Scientists from Ohio State University and elsewhere have developed a 3D computer model of the nose of the domestic cat (Felis catus) and simulated how an inhalation of air containing common cat food odors would flow through the coiled structures. They’ve found that the air separates into two flow streams, one that is cleansed and humidified and another delivering the odorant quickly and efficiently to the system responsible for smelling — the olfactory region. In essence, the study authors suggest, the cat nose functions as a highly efficient and dual-purposed gas chromatograph — a tool that, in the laboratory, detects and separates chemicals in vaporized form. In fact, the cat nose is so efficient at this that its structure could inspire improvements to the gas chromatographs in use today.
Domestic cats — one of the world’s most widely kept pets — possess a highly complex nasal cavity and a well-developed sense of smell, which plays important roles in feeding and social interactions.
They have high olfactory acuity and disturbance to the sense of smell may cause the cat to refuse food.
Terrestrial mammals usually have three sets of bone structure, called turbinates, in their nose: naso-, maxillary, and ethmoid turbinates.
In the cat, these turbinates are significantly more complex than in either humans or rodents and are comparable to those of the domestic dog.
The area of olfactory mucosa in the cat, housed mostly in the ethmoid turbinates toward the posterior end of the nose, is around 20 cm2, about four to five times that of humans and only twofold less than the average dog.
The complex nasal turbinate structure in the cat and the importance of its olfactory function to its survival provide an excellent model to examine the structure-function relationship.
Since the domestication of its ancestorб the African wild cat (Felis silvestris lybica), the domestic and feral cat has spread along with human settlements and thrives in various…
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