How do cats smell fish meaning tuna?

My cat wakes up and runs to the kitchen when i open a can of tuna. i don't get it.

You cat is more than likely first responding to the sound of you opening the can! Her hearing is much more acute than her sense of smell.

You're giving some kind of trigger and the cat has learned what that means. (See, cats can be trained!) Whether it hears you when you use the can opener, or knows the particular sound of the spot where you keep the manual opener, or knows the sound that your fingers make on the can wrapping... or... if you just open the can and the cat nose just smells it... your cat has been trained to know!;)

Most cat foods have a tuna like smell and they are used to it. Also, they smell things differently than us as well as have an extra smeller. If you have ever seen your cat with there mouth open kind of like they are panting; they are really smelling. They have a gland right above the pallat of the mouth that allows them to smell things that our noses don't notice like pheromones. Plus, if you have ever given them food out of a can, they associate that sound in their memory with food for the rest of their lives. I give mine treats that come in a bag that makes a wrapper noise. Whenever I eat something that makes that same noise, my cat runs to the sound.

My cat will race across the floor, knocking things (and dogs) out of the way to get to that sound. And I do mean sound, not just a can of cat food - she'll come for green beans, corn, etc. If you feed your cat at the same time every day (or morning) by first opening a can of tuna, then your cat is definitely associating that with food.

They smell with their noses. Duh :-PBut on a more serious note, if you do this at the same time every day, she will be right there waiting for you. If you don't, she may just be hearing you open the can, and think you're preparing lunch for her.

I agree with the first poster. It is probably the sound. My cat gets excited whenever I take a can out of the pantry. He assumes every can is going to be tuna, and he knows I let him lick the can. He's at my feet as soon as he hears the sqeak of the pantry door, and he begins to cry when he sees it's a can. He gets louder when he sees me take out the can opener. He won't shut up until I show him the empty can and he can smell it isn't tuna.By the way, my cat used to be excited to see the water go round whenever I flushed the toilet. He would come running as soon as he heard me flush, and he would stand at the bowl watching the water go down.

Think of how smelly tuna is to us- Cats have a much stronger sense of smell than we do. We have to shut Lily out of the kitchen when we have it lol!

its food they like it