A new study suggests that domestic cats get bored of monotonous meals. Switching up their food—or even just nearby scents—could help them join the clean plate club April 15, 2026 12:00 p.m. Smell influences food intake in cats, according to a new study. Arterra / Universal Images Group via Getty Images Domestic cats are famously finicky eaters. Now, new research sheds light on what might be going on when a feline friend becomes characteristically—and for its owner, frustratingly—disinterested in its food halfway into mealtime. In a study published March 31 in the journal  Physiology & Behavior , researchers describe several cat feeding experiments they ran to investigate what motivates the animals to chow down. Their results suggest that our furry companions simply grow bored of repetitive food smells. Therefore, the solution could be as easy as varying their meals—or even just the nearby odors. “I keep five dogs at home, and they tend to eat their food very quickly.…