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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Introducing a New Cat into the Multi-cat Home

Posted on October 22, 2023 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

Introducing a new cat to an established group of resident cats can be challenging. Most experts recommend a slow, gradual introduction, similar to how wild cat colonies accept new members.

introducing a new cat

Wild cats recognize members of their own colony. Unfamiliar cats will be greeted with aggression if they try to approach and enter the group. This is not to say that non-members don’t join the colony from time to time. If these “outsiders” are persistent in their attempts to join the group, they may be accepted after a gradual process that involves many interactions (Reference 1).

I am in the process of introducing a new cat to my household. The introduction process is still ongoing but here is my progress so far.

Miso is 2 year old male domestic shorthair who had been frequenting the porch where my veterinarian employer leaves food out for the community cats. Miso behaved more like a stray cat and tried to get into the house. So, he was coaxed into a carrier, neutered and had dental treatment at the veterinary clinic where I work.

Miso is friendly toward humans and other cats. Although he is quite a bit younger than my cats, I thought it was worth a try to bring him into my group.

At the time of the introduction, there were 4 cats in my household and two social groups:

Athena, aged 18 years, forms her own social group. She tolerates the other cats but does not snuggle, groom or otherwise interact with them.
Marley, a 17 year old neutered male, 7 year old Gus, and 7 year old Zelda form the second social group. Zelda and Marley will snuggle together particularly when it is cold. Gus and Zelda allogroom; Gus and Zelda also groom Marley.

Getting Ready

Introducing a new cat starts with scent exchange. A few weeks before I brought Miso home, I brought home a blanket he slept on and left it in the kitchen area. All four cats carefully smelled it and there was some hissing but that waned over a week.

I made a barricade of closet shelving to close off the downstairs from my resident cats and set up a room downstairs for Miso to stay in with a litter box, scratching posts and food station.

Week 1

Miso is calm and confident and asks to go out of his room. He goes out into the catio downstairs. We set up a system of time-sharing the catio, allowing Zelda and Athena to occupy it in the morning while Miso is closed in his room. Miso has the catio in the afternoon. At night, Miso is closed in his room.

Miso chooses to eat at the top of the stairs next to the barricade. The other cats are fed out of sight in the kitchen.

At the end of the week, I apply a mousse shampoo to Miso and wash his bedding, thinking that he might smell like the vet clinic. I also put a multi-cat pheromone diffuser downstairs and 4 more on the upstairs floor.

Week 2 – Zelda gets sick

Zelda has diarrhea which I think may be due to the stress of having a new roommate. The diarrhea resolves with a few days of probiotics.

The resident cats frequently hiss while passing Miso at the barricade but they now ignore him and continue on their way. We start to allow Miso upstairs while the other cats are in the catio.

At the end of the week, we allow Miso to have free run of the downstairs and not be closed in his room at night. The barricade is still up.

Week 3 – A Behavior Change for Gus

Miso was trained to harness and leash when at the vet clinic. I officially bring Miso upstairs on a leash and we have our first friendly interaction with the residents – Miso and Gus touch noses and there is no hissing.

Miso is assigned a feeding station (a cat carrier) to eat in and is fed with the other cats. I get a little push back from Gus, who refuses to eat at his feeding station. I offer him his food on his cat tree which he accepts.

Miso starts doing the evening food puzzle and treat toss with Zelda and Marley. Again, Gus prefers not to participate and does his food puzzles on his cat tree. The barricade is opened during the day near the end of the week.

Week 4 – Aggression from Athena

Athena swats Miso and we separate them temporarily, closing Athena in the bedroom. I put a broom near the door way with the water fountain so that I can herd Miso away in case he blocks Athena on her way to water.

There is still plenty of hissing going on but everyone’s body language is neutral. There are still 4 multi-cat pheromone diffusers on the upper floor. Miso is allowed out in the catio with the other cats. Everyone keeps their distance.

At the end of the week, Miso is allowed upstairs at night and chooses an empty carrier to sleep in.

Although the cats are sharing common areas now, the process of introducing a new cat is far from over. It will take many more months before all the cats are accustomed to the new resident and the changes in the daily routines.

Introducing a new cat into an established household is stressful for the incoming cat as well as the residents. Even with a gradual introduction, stress-induced illness, changes in routine, and displays of aggression are not uncommon. It is important to monitor the body language of all the cats, accommodate changes in behavior and be ready to separate cats if there is a scuffle.

references

Crowell-Davis SL, Curtis TM, Knowles RJ. Social organization in the cat: a modern understanding. J Feline Med Surg. 2004 Feb;6(1):19-28. doi: 10.1016/j.jfms.2003.09.013. PMID: 15123163.

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Diets for Managing CKD in Cats

Posted on October 1, 2023March 11, 2024 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

Diet is a key therapy for cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Diets for managing CKD in cats aim to (Reference 1):

lessen the clinical signs of CKD
slow the progression of the disease
provide adequate nutrition

Diets for managing ckd in cats

The goal of diets for managing CKD in cats is to reduce the amount of uremic waste products while providing adequate nutrition. There are a number of commercially available diets that are formulated to do this. These foods feature (Reference 1):

reduced phosphorus
restricted amounts of high-quality protein
higher calories
reduced sodium
potassium supplementation
B vitamins and fatty acids

Phosphorus

Phosphorus is needed for the growth, maintenance, and repair of all tissues and cells, and for the production of the genetic building blocks, DNA and RNA. Phosphorus is also needed to help balance and use other vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, iodine, magnesium, and zinc (Reference 2).

As kidney disease progresses, the ability of the kidneys to excrete phosphorus declines. To reduce stress on the kidneys, diets for managing CKD in cats aim to reduce the amount of phosphorus and balance the ratio of calcium to phosphorus. Too much phosphorus and not enough calcium can lead to kidney and bone damage (Reference 1). Commercial kidney diets are formulated to maintain an appropriate ratio of calcium to phosphorus.

protein in diets for managing cats with ckd

Since protein contributes significantly to phosphorus content, kidney diets restrict the amount of protein. Less protein means less uremic waste products. Emphasis is placed on formulating these diets with “high quality” protein. High quality proteins are a “complete package” and provide the cat with all the amino acids he or she needs. Thus, the protein used is highly bioavailable and generates less uremic waste products (Reference 1).

There are concerns that reduced protein diets predispose cats to weight loss and loss of lean muscle mass. Some recent studies suggest that senior cats may require more protein than younger cats to maintain lean body mass (LBM) (Reference 1).

Some practitioners advocate feeding higher protein diets to cats suffering with CKD to maintain the LBM. This may not be the answer to maintain LBM – increased protein in the cat’s diet means more uremic waste, making the cat feel nauseated and not inclined to eat. Ultimately, the cat will be eating less and calorie reduction will lead to muscle wasting as the cat’s body uses his own muscles for nutrition (Reference 3).

More on Lean Body Mass…

A recent study in 2019 (Reference 4) found a correlation between consumption of essential amino acids (essential amino acids must be consumed in the diet) and LBM. Cats with CKD Stages 1 and 2 were fed either a control kidney diet or a higher calorie “test” kidney diet that included higher amounts of essential amino acids and carnitine, an amino acid derivative that plays a role in energy production in the body.

The cats eating the lower calorie control diet lost LBM whereas the other group of cats eating the “test” diet maintained their LBM. Researchers observed that the cats on the control diet did not eat enough food to get adequate amounts of essential amino acids. They found that essential amino acid intake, not total dietary protein, correlated with maintaining LBM.

Although offering reduced protein, most commercial kidney diets make sure that more than sufficient amounts of the essential amino acids are available. The challenge is to get cats with CKD to eat enough of the diets.

Other Supplements

Commercial diets for managing CKD in cats also supplement:

Potassium, an electrolyte essential to the function of muscles and nerves
B vitamins – these water soluble vitamins can be depleted as the cat drinks more water and urinates more
Fatty acids – fatty acids found in fish oils are thought to reduce inflammation and decrease protein in the urine

Starting a kidney Diet

Renal diets are typically recommended for cats in IRIS Stages 2, 3, and 4. Occasionally a reduced protein diet may be prescribed for a Stage 1 cat who has persistent protein in her urine. Many practitioners like to introduce therapeutic diets when the cat is in IRIS Stage 2, because the cat should still be feeling well and more likely to accept the new diet (Reference 3).

The best time to switch to a kidney diet is when your cat is eating her regular cat food well and is feeling well. Wait to introduce the new diet if…

Your cat has just come back from the hospital
You have visitors or are doing home remodeling
Your cat is not eating her regular food well
Your cat is vomiting or having diarrhea

Introduce the new diet gradually, over several weeks (Reference 1)


Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Offer 25% of the new diet and 75% of the current food	Offer 50% of the new diet and 50% of the current food	Offer 75% of new diet and 25% of the current food	Offer 100% of the new diet

Make sure to offer the appropriate amount of calories to your cat – the new renal diet will most likely be more caloric than the your cat’s current food and you will not need to feed as much.

tips for transitioning to a kidney diet

Choose a food similar to the one your cat is eating already – wet or dry? fish or chicken?
Offer the new food in a separate bowl alongside the regular food
Make sure to offer fresh food
Use a “topper” to encourage your cat to try the new food – fish flakes or a favorite treat
Try gently warming wet foods – the stronger smell may make the food more appealing
Meal feed your cat – small, frequent meals gives your cat more chances to try the new food
Avoid mixing medications into the new food – use a small amount of another food or pureed treat to give the medications

If you are struggling with a finicky cat, talk to your vet. If your cat is healthy, ask if you can do a trial of mirataz to stimulate his appetite and facilitate the transition to the new food.

Alternatives to a commercial kidney diet

Use a phosphorus binder in the food your cat will eat. Consult your veterinarian for the appropriate dose.
Home cooked diets are an option but should be formulated by a veterinary nutritionist. Nutritionists affiliated with websites such as balance.it will work with your vet to formulate a recipe for your cat.

Studies have shown that diets for managing CKD in cats can increase longevity, help control uremia and maintain phosphorus concentrations. While some have concerns about the protein restriction in these diets, kidney diets have been shown to maintain LBM providing the cat eats enough food to get sufficient nutrition.

New research is focusing on the connection between the kidneys and the GI tract, particularly the uremic toxins that originate in the gut. Prebiotic and probiotic treatments in CKD cats are being investigated to see if improving the health of the microorganisms living in the gut can reduce blood concentrations of gut-derived uremic toxins. (Reference 5)

references

Quimby, J. and Ross, S., Diets for Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) [updated 2022]. http://www.iris-kidney.com/education/protein_restriction_feline_ckd.html [viewed 9/2023]
Phosphorus: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals, https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Phosphorus-HealthProfessional/, viewed 9/2023.
Hall JA, Fritsch DA, Jewell DE, Burris PA, Gross KL. Cats with IRIS stage 1 and 2 chronic kidney disease maintain body weight and lean muscle mass when fed food having increased caloric density, and enhanced concentrations of carnitine and essential amino acids. Vet Rec. 2019 Feb 9;184(6):190. doi: 10.1136/vr.104865. Epub 2018 Dec 4. PMID: 30514741; PMCID: PMC6589452.
Summers, S. and Quimby, J., The feline gut-kidney axis: food for thought, Veterinary Focus, Issue #33.1, 5/31/23, https://vetfocus.royalcanin.com/en/scientific/the-feline-gut-kidney-axis-food-for-thought, viewed 9/2023