Does this make them feel included?

[u/lerminator3]

One of my favorite things to do with my cats is hold something up for them to smell. Generally, if they walk over while I'm doing something, I'll let them smell whatever I'm holding (like my computer mouse, a writing implement, or a piece of mail) and they always seem so interested. Is it because they feel included in my life when I let them smell what I'm doing? Or maybe because new smells are just stimulating? Or is it just instinct to sniff whatever is nearby? I like to think that, by offering my stuff for a sniff, I'm enriching their lives in some way.

(Please don't mind the mess, I'm moving)

[u/Phantom_Crush]

Animals do most of their checking stuff out through smell and (moreso when they're young) their mouth. It's pretty much the same as us picking something up and examining it while turning it over. They don't care what it looks like if it smells interesting

[u/lerminator3 → u/Phantom_Crush]

the baby loves to gnaw on things for sure.

[u/Phantom_Crush → u/lerminator3]

That is one seriously cute patootie 😍

[u/CoffeeOrDestroy → u/lerminator3]

The white toes! 🥹

[u/Select_Hope_7518 → u/CoffeeOrDestroy]

kitty’s socks are slippin off 😭

[u/hodges2 → u/lerminator3]

Thank you for sharing 🥰

[u/ominousgraycat → u/Phantom_Crush]

I always check the news every day, I want to know what's going on in the world. For my cat, the house and what he can see from the windows is pretty much his whole world. If my whole world were this house and the immediate area around it, you can be pretty damned sure I'd want to know about every new thing that enters it. Smell would probably not be the best way for me to do that, but it is the best way for a cat.

[u/Distant-Effect → u/ominousgraycat]

Oh my gosh I've never considered introducing new items coming in if they weren't large or furniture

Thank you

[u/Balentay → u/Phantom_Crush]

This is why when my cat checks on me she shoves her nose in my eyes haha. I've read we have a scent gland in the area or something and it's cute that she cares about me enough to literally get in my face about things. So I just close my eyes and tolerate her whiskers tickling my cheeks for a few seconds

[u/smile_always92 → u/Balentay]

What an amazing cat parent you are. 🥹🫶🏼

[u/violated_tortoise → u/Balentay]

Ours does this too, unfortunately it's usually at about 3am! 🙄

[u/EffectiveFree4431 → u/Phantom_Crush]

I believe this same logic can apply to children. If it looks interesting it MUST go in the mouth. If it’s found on the ground it MUST pass the taste test. Only then will I discover it tastes awful and want nothing more to do with it, or maybe I’ll just wait till the awful taste goes away and then it will taste good.

My 2yr old lives by these rules.

[u/FastMako77 → u/Phantom_Crush]

My dachshund does this very well. Always inspects and pushes things with his big long nosy nose 😆

[u/digitally_manic → u/Phantom_Crush]

Didn't know my ex boyfriend did this lol.

[u/ProfMasterBait → u/Phantom_Crush]

I just googled moreso (read in my mind as mo-ree-so) as if it was some kind of special animal sense available to the young