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Why does my cat smell the floor?

If your cat has been smelling the floor a lot, this post will show you a number of possible reasons why and what you can do about them.

So, why does my cat smell the floor? Likely reasons why your cat sniffs the floor are that it does it naturally to find out what other animals have been around, it smells food, and to mark its own scent.

There are actually a number of possible reasons why your cat smells the floor and it might be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.

Reasons why your cat smells the floor

Below are a number of possible reasons why your cat smells the floor and what would make the more likely.

Nature

Cats will naturally sniff their surroundings a lot. Cats sniff their surroundings naturally so that they can find out what other animals and people have been around. The reason why your cat has been sniffing the floor is likely to be due to natural behavior. This would be more likely if your cat has always done it and it does not seem to have started doing it suddenly.

It smells food

Another possible cause is that your cat smells food. This would be more likely if your cat smells a specific area and if it tends to do it more at a certain time such as in the kitchen after you have been cooking or when someone dropped food on the floor.

It smells the scent of other people and animals

Another possible reason is that your cat can smell the scent of other people and animals that have been around. This would be more likely if your cat sniffs the floor more after other people have come over.

It is marking its territory

The reason why your cat does it might also be that it is marking its own scent around the house. This would be more likely if your cat also rubs itself against the floor and other things when it is doing it.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your cat has been doing it.

If your cat has always smelled the floor

If your cat has not always smelled the floor, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as new smells around the house due to things such as having guests over.

What is different when your cat does not smell the floor

If your cat seems to do it more at a certain time, it would also help to consider what is different about the timing. For example, if it does it when you have just arrived home, it might be the case that it is trying to find out if you have brought food back. Whereas, if it does it when you are cooking, it could be the case that your cat is smelling for food.

What to do about your cat smelling the floor

Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.

Redirect its focus

One option would be to redirect its focus towards something else when it seems likely to start sniffing the floor. Things you could redirect its focus towards could include toys.

Let it do it

It is natural for cats to sniff around the floor and most cats do it. If your cat has not been behaving unusually in other ways, it is likely natural behavior. In this case, it would likely be the easiest option to just allow your cat to naturally sniff things around the floor and to keep things you do not want it to sniff out of reach.