Sniffer powers: Humans vs cats vs dogs


A cat displays the flehmen reaction. Photo: 123rf.com

Sniffing and analysing scents is a complex process that involves special receptors and lots of brain power. While we humans think we’re pretty nifty when we can smell perfume in a room, cats and dogs have super sniffer powers.

Humans have 6 million olfactory receptors, while dogs have 300 million. Cats are of course mysterious! Some studies suggest they have around 80 million while other studies suggest 200 million.

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