Cats cannot taste sweetness because they lack a functional sweet taste receptor gene.

Is it true that cats cannot taste sweetness because they lack a functional sweet taste receptor gene?

Yes. A peer-reviewed genetic study reports that the cat Tas1r2 gene is an unexpressed pseudogene, so the functional sweet-taste receptor heteromer cannot form and cats lack the receptor needed to detect sweet stimuli. A second paper notes that obligate carnivores such as cats have lost sweet receptor function and are indifferent to sweeteners.

Verdict: SUPPORTED · 3 sources for, 0 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Li, X., Li, W., Wang, H., Cao, J., Maehashi, K., Huang, L., Bachmanov, A., Reed, D., Legrand-defretin, V., Beauchamp, G., & Brand, J. (2005). Pseudogenization of a Sweet-Receptor Gene Accounts for Cats' Indifference toward Sugar. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.0010003

Lei, W., Ravoninjohary, A., Li, X., Margolskee, R. F., Reed, D. R., & Beauchamp, G. K. (2015). Functional Analyses of Bitter Taste Receptors in Domestic Cats ( Felis catus ). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0139670

Jiang, P., Josue-Almqvist, J., Jin, X., Li, X., Brand, J. G., & Margolskee, R. F. (2014). The Bamboo-Eating Giant Panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) Has a Sweet Tooth: Behavioral and Molecular Responses to Compounds That Taste Sweet to Humans. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0093043