What’s That Smell?
We have all seen those funny videos of cat’s making a face after smelling feet, shoes and other things we consider stinky. What is that face about? Have you ever seen your cat make that face, even when not smelling something “stinky”? That’s what we’re going to explore today. What do cats smell? What are pheromones? And why do they make that funny face? If you want to even see a tiger make the funny face check this out.
Cats sense of smell is up to 40 times better then us humans. A major part of this is the folds of mucous membranes inside their nose called turbinates. These swirling folds allow cats to capture and detect many smells and aid them in detecting prey and predators. Knowing this is very important when we discuss helping keep cats happy in their homes. If there are strong smells in your home, this may actually overwhelm cats noses or make them stressed they cannot smell other things. Strong chemical cleaners or strongly scented litter can easily put cats off using their litter trays as well. We will discuss this more in coming blog posts, or more can be read in our Environmental Needs Handout. Smell is a major part of how cats communicate, but for the answers to our other questions we will need to look into something humans cannot detect.
Flehmen and Pheromones
Well it turns out, that funny face rarely has anything to do with stink. It’s called Flehmen response. Cats have a special organ, called the vemeronasal organ, which sits between their nose and the roof of their mouth. This special organ is for detection of pheromones only. It even has it’s own direct nerve connection to the brain for interpretation of these chemicals. Cats make this face to help direct droplets containing the pheromones into the tiny openings just behind their upper incisors (top front teeth) of the vemeronasal organ.
Pheromones are chemicals that can be deposited and interpreted by most domestic animals, but not humans. We do not have the vemeronasal organ, so we cannot detect them at all. They are produced in several places on the cats body, and often rubbed onto surfaces to communicate messages between cats without them having to come in direct contact with one another. There are entire books written about these different chemicals and how cats use them, but I will try to give you the short version today.
Why do cats need pheromones? Well, most often, this is a safe, easy way to leave a message to other cats without having to meet them face to face. This is extra helpful when cats are using pheromones to communicate their territory. Meeting your neighbour, who may want to invade your space, in person is risky, and may result in physical confrontation. If you can leave a sign letting them know this is the end of your territory (think a big “keep out” sign), then you don’t have to have the argument with them in person. You can also go about your day without having to wait for them to come visit the same spot.
Similarly cats use pheromones to mark places they feel safe. They also intermingle their scents and pheromones with other cats considered part of their social group. This intermingling leads to a group smell that helps identify strangers and friends when you meet out in the wild. There are now two products called Feliway Classic and Feliway Friends (not yet available in Australia) which are used around the world to help cats feel safer in their homes and new places (such as vet clinics). Feliway Classic is often used to help reduce stress in cats by mimicking the “safe place” pheromone cats would rub onto your furniture and around the home. This is really helpful when cats come to a new place such as a vet clinic, boarding facility, or if you need to help them move home. Feliway Friends is currently only available overseas, but is being used to help cats bond and trust each other. If you want to know more about this please make an appointment with one of our vet team to discuss this further.
Another major role of pheromones is in the communication of health status between cats. Intact (non-sterilised) males and females use these pheromones to communicate when they are ready and available to mate. This is an easy way to advertise to all the other cats in the area, aiding in a successful mating. Male cats often will deposit these pheromones with spraying, where they urinate on a vertical surface (walls, doors, trees). Female cats will do this too, especially when they are in season. Spraying can also occur when cats are stressed in their homes and may feel the need to mark their territory (with smells and pheromones) or cover up the smells of other cats (both inside and outside the home). If your neutered (desexed) cat is spraying, it is recommended you make an appointment with our vet team to discuss this further and help identify any underlying causes.
So, that funny face is perfectly normal, and an important part of how cats detect pheromones and thus communicate with each other. While pheromones can be left behind in things that stink (faeces and urine) the response is not about the smell itself, but the messages hidden within it. Unfortunately humans cannot detect pheromones, so cats will continue to send these message that we cannot interpret. If you are concerned about your cats sense of smell, or other behaviours please contact our team to discuss this further.
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