 Cats have relatively few taste buds compared to humans ( 470 or so versus more than 9 @,@ 000 on the human tongue ) . Domestic and wild cats share a gene mutation that keeps their sweet taste buds from binding to sugary molecules , leaving them with no ability to taste sweetness . Their taste buds instead respond to amino acids , bitter tastes , and acids . Cats and many other animals have a Jacobson 's organ located in their mouths that allows them to taste @-@ smell certain aromas in a way which humans have no experience of . Cats also have a distinct temperature preference for their food , preferring food with a temperature around 100 ° F ( 38 ° C ) which is similar to that of a fresh kill and routinely rejecting food presented cold or refrigerated ( which would signal to the cat that the " prey " item is long dead and therefore possibly toxic or decomposing ) . 
