Cat pheromone
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Cat pheromones are pheromone
Pheromone
A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual...
s that are used by cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s and other felids
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
for cat communication
Cat communication
Cat communication is the range of methods by which cats communicate with other cats, humans, and other animals. Communication methods include postures, movement , and auditory and chemical signals.The communication methods used by cats have been affected by the domestication process.-Auditory...
.
Feline facial pheromone
Feline facial pheromone is a hypothetical pheromonePheromone
A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual...
used by cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s to mark places, objects, and persons as familiar by rubbing their face on surfaces. It is currently not known if there actually exists a "feline facial pheromone" and what its chemical structure is.
A preparation that claims to mimic the feline facial pheromone is commercially available under the name Feliway. This product contains common fatty acid
Fatty acid
In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have a chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. Fatty acids are usually derived from...
s as active ingredients, mixed with Valeriana officinalis essential oil
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
as attractant. Valeriana officinalis is known for its behavioural effects on cats, similar to Nepeta
Nepeta
Nepeta is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. The members of this group are known as catnip or catmint because of their effect on cats—the nepetalactone contained in nepeta binds to the olfactory receptors of cats, typically resulting in temporary euphoria...
(catnip).
"Cat attractants"
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
s that have an apparent effect on cat behavior
Cat behavior
Cat behavior generally refers to the behaviors and habits of domestic cats, including body language and communication. Cat behavior may vary among breeds and individual cats. Many common behaviors include hunting techniques and reactions to certain events as well as interactions with humans and...
. A cat presented with a cat attractant may roll in it, paw at it, or chew on the source of the smell
Odor
An odor or odour is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds, generally at a very low concentration, that humans or other animals perceive by the sense of olfaction. Odors are also commonly called scents, which can refer to both pleasant and unpleasant odors...
. The effect is usually relatively short, lasting for only a few minutes after which the cats have a refractory period
Refractory period
In physiology, a refractory period is a period of time during which an organ or cell is incapable of repeating a particular action, or the amount of time it takes for an excitable membrane to be ready for a second stimulus once it returns to its resting state following an excitation...
during which the response cannot be elicited. After 30 minutes to two hours, susceptible cats gain interest again. These compounds might mimic the feline facial pheromone.
The volatile chemicals that are currently known to cause these behavioral effects in cats are actinidine from Valeriana officinalis, nepetalactone
Nepetalactone
Nepetalactone is an organic compound, first isolated from the plant catnip , which acts as a cat attractant. Nepetalactone is bicyclic terpenoid, i.e., it is a ten-carbon compound derived from isoprene with two fused rings, a cyclopentane and a lactone. The structure and the effects of the compound...
from Nepeta
Nepeta
Nepeta is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. The members of this group are known as catnip or catmint because of their effect on cats—the nepetalactone contained in nepeta binds to the olfactory receptors of cats, typically resulting in temporary euphoria...
(catnip), dihydronepetalactone, neonepetalactone, isodihydronepetalactone, epinepetalactone, boschnialactone, boschniakine, dihydroactinidiolide
Dihydroactinidiolide
Dihydroactinidiolide is a volatile terpene. It has a sweet, tea-like odor and is used as a fragrance. Dihydroactinidiolide occurs naturally in black tea, fenugreek, fire ants, mangos, silver vine , and tobacco...
, actinidiolide
Actinidiolide
Actinidiolide is a cat attractant....
, iridomyrmecin
Iridomyrmecin
Iridomyrmecin is a defensive chemical, classified as an iridoid, isolated from ants of the genus Iridomyrmex. Iridomyrmecin is also found in a variety of plants including Actinidia polygama....
, (-)-mitsugashiwalactone, and onikulactone.
Cat urine odorants
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Cat urine, especially that of male cats, contains the putative cat pheromone 3-mercapto-3-methylbutan-1-ol
3-Mercapto-3-methylbutan-1-ol
3-Mercapto-3-methylbutan-1-ol, abbreviated as MMB, is a thiol and an alcohol. MMB is a degradation product of felinine in cat urine and is a putative cat pheromone....
(MMB), a compound that gives cat urine its typical odor. The MMB precursor felinine
Felinine
Felinine, also known as -2-amino-3-propanoic acid, is a chemical compound found in cat urine and a precursor of the putative cat pheromone 3-mercapto-3-methylbutan-1-ol ....
is synthesized in the urine from 3-methylbutanol-cysteinylglycine (3-MBCG) by the excreted peptidase cauxin
Cauxin
Cauxin is a peptidase that is excreted in large amounts in cat urine. Cauxine has been shown to hydrolyze 3-methylbutanol-cysteinylglycine in the urine into felinine which then slowly degrades into the putative cat pheromone 3-mercapto-3-methylbutan-1-ol .Cauxin protein from feline urine was...
. Felinine then slowly degrades into the volatile MMB.
Cat urine smell is highly aversive to rats
RATS
RATS may refer to:* RATS , Regression Analysis of Time Series, a statistical package* Rough Auditing Tool for Security, a computer program...
and mice
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
, but after infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasma gondii is a species of parasitic protozoa in the genus Toxoplasma. The definitive host of T. gondii is the cat, but the parasite can be carried by many warm-blooded animals . Toxoplasmosis, the disease of which T...
, they are attracted by it, highly increasing the likelihood of being preyed upon and of infecting the cat.
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