Connections

My ex once stood in the kitchen for over an hour, with the cat on the counter, opening up every spice in the cabinet for the cat to smell.
"What are you doing?"
"Letting Max smell the spices"
All of them.

Not only this but I pick my cat up so she can smell things she normally can't reach. Or get to a bug on the ceiling.
- This is the way
- My cats all love to play "Super Kitty", which is pretty much me picking them up and "flying" them around the room while making jet engine noises.
- My boy is fixated on a paint chip high up on the wall at least once a week. He thinks its a fly. I have to pick him up and let him inspect it every time or he starts jumping

All the time. I just wish I could understand them because they always seem to contemplate carefully whatever I have them smell, which makes me wonder what they are thinking.
Keep your secrets, inscrutable feline.
- "cool. when is dinner" -your cat

I used to do walk abouts in the pantry with my calico in my arm, opening up stuff, and she sniffing it and giving her opinions on it lol, she wanted to sniff everything, god bless her little soul.
- Oh, that's adorable! I did the same with mine but she quickly decided that they all stank and wanted none of it. She's still suspicious to this day when I give her something to smell. 😅

I like to let my dog sniff each food as I take it out of the bags and put it away. I figure, if I can broaden his world, why not? He seems to enjoy his role in the process
- My dog likes smelling the mail. I'll hold the letters and packages up to him one by one, and he'll sniff all the way around it.
- Same, I also pick her up and show her the counter top in the kitchen if I spend a long time in there, just so she knows what's going on

I do this all the time with my cats, especially since one of them can't see well. They gently sniff and just appreciate being included. They dont eat my food or whatever i show them.
I tend to do it with my friends cats too, but that gets me into trouble when I realize that some of them gobble up or stick their whole head into whatever I proffer them.
My cats are little angels. Rachel, your cat is an asshole lol

I just moved and my cat really really wanted to smell the tape measure. I don't know why, but it's always like a minute long process along the length I happen to have out. I wouldn't dare deny her, especially when she is so thorough.

Well, not specifically because I want to make them feel included, it is to stimulate them and satisfy their curiosity. Also helps skittish cats and dogs to gain confidence by introducing them to new smells constantly in a safe way.
Smells are way more important to both cats and dogs than humans, and more than most people realize. Example: I see a lot of people around walk their dogs and not letting them sniff properly but just tug them along, thinking that the physical exercise and waste management are the sole purpose of walks.
We have a retired hunting dog, turned 11 on Sunday actually, and she's still ridiculously hard to tire by physical exercise. The only way to get her proper tired is mental stimulation. Sniffing is a big part of that. 30min calm patient walk is way better than 60min of "COME OON" -hurried impatient walk.
Disclaimer: not all dogs etc., but... most dogs.
- My dog’s long gone but I remember that she liked the slower walks with more pauses better. She’d nap after those and run in her sleep (little paw twitches would tell me the gait). I think you’re right about the mental stimulation. It seemed to give her more stuff to dream about.
  
  I tend to think differently than most people but it seems obvious to me. As humans we have technology to itneract with and enrich our lives, but animals are unwilling/unable to create enrichment for themselves. Its led me to think about what they consider fun and the nature of fun, and it would seem to me that they would make the most of their senses. Considering their sense of smell is so strong, ive always equated them sniffing things to us taking a nice stare at an inpressive bit of scenery, or tasting the finer details of an intricately crafted meal. Thats why i try to bring home things that will have an interesting scent, to my animals it would be the same as bringing them a tasty treat.

All the time. She'll get frustrated if I don't. She's very interested in what I eat. Probably judges me for it too.
- Love the username BTW.
- "human, this isn't raw meat, what are you doing?"

My girl was from a feral colony and let herself into my window repeatedly until I adopted her. She's weird with food; anything I show her she runs away from. I think she used to get beat up anytime she tried to eat something. I'm slowly teaching her it's ok to share food

my cat is sad.
no one else in his family is a cat
we are all human except for him
he is excluded from most things
and no one tells him why
he just wants to play
and be loved
he looks at us with wonder
and disappointment
he says hello i am a cat what is my existence
what is that / why it and not me / please can you look at me and love me too
can i have some of your food please im sorry i dont like my food so much
do you want to play with my toys? this one is my favourite
do you like me
are we brothers
why didnt i grow up
why am i so small
can you help me be happy
where are you going
--Spencer Madsen
- My cat hates other cats which is why he is my cat.
  He really has it all figured out.

Yes, and my dog too. She always sniffs it very seriously, especially if it's a package that has been delivered. It's a big deal to them.

I do this.

All the time

everything crinkly is a bag of treats to them so when I open anything they need to get a sniff so they know I'm not holding out on them

smell is awesome because it has a massive potential time delay. like inagine if every sound came with distant echoes of every other sound it encountered on the way to your ear

I do this with my dog. When I unpack groceries, I give him everything to sniff for 2-3 seconds. I think new smells is something exciting for them.

Hell yeah, kitty! This new box DOES smell fresh and ready for fun, right?

Yes. All the time.

Yeah, if they look like they’re curious.

This is how I found out one of my cats loves bacon. And the other loves popcorn and cheese its.
- My roommate's cat will maul us for a cheez-it.

I always let my dog sniff my coffee or beer or whatever I have, she always has a funny over the top reaction

Yes but not bananas. If either of them get to sniff bananas they just take a big bite, skin and all.