Photo by ExplainingWhy.com on Giphy
by Nomi Berger
From body language to vocalization, cats use various signs and signals to communicate – with other cats and with humans. And although we may not be able to detect them, pheromones rank highest on that list. What, then, ARE pheromones?
Pheromones are a form of chemical communication that felines employ when engaging with each other, with the world around them and with their pet parents. The “messages” they send are released from special glands located throughout their bodies, and they produce a wide assortment of pheromones that influence many of their behaviors, emotions and interactions. Different pheromones send different “messages” or signals to other cats, both indoors and outdoors cats, which all cats, young and old, will understand.
Many of the glands that release pheromones are located on cats’ faces — on their foreheads, lower ears, cheeks, chins and around their mouths. They’re also located in their paw pads to help them “mark” their territory when they scratch and/or knead, and around the nipples of females. To share or deposit these messages, your own cat will engage in a range of behaviors – the most positive of which is rubbing her head on you, on various household objects’ surfaces, even doorways, throughout your home, and bumping heads with you and, when applicable, with her feline friends. These are clear signals that your kitty is happy, relaxed and content in her environment, and that by putting her scent on them and on you, she’s marked them and you as being “safe.”
Pheromones are used, among other things, to help mother cats and kittens bond, identify and be in harmony with each other, to self-soothe as well as to signal discomfort, stress or fear. All cats use a special organ called the vomeronasal organ (VNO) that’s located in an opening on the roof of their mouths to recognize pheromone messages throughout their environment. When detecting them, your cat will open her mouth slightly and pull back her lips, exposing the roof of her mouth. If you witness your cat standing still with a strange expression on her face, she’s clearly detecting and receiving a single “message” or more.
On the other hand, many cats may suffer from anxiety or stress caused by changes in their environment such as adding a new cat to your household, decorating, moving and visiting the vet. Their anxiety will most commonly manifest itself in such negative behaviors as biting, excessive scratching, hiding, refusing to eat, urinating and defecating outside of the litter box, fighting with the other kitties and/or spraying. Should your kitty exhibit any of these behaviors, try using artificial pheromone products.
The most popular ones are plug-in diffusers and sprays. Cat calming plug-in diffusers and sprays can help with general anxiety in individual cats and promote harmony in multi-cat households by emitting a synthetic version of the feline facial pheromones given off by mother cats while nursing their kittens.
In instances where such measures have little to no effect, animal behaviorists encourage worried pet parents to contact their vets. Hopefully, with an appropriate behavior modification program, including positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior and desensitization along with counter-conditioning, these ‘fraidy cats can overcome their fears or anxiety regarding certain situations and live calmer, happier lives.
