Cats Communicate by Smell – Semiochemicals in Cat Communication

Posted on October 27, 2023October 29, 2023 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

Cats have many more odor sensitive cells in their noses than we humans do. They also have a vomeronasal organ (VNO) in the roofs of their mouths to process odors. Cats communicate by smell.

cats communicate by smell

This post was originally published May 2, 2021 and has been updated to reflect new content.

For a cat, odors can be associated with a particular place or individual animal, identifying that place or animal.

Another way cats communicate by smell is through semiochemicals. Odors can contain semiochemicals, molecules that carry “messages” from one organism to another. The organism receiving the “message” responds with a change in physiology or behavior. For example, there are insect traps that use hormones that simulate the type of scent produced by the female insect. Male insects are lured into the traps, preventing them from mating.

Semiochemicals that carry “messages” between members of the same species are called pheromones. For cats, pheromones are used to mark territorial boundaries, advertise that a cat is ready to mate, or send greetings. Lactating mother cats also produce a blend of “appeasing” pheromones, that make kittens feel safe and reassured when their mothers are nearby.

Cats release pheromones from glands in their bodies. These glands can be found in…

the lips
the cheeks
the pads of the feet
at the base of the tail
the area surrounding the teats in females.

Glands producing pheromones — Locations of the glands that produce pheromones in the cat.

Cats communicate by smell -pheromones

When your cat rubs his cheeks against furniture or that corner wall, he deposits pheromones there. Researchers have separated secretions from the sebaceous glands in your cat’s face into 5 pheromone-containing fractions. The “F3 fraction” is thought to be a friendly greeting, marking the area as safe.

Cat Appeasing Pheromone (CAP) is released when the mother cat nurses her kittens. It is a message to the kittens that they are safe and secure – after all, mom is there!

Cats also release pheromones when they scratch, marking territory with another pheromone, FIS or feline interdigital semiochemical. The cat making the scratch marks also leaves behind his own individual scent, giving the next cat who comes along an idea of who left the pheromone message. As time goes on, the pheromones/scents decay. This change in pheromones/scents notifies the incoming cat when the previous cat was there.

using pheromones to communicate with your cat

It is not surprising that synthetic versions of the F3 fraction of the facial pheromones and CAP have been made with the intention of calming cats and reducing conflict in multi-cat households. These products are available as diffusers or sprays.

Facial Pheromones F3 Fraction

Diffuser: place in areas you want your cat to identify as safe and secure, for example, sleeping areas. You may not need to use the diffusers all the time – after all, your cat or cats are most likely marking these areas themselves. However, the diffuser could give an added boost in times of increased stress, such as home renovation.
F3 spray can help with urine marking. Clean the marked spots with enzyme cleaners (eg. Tide), followed by rubbing alcohol. When dry, spray the spot with one of the F3 sprays.
The F3 spray is also useful to discourage scratching. Try spraying the area you DON’T want scratched with the F3 spray and place a scratching post nearby.
BSerene spray features the F3 fraction combined with catnip oil to promote calm behavior.

Cat Appeasing Pheromone

Diffuser
This product can be useful in multi-cat households when introducing a new cat. Place the diffuser in the common areas where all the cats will congregate.
You may not need to use this diffuser all the time but it can give a boost during times of stress, for example, when one cat returns from a veterinary visit.
The BSerene brand offers a diffuser that contains both F3 and CAP.

A product called Feliscratch contained a synthetic version of FIS. Feliscratch was applied to the scratching post to encourage cats to use it. This product has recently been pulled off the market due to flagging sales.

No Feliscratch?

Make scratchers appealing with treats or catnip
If your cat will knead a small fleece blanket, it is possible that this blanket may have FIS deposited on it.
Placing the blanket near a new scratching post may attract your cat to the scratcher.

Feliway Optimum – one size fits all?

Feliway Optimum is the result of computer simulation and features a single product designed to address urine spraying, scratching, fear, and inter-cat conflict. It is a proprietary blend of specific pheromones that bind to receptors in the VNO in cats. It comes in a diffuser (Reference 1).

How effective are pheromones in communicating messages to cats?

The idea of managing cat behavior using pheromones is appealing. There are no pills to give and you can treat all your cats at once. However, studies aimed at determining whether these products work or not have mixed results (Reference 2).

How receptive an individual cat is to pheromone signals may depend upon her experience (Reference 2). A free-roaming cat or cat who is a member of a multi-cat household will use pheromone signals more than an indoor cat who lives alone. A kitten bottle-fed by humans will not be exposed to CAP like kittens nursed by a feline mother.

In my own experience, cats with a feral background respond more strongly to the pheromone products than cats raised in a human household.

You can think of pheromones as those signs in the library asking you to KEEP QUIET or the NO SMOKING signs – there is always someone who is talking or smoking. Compliance is never 100%.

Since cats communicate by smell, synthetic cat pheromones allow us to add some basic messages when we are trying to change a cat’s behavior. Do these products work? The efficacy of these products may depend on the experience of the individual cat. Consequently, pheromones are best used in conjunction with other behavior modifications.

references

De Jaeger, Xavier & Meppiel, Laurianne & Endersby, Sarah & Sparkes, Andrew. (2021). An Initial Open-Label Study of a Novel Pheromone Complex for Use in Cats. Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine. 11. 105-116. 10.4236/ojvm.2020.113006.
Zhang Lingna, Bian Zhaowei, Liu Qingshen, Deng Baichuan. Dealing With Stress in Cats: What Is New About the Olfactory Strategy?. Frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.928943, DOI=10.3389/fvets.2022.928943

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Does your scent comfort your cat?

Posted on October 17, 2021October 17, 2021 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

Cats greet other friendly cats by sniffing them first, before engaging in other social activities such as rubbing against each other or grooming each other’s heads. Scent is a way that members of a cat colony identify each other.

We are members of our cats’ social groups and they identify us by our scent. They greet us by sniffing and rubbing against us. When leaving your cat at the vet or boarding facility, you may be asked to bring a blanket or t-shirt with your scent on it. Does your scent comfort your cat when she is away from you?

Recently, researchers at Oregon State University tried to test whether such an object actually reduces a cat’s anxiety when her owner is gone. In this study, owners of 42 cats were asked to bring an unwashed object with their scent on it. Scent objects could include the owner’s shoe, sock, night shirt, or blanket.

The test started by evaluating the cat’s attachment to his/her owner – secure or insecure?
The owner would then leave: in some trials, the scent object was left behind; in others, the cat was alone.

The cat’s behavior was evaluated:

when he was with his owner
when he was alone with the scent object
when he was alone without the scent object
when his owner returned

Measuring attachment
Psychological attachment is measured using the Secure Base Test. The cat and owner are placed in a strange room for a few minutes; the owner then leaves for a few minutes and returns. The cat’s behavior is observed when the owner is present, when cat is alone, and when the owner returns.

Securely attached cats
willing to explore when Owner is present
continue to explore after Owner leaves
greets Owner on return but continues to explore and play

Insecurely attached cats
reluctant to explore even with Owner present
sit with Owner or hide in corner
do not explore when Owner leaves
may or may not solicit contact with Owner on return

Does your scent comfort your cat when you are not with her?

Researchers took videos of the sessions, recording how often cats vocalized, rubbed on their owners or the scent object, and how long they would stay close to the owner or scent object.

Researcher’s predictions

Cats would prefer their human caretaker over a scent stimulus alone.
Insecurely attached cats would interact with the scent object more than the securely attached cats.
Cats would be comforted by their owner’s scent.

what actually happened

Cats preferred their owners over the scent object – they vocalized less when owners were with them and rubbed on their owners
Insecure cats did spend more time close to the scent object than secure cats but only 4 of the 42 cats actually rubbed the object
The scent object did not seem to alleviate anxiety – cats vocalized just as much when alone with the scent object as they did when alone without the scent object.

Cats communicate in a large part by smell. They identify other cats and their owners by their scent and greet them by sniffing them and rubbing against them. To your cat, your t-shirt smells like you but does your scent comfort your cat the way your physical presence does? The answer is no according to this study.

Your t-shirt is not the same for your cat as a teddy bear that a young child clutches to face the world. The teddy bear is a “transitional object” that helps a human child become less dependent on his parents and learn to relate to other people.

Your cat is attached to you – not your t-shirt. It won’t hurt to leave the t-shirt at home when going to the vet or boarding facility.

Other Thoughts

A cat’s territory where she feels safe is marked with her own scent. Providing your cat with a blanket from home with her scent might make her less anxious.

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Cats and Catnip

Posted on May 16, 2021 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

Cats and Catnip

cat and catnip plant — Gus enjoys some local catnip.

Cats and catnip- some cats love it; some cats are indifferent to the herb. What’s the story on catnip?

Catnip is a member of the mint family. Its scientific name is nepeta cataria. Catnip contains a compound called nepetalactone, which induces the “catnip response”:

sniffing
licking and chewing with head shaking
chin and cheek rubbing
rolling over and body rubbing

The catnip response is specific to the Felidae family – other mammals do not respond to nepetalactone. Lions, jaguars, leopards and domestic cats enjoy catnip; most tigers are indifferent to catnip.

About 2/3 of domestic cats show the “catnip response”. Since catnip does not elicit a response from all cats, a genetic element may be involved. Most cats in Australia do not respond to catnip and they come from a relatively closed genetic group.

Kittens show a catnip response between 3-6 months of age (if they are sensitive). Before then, forget it!

Nepetalactone stimulates the cells lining the nasal cavity and not those of the vomeronasal organ. Smelling the nepetalactone induces the “catnip response”. Although many cats nibble on catnip, nepetalactone is not effective orally. Cats can be fairly sensitive to catnip and even weak doses of nepetalactone may induce the “catnip response”.

Cats and catnip – why does catnip affect cats?

Catnip produces allomones, chemicals that transmit messages between species. Catnip plants release these allomones (nepetalactone is one of these) into the air to repel insects that may eat the catnip. Nepetalactones can repel insects as well as the synthetic repellent N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET). Maybe catnip attracts insect-eating cats… 🙂

Cats and catnip and facial pheromones…

A recent study that combined nepetalactone extract with feline facial pheromone had an interesting outcome. Cats exposed to the combination did not exhibit the typical catnip response but were more tolerant of human handling and having their blood pressure measured than cats exposed to the pheromone spray alone.

Why does catnip work? We don’t really know.

Does nepetalactone stimulate natural pheromone production?
Does it change how pheromones are processed?
Does it reinforce the semiochemical message of the pheromones?

For cats not sensitive to nepetalactone

Three other plants induce the “catnip response”
Silver Vine – a plant from east Asia, has 6 compounds that are similar chemically to nepetalactone. 80% of cats respond to silvervine.
Valerian Root – Contains 1 compound with similar chemical structure to nepetalactone. 50% of cats will respond to valerian root.
Tartarian Honeysuckle can also elicit a response in cats and is considered safe. Honeysuckle appeals to about 50% of cats.

Catmint

Catmints are also members of the mint family and belong to the genus nepeta. They may contain a lower concentration of nepetalactone. While catnip is a leggy weedy plant with whitish flowers, catmints are bushy plants with showy purple or sometimes pink flowers.

The catmint bush in my backyard does not induce the “kitty crazies” but it is a popular place – the resident and neighboring cats come to rub their heads against the shoots of the plant and sometimes nap in the center.

Cats sensitive to catnip really seem to enjoy it. The “catnip response” lasts about 10-15 minutes and does not cause any long lasting effects. If your cat does not care for catnip, try some silvervine for a “kitty cocktail”!

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A Better Vet Visit for Your Cat

Posted on November 1, 2020February 3, 2023 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

A Better Vet Visit for Your Cat

From Your Cat’s Purrspective…

You know something’s up – your carrier is out. You hide under the bed but your human pulls you out and proceeds to squeeze you into the dreaded box.

You swing along in the air and then are loaded into a larger box that moves and smells funny.

You finally stop moving and swing through the air some more and arrive at another house where you smell lots of other animals. Oh no, not this place again! You can smell other cats – most of these cats too are afraid. As you move through the fog of smells, you arrive in a small room with a metal table.

A strange human opens your carrier door and tries to coax you to come out – you’re not sure what is out there but now your carrier seems like a good place to stay. Suddenly, your world tilts and you slide out of the carrier onto the cold, hard table.

You hiss your displeasure. Another strange human proceeds to look into your eyes, put a hard plastic thing in your ears, and presses a cold metal disc against your chest. Then, the strange human pokes you with a needle and you are finally allowed to escape back into the dreaded carrier – at least, it has taken you back home before.

A Better Vet Visit for Your Cat – What We Can Do

CHOOSING A CARRIER.

The plain-vanilla plastic carrier sometimes is the best option – safe and secure, easy to clean, and sturdy.
For your veterinary team, the removable top is a bonus. It allows your vet team to work with your cat in a place he knows – the bottom of his carrier.

MAKE YOUR CAT’S CARRIER A SAFE PLACE.

It should have a comfortable blanket or towel in it that smells like her.
Leave the carrier out a home – your cat may nap or play in the carrier.
Offer some food close by or in the carrier for her to enjoy.
Play games in and around the carrier.

Cat and Car — Athena is ready to get in her carrier for a ride!

TAKE KITTY FOR SOME RIDES THAT DON’T END UP AT THE VET.

Start with short rides, maybe just around the block.
Work up to longer rides to pleasant places – if you have a cat stroller, you could work up to going for walks in the park.
ALWAYS move at your cat’s pace – if he is hunched up and hiding, slow down and shorten the ride.

HANDLE AT HOME FOR A BETTER VET VISIT FOR YOUR CAT

Take time at home to handle her feet and head
Work up to gently lifting her upper lip to look at her teeth.
Get her used to being picked up.
Make sure to reward her with tasty treats!

Spray Carrier Facial Pheromones — Spraying the carrier with feline facial pheromones signals that this a familiar place.

SPRAY THE CARRIER WITH SYNTHETIC PHEROMONES 20 MINUTES BEFORE THE RIDE

BRING SOME TREATS ALONG TO MAKE THE VISIT MORE PLEASANT.

Limit kitty’s food prior to the appointment
he will be more willing to eat some treats

Pheremones and Communication

Posted on May 20, 2020August 8, 2020 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

Pheromones and Feline Communication

To us humans, smell is only important for deciding what food to eat or what perfume to wear. But for cats, smells are like a second language. With just their noses, they can learn almost everything they need to know about their surroundings and the other cats they meet.

Each of us has his or her own “signature odor”. These signature odors help cats recognize other cats, familiar humans and other animals by the way they smell.

“Semiochemicals” are special molecules that carry “messages” from one organism to another. The organism receiving the “message” will respond with a change in physiology or behavior. Most semiochemicals are transmitted by odors.

Pheromones

Pheromones are a type of semiochemical that helps animals of the same species message with each other. They are the same for every member of the species, and send the same “message” to each member of that species that detects them. For cats, these messages include marking boundaries, indicating sexual receptivity, and sending greetings. Lactating mother cats also produce a blend of “appeasing” pheromones that make kittens feel safe and reassured when their mothers are nearby.

Cats take in pheromones either by sniffing or using the Flehmen response. They release pheromones using glands located in:

the lips
the cheeks
the pads of the feet
under the chin
at the base of the tail
the area surrounding the teats in females.

When cats rub their faces on things, sharpen their claws on an object, spray urine, or leave their feces uncovered, they are depositing pheromones. These pheromones linger in the area and help cats “leave a message” for any other cats that pass by.

It’s easy to get frustrated with your cat when these messages damage your furniture or stain your carpet, but remember: your cat is trying to communicate, not destroy your home. Just giving them objects they’re allowed to “mark,” like scratching posts and other cat furniture, is often all they need to convince them to deposit their pheromones in more appropriate places.

Science and Pheromones: Synthetic Pheromones

Some feline pheromones have been synthesized in the laboratory and are available commercially. Feliway and Comfort Zone are two brands of synthetic cat pheromones.

Feliway Classic (Comfort Zone “Calming”) is a synthetic version of the pheromones cats deposit when rubbing their whiskers/lips on things. This particular pheromone marks the cat’s territory as safe and secure.

Feliway Multicat (Comfort Zone Multicat Control) is a synthetic version of the “appeasing” pheromone mother cats use to soothe their kittens, and can help reduce tension in multi-cat households.

Feliscratch replicates the pheromones released when a cat scratches something, marking territory and signaling that he was there. We can use Feliscratch to encourage cats to use a scratching post.

These products can be used alone or combined to help you tell your cat how you want him or her to behave. For example, you could use Feliscratch to make your cat’s scratching post more appealing, and also use Feliway Classic on other areas of your home to show your cat that they are already safely marked and there is no need to scratch there.

Feline pheromones are undetectable by human noses or other animals. So, you can’t smell the world the same way your cat does. But knowing the importance of pheromones in your cat’s world will help you better understand “why my cat does that”.

A Cat’s world: What does my cat smell?

Posted on May 20, 2020August 8, 2020 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

What does my cat smell?

Cats live in a landscape of odors. Odors tell them about their world and carry messages from other cats.

Cats have two ways of detecting odors in their environment: the cells lining the nose and nasal cavity and the vomeronasal organ (VNO or Jacobson’s organ). The VNO consists of two fluid-filled sacs located in the roof of the cat’s mouth that connect to the nasal cavity as well as the mouth. Molecules dissolved in the nasal mucus or saliva can be sucked into the VNO.

Sometimes, you will see a cat with its mouth open, lips parted and upper lip raised, giving the appearance of a grimace or grin. This is known as a Flehmen response and allows the cat to draw chemicals into the VNO.

Street addresses and Road Signs

The cat learns to associate certain odors/scents with a particular experience. To a cat, another animal or person has a signature odor. This collection of odors allows the cat to recognize an individual cat or other creature. For example, signature odors can tell the cat the gender and health of another cat.

The cat’s sense of smell also registers feline pheromones, chemicals that convey messages among cats. These chemical messages can be understood only by other cats and are the same for all cats.

The signature odor is like a street address, telling the cat about an individual animal or object; pheromones are like traffic signs, alerting the cat to the presence of other cats and whether these cats are friendly or not.

Smells cats like (besides food!)

Catnip – a member of the mint family, contains nepetalactone, which can cause the “kitty crazies” in some of our feline friends!
Silver Vine – a plant from east Asia, has 6 compounds that are similar chemically to the active ingredient in catnip, nepetalactone. More cats respond to silver vine than catnip.
Valerian Root – Contains 1 compound with similar chemical structure to nepetalactone
Tartarian Honeysuckle can also elicit a response in cats and is considered safe.

Smells Cat’s don’t like

Smells cats don’t like include: citrus scents, vinegar, household cleaners

My four cats also give lavender and rosemary a pass – there is no rubbing or nibbling on these although the humans sure enjoyed the indoor greenery during the winter!

DID YOU KNOW: Some cats do not respond to catnip; kittens will not respond to the herb until they are 4 months old or more.