Can Cats Taste Spicy Food?

Your cat will tell you he is more advanced than you in every way, but he can't legitimately claim that about his sense of taste. Bootsie has fewer than 500 taste buds on his little pink tongue; you have close to 9,000 of them. True, his tongue can sand the finish off the dining room table, but yours can be used to identify and enjoy more complex tastes than his. While your cat knows the difference between salty and bitter or sour foods, spicy tastes don't register with him.

The smell may bring your cat running, but the texture and temperature of food are what entice him to eat it. Bootsie's instincts are to eat warm meat, like a freshly caught bird or mouse, instead of something like a stuffed pepper that gets its heat from spices.

Bootsie may not appreciate mild spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, but he will have no problem recognizing the spice from hot peppers like jalapenos and chili peppers. That's because the "heat" doesn't come from the taste of the pepper but from a reaction to the capsaicin they contain. The capsaicin irritates pain sensors in your cat's mouth just as it does in yours. It's a sensation Bootsie won't be pleased with and it's the reason why you shouldn't feed him spicy peppers or hot sauce.

Your cat's taste buds are geared toward recognizing basic flavor sensations, and that serves him well. He's naturally engineered to eat what his body needs, like protein and fats, neither of which need to come in a spicy package to benefit him. It's best if you don't let Bootsie indulge in food with a lot of spices, as it could cause an upset tummy or, if the flavoring comes from onions or garlic, could even interfere with his health. Foods from the onion family are dangerous for most household pets.