duh, just ask Bill Watterson (Score:2)
Anyone who's read Calvin and Hobbes [wikipedia.org] knows Hobbes loves tuna [fandom.com].
My several tigers feel the same. Which is odd, 'cause whenever I ask them if they want more, they say, "Sorry, we're stuffed."
"Evolved in the desert" orly? (Score:2)
All cats or just domestic? (Score:2)
And by the Middle Ages, felines in some Middle Eastern ports were consuming large quantities of fish — including tuna — likely because they were feasting on the scraps left by fishers. In both cases, cats that evolved a taste for fish — and perhaps tuna in particular — may have had an advantage over their comrades who stuck solely to rodents and birds.
The answer to that question depends a lot on whether the taste is shared by their undomesticated cousins [wikipedia.org] (wildcats might be a tricky c
Might have something to do with wadis. (Score:2)
Natural selection could then give them a distinct taste for it because it
means (Score:2)
Junk Food (Score:3)
help manufacturers develop more palatable meals
This translates as helping manufacturers create the cat equivalent of junk food, where it is tastier but stuffed with less nutritional, cheaper ingredients.
In some countries pet food can only be called "beef" or "chicken" etc. if it contains over 20% of that (I forget the actual percentage but it's well under 50%). So manufacturers can make one batch with 20% each, dye half of it and sell it as a different variety.
The appeal of the exotic (Score:2)
I'm a Brit, and we evolved in Europe and Africa, yet I like tomato sauce, chips, coffee and chocolate, all of which come from the Americas.
I suspect this liking gives no evolutionary advantage. I don't see this as odd, or particularly worth exploring. There's perhaps a flip-side worth exploring, which is why there are frequent examples of people and animals liking things that are definitely harmful. Perhaps it's just that we haven't had the opportunity (yet) to evolve to dislike them.
Clearly they like mercury (Score:2)
And not just Freddie.
All tigers can swim. (Score:2)
EOM
"umami sweet spot" (Score:2)
Cats have lived with us for millenniums (Score:2)
They've lived feeding on our rodents and waste. They will have, given their breeding habits, have been plentiful amounts around until neutering brought the population under control in modern times. But they were there. Living by our farms. Eating rats off our city streets.
And probably for the longest time, eating scraps from our table, leftover fish pieces from our fishermen, long before we started to farm.
To think of them as just animals of the desert is a classic modern forgetting that we've been sharing