# Quote from A Street Cat Named Bob



## NebraskaCat

I am reading A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen. So far it's a sweet, true story about a cat who adopts a person - much the same as many other books before it, but special in its own sense.

I specifically wanted to repeat a passage from it and get people's opinions. I hadn't heard this particular concept before, but it makes sense to me, I guess.



> Smell is bad for cats from a hunting point of view. Cats are stealth hunters and ambush their prey, so they have to be as unobtrusive as possible. Cat saliva contains a natural deodorant which is why they lick themselves a lot. It's been proven by zoologists that cats that lick the smell off themselves survive longer and have more successful offspring. It's also their way of hiding themselves from predators like large snakes, lizards and other large carnivorous mammals.


Like I say, it makes sense. I had never thought of cat licks as deodorizing before, though.


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## 10cats2dogs

NC,
I had read about this some where...
And it did make sense, as a cat who's healthy should 'Smell' good to us to!
If the cat starts 'Smelling Off' in any way, it can be another clue for us to follow health wise!

Thanks for Sharing this! It's one of those little things that can make a Big Difference! !


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## cat face

Hi NC,
Yep, cat's deodorize themselves all the time, primarily after eating, thats a big one. 
A cat, in the wild, cannot afford to smell like food or they will draw attention to themselves. They are prey as well as predator. Smell is pretty bad for a cat.


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## marie73

As much as my bratz groom each other, they must be the stealthiest cats this side of the Rockies. No wonder I never catch them in the act!


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## cat face

marie73 said:


> As much as my bratz groom each other, they must be the stealthiest cats this side of the Rockies. No wonder I never catch them in the act!


"Ninja Bratz"  lol


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## marie73




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## 10cats2dogs

Marie,
That would explain a lot!!
LOL!!!


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## cat face

LOL!!!! marie... exactly!


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