Olfactory habituation and dishabituation dynamically regulate feeding motivation in domestic cats

Abstract

Domestic cats usually eat several small meals throughout the day. This feeding behavior is thought to balance internal energy regulation with external environmental and sensory influences. Repeated exposure to the same food odor reduces its reward value in humans, suggesting that a similar odor-driven decrease in feeding motivation may occur in cats. However, the mechanisms that cause cats to stop eating before finishing the meal are not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that olfactory habituation to the smell of food contributes to feeding cessation and that sensory novelty can restore feeding motivation in cats. Using twelve cats, we first confirmed that most individuals voluntarily stopped eating before consuming the offered portion, even after sixteen hours of fasting. We then compared food intake across six consecutive 10 min feeding cycles with 10 min intervals under several conditions. Repeated presentation of the same food resulted in a progressive decline in intake; however, offering six different foods markedly attenuated this decrease and increased cumulative intake. Introducing a different food after repeated feeding on the same food restored intake, regardless of the palatability of the new food. Importantly, a similar recovery occurred when only the odor of a novel food was introduced using a two-compartment dish, without altering the food itself. Conversely, continuous exposure to the same food odor between feeding cycles suppressed subsequent intake. These findings demonstrate that odor-dependent habituation and dishabituation dynamically regulate feeding motivation in cats, offering new insight into the sensory mechanisms underlying their characteristic pattern of frequent, small meals.