Their function is still somewhat of a mystery, though research has now shed some light on their role in nature. Have you ever watched your kitty rub her face back and forth on your favorite white furniture using the whisker pads and chin area? Are you convinced your kitty approves of your choices in furniture and is trying to say “I love the new armoire”? Forget it! Kitty is happily marking territory with these special scent glands and the secretion consists of a brown oily substance (which you will find lovingly smeared on your new furniture). This facial secretion contains minute quantities of pheromone. This tells other imaginary or real cats in the house that “this is my spot and I am quite happy”. Paws also deposit scent markers in the secretions that are left behind on surfaces during kneading and scratching. Yet other scent markers are deposited on the bowel movements by the anal glands, two small glands next to the anus. The effects of the natural feline pheromones are many and not fully understood, but we do know that there is a role in sexual activity and mother-offspring bonding, others help to soothe stressed cats in social situations, and help discourage intruding cats from overlapping territory by object marking or feces scenting.

If you see your cat pausing with mouth half open, and holding it like that to take a deep breath in, that is the posture used by cats to “smell” pheromones. The cat has a curious little organ in the roof of his mouth called the vomeronasal organ and this is where the air is drawn over sensors to scan the scent molecules and send the message along to the brain.

Artificial facial pheromone analogs are available commercially as a spray or diffuser (Feliway ®)and can be used to help discourage urine marking and scratching. For 30 days the spray is applied to targets at cat height, or a diffuser used in the room being damaged. This can be of real benefit in multi-cat households. The pheromone products can be used to help introduce a new cat into a multi-cat household, or to spray a carrier just before travel (or a visit to the vet) to “sooth” Kitty’s frayed nerves during transport. Sometimes, it is used in conjunction with other therapies for stress-related behaviors as well. One study found that cats exposed to the artificial pheromone increased self grooming, and ate more food and another study found that the pheromones calmed cats during a veterinary procedure (placing an intravenous needle).

These products are not sprayed on the cats, but rather onto key environmental objects.

It will be interesting to see what the next round of research will discover about feline pheromones and their roles. Just one of the many mysteries of cats!

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