If your cat has been smelling you, when you get home, this post will show you a number of possible reasons why and what you can do about them.
So, why does my cat smell me when I get home? Possible reasons why your cat smells you when you get home are to see if you have food, you have the scent of other people and animals on you, or to greet you.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your cat smells you when you get home and it might be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Why does my cat smell me when I get home?
Below are a number of possible reasons why your cat has been doing it and what would make each of them more likely.
To see if you have food
The reason why your cat smells you, when you arrive home, is likely to be that it is trying to see if you have food on you. This would be especially likely if it does it more when it has not been able to eat for a long time.
You have the scents of other people and animals
Another possible cause is that your cat is smelling the scents of other people and animals that you picked up while outside. This would be more likely if it does it more when you have been around and touching other people and animals but it does not sniff you much when you have not.
To gather information
Cats have around 9-16 times better smelling abilities than humans do (source). Dogs have been shown to be able to smell disease in humans (source). While cats do not have the same smelling capabilities as dogs, some people argue that cats are also able to smell certain diseases, so a part of the reason why your cat sniffs you could be to find out how healthy you are.
To greet you
The cause might also be that it is greeting you. This would be more likely if it also purrs, gets you to pet it and rubs itself against you when it does 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 you when you get home
If your cat did not always smell you when you arrived home, 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 if you started hanging around new people with different scents on them or because you started coming home at a different time.
What else is different when your cat smells you when you get home
If your cat does not always sniff you when you get home, it would also help to consider what else is different when it does sniff you. For example, if it only seems to do it when it is hungry, the cause is likely to be that it is smelling for food.
What to do about your cat smelling you when you get home
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Distract it
One option would be to give your cat things to be distracted by, such as toys, when you get home.
Let it do it
It is natural for cats to smell you when you arrive home and it is likely that your cat has been doing it naturally. The easiest option would likely be to let your cat continue doing it.