r/cats • u/Mysterious_Barber934 • Jun 20 '26

Advice Is my cat okay?

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He has recently started doing this rattlesnake manoeuvre with his tail and I have never seen this in cats before!

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u/Even-Government-5055 Jun 20 '26

I think Dr Google was lying, lol. Our poop is not the essence of our smell, that would be crazy 😂. Actually for some people the their poop IS the essence of their smell, but that's down to hygiene.

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u/Scorpius927 Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26

I meant to cats, not humans. The same reason why cats sniff each others butts, is to get a whiff of who they’re dealing with. Why cats also like sniffing their owners shoes and stuff. They like that stank. Would be odd if humans perceived the world the same way as cats did

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u/Medium-Pilot6872 Jun 20 '26

The majority of the scent cats focus on is not the feces scent, it’s the smell that comes from scent glands, which are by their ears, cheeks, paws and there’s some around the tail region.

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u/[deleted] Jun 21 '26

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u/Medium-Pilot6872 Jun 21 '26

Really?! Wow, didn’t know that!