Scientists have figured out why cats love tuna so much

If you've ever tried to make a tuna sandwich in the same room as a cat, you probably know how much pets love this treat. It literally drives them crazy, and there is a completely logical explanation for this. The reason for such love was revealed in one of the recent research Waltham Petcher Institute of Science.

Cats are by nature obligate carnivores, meaning they cannot survive or properly digest only plant foods—they must eat meat.

At the same time, cats have developed different taste sensations in different ways. For example, they do not taste sugar and rarely prefer sweets. They also have far fewer bitter taste receptors than humans. Remains sour, salty and the fifth taste - umami - that's exactly the point.

To feel umami, you need two genes - Tas1r1 and Tas1r3. They allow us to feel the special taste of high-protein foods, soy sauce, cheese and so on. So far, only the Tas1r3 gene has been found in cats, but a new study has found that they also have Tas1r1, which explains their obsession with tuna.

While there are some similarities between the receptor genes in cats and humans, the team found a big difference in how these receptors actually work. In both cases, amino acids and nucleotides work in tandem to cause a reaction. But in humans, amino acids bind to receptors first, and then nucleotides come into action. But in cats, nucleotides activate receptors first, and then amino acids.

To confirm the results of the study, scientists conducted an experiment in which 25 cats offered bowls of water with various concentrations of amino acids and nucleotides, as well as a bowl of plain water. And in all cases, cats preferred bowls with a higher concentration of molecules found in umami-flavored foods. They also preferred bowls high in histidine and inosine monophosphate (IMP), molecules found in high amounts in tuna.

Thus the command thinksthat the reason tuna is so attractive to cats is due to the specific combination of IMP and histidine molecules that gives the strong umami taste that cats love.

Does your cat love tuna? Write in the comments.