Leave your bookbag or backpack on the floor long enough and you will soon see the cat come up and lay on it leading you to wonder why do cats love backpacks-well, it is because they are filled with YOUR scent!
Why Do Cats Love Backpacks? Your backpack rides with you and rubs on you all day long. Therefore, it ends up with your individual scent. As lumpy, uneven and even dirty your backpack may be, it smells like family to your cat and makes him feel close to you.
Even though it looks horribly uncomfortable at times when cats lie on our bookbags filled with textbooks, pencils, and devices like tablets or phones, they really love it and it is rather endearing! Keep reading to understand why cats love backpacks so much.
The Appeal of The Backpack
Cats are very scent-oriented animals. Chances are you have seen your cat rubbing his or her cheeks all over your house-cheeks get rubbed on table corners, on shoes, on the couch!
This is because cats are leaving their individual scent on that particular item and marking it as their own. This is also why they scratch at things, too-also because scratching feels good and is healthy for them.
Also, do think about where that backpack of yours goes every day. It goes outside while you wait for the bus or get into the car.
It is with you in the cafeteria where the attendant is serving up hot chicken fingers and burgers. It is with you at the library, where old books and some dust linger.
All these scents are exciting and fun for a cat who may only go outdoors for the bathroom or lives indoors. Your backpack becomes a place to hang out and take in all the wonderful smells of the outside world. And best of all, it smells like you!
The next time you order something, and it comes in a box, bring it in and set it there. Chances are your cat will come up to the box and smell it, rub his or her cheeks on it, and even scratch the cardboard (it is so satisfying for a cat to scratch such a substance!).
This is because the scratching feels great and the box has many cool new scents on the outside of it.
And on top of that, cats love empty cardboard boxes because small spaces are a place of security for cats, so your beloved kitty may just be gunning for that box once you discard it. You can be certain that your cat will approach any unfamiliar object by smelling it!
Cats and Scent: Amazing and Powerful
So, you have now seen firsthand how funny and cute it is that your cat loves your backpack so much, and you know why? Because of the interesting and fun smells, of course! But just how powerful is a cat’s sense of smell?
The answer may surprise you.
Cats, after all, use scent in the same way we use cell phones – as a means of communication! It aids in keeping other cats away except in the instances of mating or other members of their own feline group.
Cats make use of pheromones and scents they create in their own glands, and urine plus fecal matter in some cases.
These scent glands are located in the chin and the lips, on top of their head, and also along the top of the tail. There are also scent glands located between their toes and around the area of the anus.
Those moments when your cat rubs on you are when your feline is leaving its own unique scent behind and that scent comes from these areas in particular.
Cats will also do this on household objects, as well as outdoor items like branches, twigs, and fences. This leaves both a visual indicator as well as a scent behind.
The Odor Is Strong for The Unneutered Cats
Cats who have not been neutered make use of their urine, and the odor is strong in cats like this. It should also be noted that each and every cat, regardless of their spay/neuter status or gender leave behind scent markers in some manner.
It can be very small, such as rubbing their face on whatever object they find all the way up to spraying. Cats may also leave fecal matter out instead of buying it.
Feral Cats Also Use Scent in A Special Way
Feral colonies of cats usually consist of females and their offspring. They rub upon each other, swapping their individual scents with one another and thereby creating a scent profile among the group.
In this manner, it becomes much easier for the cats to recognize one another thanks to their smell. You will find that there is minimal aggression within the group in most cases.
However, if an outsider cat or human tries to come into their territory, members of this feral cat colony may respond by acting very aggressively as a means of getting rid of the real or perceived threat.
Foreign cats, in particular, represent a danger to valuable food and resources nearby. However, if a cat were to come by the colony on a regular basis, it is likely that he or she would be accepted thanks to the scent being familiarized.
Making Your Home Scent-Friendly
Knowing what you know now about cats and their scent abilities, there are steps you can take to make sure your home is as scent friendly as can be.
Your cat would love everything to be like your backpack: familiar but not so overly scented that it makes him uncomfortable and nervous.
After all, changes to the scent of the home can present a big challenge for your cat. For instance, the use of household cleaning products like carpet cleaners or even disinfecting agents can cause stress.
Visiting cats, dogs, people or even redecorating are other ways new scents come into the house and make a cat feel stressed out.
If you notice your cat marking indoors, especially by way of urine, it is not usually a sign that he is doing something bad.
Rather, this is a response to the changes taking place in his environment as well as a sign of an emotional shift from content to threatened or afraid.
This could be in response to a new pet or some other huge change in environment that has happened recently in your home.
Avoid Heavily Scented Cleaning Products
Therefore, it is best to avoid heavily scented cleaning products if at all possible. These wreak havoc on a cat’s nose and some of them contain smells that most cats do not care for, such as citrus.
Aside from the smell, it goes without saying that these cleaning agents have plenty of harsh chemicals in them that will harm your pet if accidentally ingested.
It’s best to use homemade cleaners if you can, as these pose less of a risk to our furry friends. (Bonus-these are rather cheap to make and often use things you already have in your house like baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice or oil).
Meanwhile, there are some scents cats really love, so if you want to make your house smell wonderful you can make use of these naturally occurring plants to make your cat feel right at home.
Valerian root, lavender, catnip, and even olive are all things cats love. Olive and valerian root help cats calm down, although the latter makes them very active at first.
Lavender also has a calming effect, and catnip is a classic favorite that makes even the most older, senior cats feel youthful and playful again.
The main takeaway here is to make sure your pet stays happy and content by keeping very strong scents to a minimum.
Related Questions
Why Is My Cat Obsessed with Bags?
Plastic bags you get at a grocery store or market often contain the residual smells of food or even a taste of the food that was once carried inside and chewing or licking them becomes a fun experience. The crinkly sound these bags make is also loved by cats.
Why Do Cats Like Sitting in Bags?
Cats are guided heavily by their noses, which feature a phenomenal sense of smell. If an item has your scent, they love to be near it because it brings them joy. They feel safe and secure around said object. Cats are also territorial and will sit on your bag as a territory marking exercise.
Why Do Cats Like to Sleep with Their Owners?
The act of your cat sleeping with you is a sign that they love and trust you. They not only have their confidence in you-they also love the warmth you generate and want to be near you. Lastly, the blanket or duvet on your bed is a comfort object and is loved by cats.
Conclusion
Cats love backpacks because they are filled with the wonderful scent of their owner as well as the amazing outside world – and it is also an indication to the powerful noses these animals possess.
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