Particularly widespread is the belief that the wet nose of a dog or cat is synonymous with animal welfare and that, vice versa, a dry nose is a sign of suffering.
It is more like an ancient belief, which has its roots in the times when dogs were used also and above all for hunting. For this activity the animal's sense of smell is fundamental and there is a disease, called cimurro ( Morva canina ), which makes the nose dry, irreparably damaging the animal's olfactory capacity.
Therefore, in the choice of hunting dogs, the habit of probing the animal's nose was widespread, avoiding entrusting the outcome of hunting to specimens with a dry nose. Hence the belief has also extended to cats.
